DEWA HOSTS SOLAR DECATHLON COMPETITION AT EXPO 2020 DUBAI
The Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME) stand will feature modules presented by the teams participating in the second edition of the competition, which will be held in conjunction with
Expo 2020 Dubai
As part of its pavilion activities at Expo 2020 Dubai, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has set up its stand dedicated to the Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME) competition.
SDME 2021 will happen in Dubai, during the Expo 2020 activities, offering participating universities and their partners the best opportunity to be part of the most important global event of the year.
DEWA is organising SDME 2021 during the Expo because of the Memorandum of Understanding it signed with Expo 2020. DEWA is the Official Sustainable Energy Partner of
Expo 2020. Both organisations have formed a national partnership to maximise the use of clean energy and deliver the most sustainable World Expo.
SDME 2021 will raise the prestige and visibility of the selected participating universities. They will be part of the small group of top institutions that will compete in the world’s most important green construction competition, internationally known as the ‘Olympics of Sustainable Building,’ which will be for the first time in its history linked to a World Expo.
SDME is a collegiate competition that challenges students to design, build, operate solar powered houses. These teams will exhibit the unique houses they have designed and constructed at a time when sustainability, innovation, and green energy will be in the minds of all the people living in or visiting Dubai.
SDME is organised under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, as part of an agreement between DEWA, the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, and US Department of Energy.
The SDME stand will feature modules presented by the teams participating in the second edition of the competition, which will be held in conjunction with Expo 2020 Dubai, as well as the smart and sustainable house introduced by the FutureHAUS team at Virginia Tech
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University, which placed first in the SDME competition organised by DEWA in 2018.
“SDME is the largest and most competitive global competition among international universities. This competition comes as part of DEWA’s efforts to enhance the UAE’s position as a platform for creativity, an incubator for creators and a destination for innovators from all over the world,” says Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA.
“Based on our belief in youth as the driving force to build a brighter future, we are organising the second edition of SDME at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the world’s largest single-site solar park.”
Al Tayer adds that the event will encourage young people to create designs for smart and sustainable, solar-powered homes and are in line with the cultural, social, and climatic environment of the Middle East, as a part of our efforts to achieve sustainable development and reduce global warming, and support
Dubai as a future city that adopts sustainable solutions.
SDME encourages the participating teams to design, build, and operate sustainable models of cost-effective and energy efficient solarpowered homes, with a focus on protecting the environment, taking into consideration the climate of the region.
The participating teams compete in 10 contests: architecture; engineering and building; energy management; energy efficiency; comfort conditions; house functioning; sustainable transport; sustainability; communications, and innovation.
The list of teams participating in the second edition of SDME includes: Team KU of Khalifa University, UAE; Team Sharjah of University of Sharjah, UAE; Team Desert Phoenix of University of Louisville (USA), Higher Colleges of Technology (UAE), American University in Dubai, and American University in Sharjah; Team The HAB of American University of
Ras Al Khaimah and University of Dubai; Team HARMONY of The British University in Dubai; Team ESTEEM of Heriot-Watt University,
UK; Team TAWAZUN of Manipal Academy of Higher Education Dubai Campus; Team TMAM of Effat University, KSA; Team UOB of University of Bahrain; Team Solarution of Moulay Ismail University, Morocco; Team SCUTxCCSIC of South China University of Technology, and Team Aswan University, Egypt.
SDME 2021 - SEVEN PILLARS
SDME 2021 has decided to focus on seven interrelated pillars: Sustainability, Future, Innovation, Clean Energy, Mobility, Smart Solutions, and Happiness. These pillars coincide with the goals of DEWA and the World Expo 2020, and shall be present in all the SDME 2021 houses.
SUSTAINABILITY
The houses developed by the participant teams must show a clear understanding of sustainability in the built environment. The design, materials, systems, and components should have a very low environmental impact during its whole life cycle.
Additionally, the houses should provide healthy and comfortable spaces, and meet all the needs of their occupants, with a minimum consumption of energy and water. The study of the local environment, the bioclimatic architecture, and the passive design strategies are good starting points.
FUTURE
SDME 2021 shares the Dubai Government’s commitment to accelerate the future. In the competition, bright young minds will work together to transform the current and future built environment challenges into great opportunities to generate breakthrough solutions.
The teams shall evaluate innovative technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, 3D printing, the Internet of Things, and biomimicry, and implement in their projects the ones that assist in making their houses most sustainable, efficient and comfortable.
INNOVATION
SDME 2021 is an excellent platform to test and display materials, components, equipment, and systems developed or improved by the participant universities, or by their research and industrial partners. Innovation will be embedded in all areas of the project.
The teams shall adapt or look for new solutions to respond to the SDME 2021 challenges, the extreme heat, achieving high efficiency, smart energy management, low embodied energy, clean energy production, water conservation, and occupant comfort.
These creative solutions can include responsive skins, adaptive facades, advanced glazing system, 3D printing, novel solar technologies, AI, smart systems, solar cooling, and energy storage, among others.
CLEAN ENERGY
The houses must be net zero energy buildings. They must also be very-high energy efficiency solar houses that can connect to the grid and generate enough energy to compensate its demand, including an electric vehicle.
While it is essential for the designs to ensure the renewable energy supply, it is even more important to limit the energy consumption.
Therefore, passive design strategies and energy efficiency are key elements. The seamless integration of photovoltaic and solar thermal systems into the building envelope is also necessary.
MOBILITY
The teams must also address the question of energy coupling between the energy-plus buildings and electric transportation systems. The SDME projects must prove that they can produce enough energy to cover the demand of both the house and the electric vehicle.
SDME is not a competition for electric vehicles but a testing ground for innovative solutions merging community design, housing and sustainable transportation in a holistic approach.
SMART SOLUTIONS
The SDME 2021 projects will incorporate smart technologies that offer wise energy management and increase the energy efficiency, safety, and comfort of the occupants.
The smart solutions shall interconnect each house’s systems and use information technology to optimise its overall performance.
HAPPINESS
The teams must design the houses for people and make them happy. They need to think about how to make owners happy, creating comfortable and pleasant living spaces. The views, the sunlight, the interior-exterior relation, as well as the indoor environment quality (IEQ ), are just some of the aspects that need to be considered.
The house systems and technologies must be user-friendly, and must give the occupants the ability to override any programmed action. Teams are encouraged to implement technologies that teach, give suggestions or help the people reduce their energy and water consumption.
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There has been discussion over the past couple of months on potential rise in costs of developing solar due to increasing silicon costs. In 2021, due to the imbalance of supply and demand of upstream silicon, the price of silicon have risen several times rapidly, resulting in the increase of module cost and price, which will bring a certain impact on the Middle East market and the global photovoltaic industry this year.
However, I think the market turbulence in this year is temporary, because the supply and demand relationship of the global photovoltaic upstream and downstream industry chain has been in the process of subtle change and dynamic balance. That is, with the gradual release of production capacity, the price will return to a reasonable range.
From the perspective of the global market in the future, with the requirements of carbon emission reduction and the further improvement of photovoltaic plus energy storage economy, the global photovoltaic installed demand will maintain a steady growth.
Clean energy, represented by photovoltaic, will become one of the main driving forces for global energy structure transformation and economic recovery in the post-epidemic era.
CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF RISING MATERIAL COSTS OF SOLAR ON POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT OF PROJECTS
For instance, some utility-scale projects may be delayed to 2022 or even 2023, after the component price returns to a reasonable level, because the current price cannot support the continued development due to the low pre-budget cost.
But demand for modules remain strong in the distribution market and in some countries.
THE CHANGE OF THE SOLAR LANDSCAPE IN THE REGION IN THE FUTURE
20-30% of projects worldwide will be affected by the increase in modules costs and prices in 2021, resulting in some degree of delay or cancellation.
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However, this special situation does not bother the future growth of the PV market. Many institutions predict that the global installed capacity of photovoltaics in 2022 will be around 200GW at the DC side, so I am confident about the PV market in 2022, especially in the Middle East region.
HOW TO TACKLE THIS?
• From the perspective of the company, the layout and penetration of the whole industrial chain is very important, which can effectively grasp the factors such as product quality/cost/capacity, etc.
• Actively improve product power, build high energy density products to effectively reduce LCOE/ improve return on investment, and form technology competition, product competition, service competition, rather than pure module price competition;
• Call for a scientific and rational layout of global industrial chain and production capacity to resist industrial shocks.