Innovative solutions for water and energy sustainability showcased at the Green Ideas Expo in a competition organized in partnership with Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority.
With sustainable development being an important challenge for future generations, the Green Ideas Expo awards, organized in partnership with Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) and conducted during the 2013 World Future Energy Summit and the International Water Summit, hosted by Masdar, will go a long way to ensuring that the youth of the region are actively involved in developing solutions for a greener, cleaner world.
The Green Ideas Expo coincided with global celebrations for the 2013 International Year of Water Cooperation, and the aim of the awards was to encourage young people to develop innovative solutions for regional and global water and energy challenges. The winners were decided by the highest votes received from visitors during WFES and IWS 2013.
Commenting on their involvement with these awards, His Excellency Fares Obaid Al Dhaheri, Business Support Director at Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority, said: “ADWEA is keen on providing all the necessary support to nurture the talents and creativity of our youth. The participation of young people in such competitions
is a great way to enhance their skills and encourages competitiveness and innovation amongst them, while also benefiting their societies. This competition provides the youth with an ideal platform to showcase their achievements, which is considered a source of pride for them and their countries.”
Naji El Haddad, Show Director for the World Future Energy Summit, organized by Reed Exhibitions, said: “The challenges facing the water and energy sector, on both the local and global level, require realistic and achievable solutions to overcome such challenges, and it is very important that we involve young people today who have the opportunity to contribute in a meaningful way with their innovations”.
El Haddadn added: “The winning projects from the Green Ideas Expo show that young people are willing and capable of playing a vital role when given the chance. The projects they developed highlight the importance of this initiative, and with the support of the private sector, we hope they can transform these ideas and plans into actual projects that can make a substantial contribution to sustainable development in the future. I thank all the participants for their efforts and bright ideas, and we hope that many more young people take an active interest in water and energy sustainability by attending the 2014 World Future Energy Summit and 2014 International Water Summit as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week next January”.
The team of Anjania Malpani, Dahrof Pakashi and Abhidi Soryeaih was awarded first place, with Omar Al Ameri and Sultan Al Kaabi, two Emirati students with scholarships from ADWEA, coming in second place and third place respectively.
Explaining the idea behind the winning project, Anjania Malpani said: “The idea was to turn mechanical power into electricity by walking on certain materials such as crystal in what is called pressurized electricity. The team will initially adopt this idea at Dubai Airport and Abu Dhabi Airport which witness a high percentage of passenger traffic”.
Runner-up Omar Al Ameri said: “My project was to produce water and electricity from heat extracted through deep wells from the ground where temperatures reach 300°C. After digging the wells, a liquid is extracted and then injected into a desalination plant to produce water and electricity. This project does not require any fuels and unlike solar power, which is available only at daytime, it can be carried out any time throughout the year”.
“I thank Reed Exhibitions and ADWEA for organizing this innovative competition, considering the benefits it provides to the participants, specifically the opportunity to shed light on their ideas and discuss their projects with visitors to the event. The International Water Summit is very important as it demonstrates the efforts being made towards finding better solutions for the many problems and challenges that face the water sector, locally and globally”, said Sultan Al Kaabi, a graduate student in Masdar Institute of Science and Technology.
The winning team received a cash prize of US$2,000, with the second placegetter receiving US$1,000, and the third placegetter receiving US$500.
Hosted by Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, WFES is the centerpiece of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), a global platform that addresses the interconnected challenges that affect the widespread acceleration and adoption of sustainable development and renewable energy. WFES and IWS 2014 will be co-located with the first EcoWaste exhibition, also hosted by Masdar, from 20-22 January 2014 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
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