Dubai: Dubai students can now design, build, test and race their solar-powered remote-controlled cars.
The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has launched a competition to encourage students in Dubai to make their own solar-powered cars for a competition that is part of Dewa’s Innovation Week 2016 activities.
“At Dewa, we are committed to involving young people in achieving the sustainable development goals, to support the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. We do this by preparing and training them to be the next generation of leaders and experts in research and development, and developing solar and clean energy projects and initiatives,” Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dewa, said.
“This supports the position of the UAE as a global hub for clean energy and green economy. The competition encourages students to develop innovative solutions for solar-powered small cars. This helps them learn more about the importance of solar energy as a clean alternative to traditional energy sources in an interactive way, promoting the position of Dewa as a supporter of forward-thinking, innovation, and sustainability,” he added.
Al Tayer said the competition aims to promote Shams Dubai, Dewa’s initiative to encourage building owners to install rooftop solar panels to generate electricity. Power produced is used on-site and any surplus power is exported to Dewa’s network. An offset between exported and imported electricity is conducted and the customer account is settled based on this offset.
The final race for the solar-powered cars will take place in April 2017.
