By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) has been selected to participate in Solar Decathlon Middle East 2018, a competition in which universities organize the construction of sustainable solar homes.
As part of the competition, AURAK has revealed its plans to construct ‘the perfect house’, based on research carried out at the university and its Research and Innovation Center (RAKRIC), focused on sustainability and self-sufficiency.
Details of the Solar Decathlon were today explained at the World Green Economy Summit (WGES), held today at Conrad Hotel in Dubai, an initiative promoting green economic development.
Student team leaders and faculty members from competing universities had the opportunity to meet and discuss plans with organizers, learning more about the competition and the criteria on which projects will be judged.
Prof Mousa Mohsen, dean of the School of Engineering at AURAK and director of RAK Research and Innovation Centre (RAKRIC) commented: “It is an honour for us to have our project chosen and it is a testament to the outstanding work going on at the university.”
AURAK president, Professor Hassan Hamdan Al Alkim expressed his pride in AURAK’s involvement, stating, “I am delighted to see AURAK involved in this type of event. The fact that we have been chosen to compete in such a prestigious competition, as one of the finest institutions of higher education in the region, demonstrates just how far we have come in such a short time. I am eager to see us actively contributing to the region’s economic progression.”
The summit was an initiative from the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, under the patronage of H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of UAE, and ruler of Dubai.
Modupe Gbadeyanka