DEWA’s R&D Centre & Sharjah University organise the 4th Al Baheth Annual Symposium on Advanced Materials

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), in collaboration with the University of Sharjah, organised the 4th Al Baheth Annual Symposium on Advanced Materials at DEWA Academy, with the participation of 100 international academics besides researchers from DEWA's Research and Development (R&D) Centre. The symposium included a series of specialised seminars on investing in advanced materials such as perovskite and silicon to enhance the efficiency of production and storage of clean and renewable energy and water desalination.

The symposium comes as part of the Al Baheth programme launched by the R&D Centre to develop Emirati talents and competencies and encourage them to engage in research, competitions, events and training, in cooperation with major international companies and a select group of researchers, academics and international speakers. It also consolidates collaboration between the Centre and academic institutions to develop the clean and renewable energy sector.

"We are working to achieve the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to consolidate the UAE's global leadership in the field of adopting best practices and global technological developments to raise the use of renewable energy, and achieve the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100% of the energy production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. We are keen to provide global platforms like the R&D Centre to exchange the best local and international experiences and practices. This also enhances the public, private, and academic partnerships to turn Dubai into the top destination for clean and renewable energy scholars and researchers. This promotes Dubai's position as a global hub for research and development in solar power, smart grids, water, energy efficiency, and capacity building in these areas," said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

"Through the Al Baheth programme, the R&D Centre contributes to advancing energy and water research and finding innovative solutions to future challenges. The programme also promotes the culture of research and development, develops professional competencies, and attracts Emirati graduates to work at the R&D Centre and cover its various activities. These include organising seminars, conferences, workshops, symposiums, technical sessions, visiting scholars and capstone projects funding", said Waleed Bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence at DEWA.

Speakers at the Al Baheth Annual Symposium on Advanced Materials included Dr. Vivian Alberts, Sr Principal Researcher at DEWA; Dr. Musbaudeen O. Bamgbopa, Sr R&D Technologist at DEWA; Prof. Nazeer Udin Md Khawaja, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland; Prof. Mathias Ulbricht, Lehrstuhl für Technische Chemie II, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Germany; and Prof. Jackie Y. Ying, NanoBio Lab Institute of Materials Research and Engineering - Singapore. The activities tackled the status of development of high-efficiency perovskite/Silicon tandem devices, the current development of Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries, compositional and interface engineering of perovskite absorbers to enhance the stability and efficiency of perovskite solar cells and modules, advanced membranes for water purification and desalination, synthesis of advanced materials using green techniques and their applications in renewable energy harvesting, and energy storage and photonic devices.