The world’s first solar power workshop was recently held in Amity University, Dubai. Organized by the Science and Technology Center of the Non- Aligned and Other Developing Countries (NAM S & T Center) together with the Amity Institute of Advanced Research and Studies, the ‘International Trends in Solar Power Energy and Harvesting’ workshop espoused the many benefits of adopting solar energy.
The workshop, which ran from March 27 to 29 turned out to be an important experience for Amity’s Engineering faculty and students.
Describing the advantages of renewable forms of energy, Mr. Madhusudan Bandyopadhyay, senior expert and administrative officer at the NAM S&T Centre, urged the audience to consider other sources which can help in meeting the growing demand for energy. He highlighted that fossil fuels are a very limited resource and there was a need to look beyond them. “Our role is to encourage developing countries to create programs for solar energy generation. For a region such as the UAE, that is blessed with lots of sunshine, solar energy is the best solution to producing a sustainable supply of energy,” he stated.
Dr. V.K Jain, distinguished scientist and professor at Amity University UP, and the Chairman of the workshop, focused on the cost aspect. He emphasized that solar energy has become economical enough for it to be available to the common man.
The Founder President of Amity, Dr. Ashok Chauhan reiterated the need to find a solution to long term energy needs and articulated that alternative sources of energy might be the answer. If used effectively, these could sustain the lives of thousands of underprivileged people in the developing countries.
Some delegates also focused on the role of students in adopting clean energy practices, which brought the idea close to home. David Provenzani, managing director of Architaly Green Energy DMCC, mentioned a new private initiative called ‘Dubai Solar Schools’ that is being supported by the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding and the Clean Energy Business Council Dubai.
“The initiative aims to serve 100 schools and universities in Dubai during the next three years in order to install solar energy to support them in their green education aspects,” said Provenzani. “The transition towards renewable energy is unstoppable,” he highlighted.
More than 70 research papers were presented by eminent scientists and academics from around the globe. Dr. Pon Selvan, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Secretary of the workshop said, “The exchange of ideas was very stimulating and gaps were identified for future research. The technical presentations greatly benefited our solar and alternate energy students.”
As part of the workshop, a poster competition for Amity University students was also organized. 18 posters were received which were judged by three delegates. First year Mechanical Engineering student, Jalees Saqib Kamal Azhari’s poster was recommended to be considered as the logo of the workshop.
Amity students who attended the workshop were very vocal on the significance of the workshop. “It was very informative and showed us a proper path that we can follow to develop our research,” said second year Engineering student, Mohammad Minhas Anzil. He had also presented a paper. “I now have a complete view of our part and what we should we doing,” he added.