Dubai, UAE: Participants in the Al Baheth programme launched by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)’s Research and Development (R&D) Centre praised the programme’s role in honing the research and professional skills of Emirati talents and competencies. The programme develops their practical skills and their ability to communicate, grow, and keep pace with the latest technologies by working closely with distinguished researchers of various nationalities, as well as companies, universities, and research centres from around the world.

The participants commended the fruitful and constructive experiences they had while training in the programme. They expressed their gratitude to DEWA for providing them with the opportunity to engage in research, competitions, events, and training courses organised by the R&D Centre in cooperation with major international companies and a select group of international researchers, academics, and speakers.

The Al Baheth programme promotes and enhances a culture of research and development, develops professional competencies, and attracts Emirati graduates to work at the R&D Centre. It also engages local and international universities in research and development by sending the best technical candidates to work with DEWA’s researchers in different research areas. The programme comprises four categories: training and visiting researchers, capstone projects funding, symposiums and conferences, and seminars and workshops.

“Our efforts align with the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 and aim to turn Dubai into the top destination for clean and renewable energy scholars and researchers. We work in line with DEWA’s strategy to prepare young Emiratis to assume leadership in the energy and water sectors. DEWA is committed to empowering the youth, honing their skills, and encouraging them to work in clean and renewable energy. DEWA enables them to be active partners that drive positive change, accelerate the energy transition, and support net zero. As an important global platform for advancing research in energy and water to prepare for future challenges, the Centre is a main pillar in our efforts to elevate the capabilities of the next generation of sustainability leaders. The Centre provides the latest global updates, technologies, and practises, especially in clean and renewable energy, sustainability, digital transformation, and the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

“So far, the programme has hosted 175 students for internships from 23 different nationalities and 45 local and international universities, to develop their knowledge, and experience and prepare them for the job market. This enhances the Centre’s role in advancing research in energy and water to prepare for future challenges. Since the launch of the Al Baheth programme, the R&D Centre has attracted 17 trainees, including five Emiratis, to join DEWA’s team,” said Waleed Bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence at DEWA.

“While training in the Al Baheth programme, I joined the smart grid team. I carried out detailed research on photovoltaic systems, then I designed and simulated a utility scale photovoltaic system using Matlab software. At the end of my internship, I was given a chance to present my work and get some fruitful feedback to improve my research skills. I am very grateful to DEWA for providing me with this wonderful opportunity,” said Abdelrahman Alblooshi.

“I had previously joined the Al Baheth programme and this is my second time.  I have learned many things, in both hardware and software, such as rover connections. I also developed an application with the team that controls rovers,” Ayman Sharaf.

“I was an intern in the Al Baheth programme, working in the energy efficiency team. During my training, I learned a lot, and I published a research paper on evaluating different building codes in the UAE and broader GCC region. I learned how to form proposals and write literature reviews and broader research papers. I learned so much about the industry and spoke to many representatives, suppliers, and vendors. The many different technical sessions that I attended helped me enhance my knowledge and experience. It was a fruitful experience, and I invited everyone to join the programme and experience it for themselves,” said Fatma Behzad.

“I am an architectural environment engineer, and I graduated from the University of Nottingham. I joined DEWA back in 2020 as an intern. I joined the energy efficiency team. I worked with energy flexible buildings as well as dealing with solar simulation software and I also dealt with local green codes. I joined Al Baheth programme in 2021, and joined the solar team working on an anti-soiling coating for photovoltaics in desert climate. The internship has given me the opportunity to work with highly qualified researchers from different backgrounds. We all work together for a more sustainable future in the UAE and the Middle East region,” said Abrar Al Moosawi.

“The programme has given me an opportunity to develop my coding skills. I really made a big jump in my career with this programme. It helped me expand my knowledge about classes, objects, and other programming concepts. I now have the ability to use many programmes such as Android Studio, Gradle, implementation, Node JS, and Javascript. I also learned how to make and build systems and servers. Al Baheth programme has really developed my skills, and I’m grateful to the organisers,” said Youssef Sharaf.

“While training in the Al Baheth programme, my research was to find different parameter effects on the performance of the vanadium redox flow batteries. I received direct supervision from a professor in material science and an energy engineer. I presented all my findings to the director of the R&D Centre and all the research teams. In addition, I presented the current deployed system and the possibility to deploy such systems in the region. I am thankful for this opportunity as it helped me improve my professional and research skills and it widened my knowledge in energy storage systems,” said Rashid Ahmed Al Rashid.

“I joined the Al Baheth programme, interning with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) team. I learned to work with drones as part of the PV panel inspection and detection project, which detected the hotspots of the PV panels using thermal imaging and AI and sent back the coordinates of the hotspots to the operator. Through my experience in DEWA’s R&D Centre, I learned about the tasks of a researcher, starting with defining the technical problem, finding the solution, and setting a work plan for the project itself, and working on the prototype and testing and monitoring performance. This programme has motivated me, and I recommend all other students to join Al Baheth programme,” said Saif Alhammadi.

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For more information, please contact:
Shaikha Almheiri / Mohammad Almheiri / Ribal Dayekh                                                       Afaf Abaza / Mohammed Meshal
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority                                                                                   Hattlan Media
shaikha.almheiri@dewa.gov.ae / Mohammad.almheiri@dewa.gov.ae / Ribal.Dayekh@dewa.gov.ae 
afaf@hattlan.com / mohammed@hattlan.com

For more information, please visit DEWA’s website www.dewa.gov.ae
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