Dubai-based university lab uses smart grids for clean energy

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Dubai - It enables experimentation in all aspects of the technology and is aimed at achieving the UAE’s future environmental sustainability goals.

By Nandini Sircar

Published: Sun 28 Feb 2021, 8:51 PM

A Dubai university has  created a smart energy laboratory that will enable students to learn about the actual generation and transmission of power, to its distribution and management. The new facility at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)  focuses on the application of smart grids technology providing students with a full hands-on simulation of a real smart grid.

It enables experimentation in all aspects of the technology and is aimed at achieving the UAE’s future environmental sustainability goals.

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The laboratory which is located on the university’s new campus has been established in collaboration with leading industry training systems provider, Lucas-Nuelle.

It’s set out to promote teaching, research and training to  prepare the next generation of engineers for the future challenges in sustainable energy production and consumption.

Dr Abdulla Ismail, professor of electrical engineering at RIT Dubai, said: “The smart grid is the future of electrical energy, providing a more reliable, efficient, safe and cost-effective  production and distribution system that incorporates sustainable power sources and supports the new generation of infrastructure and transportation.”

“Smart grids replace the traditional one-way power flow with a two-way system that allows for the active participation of energy consumers. This enables them to make sustainable choices about the source of their electricity supply, how they use it, and provides the opportunity to sell  domestically-produced power back into the grid, from roof-top solar panels, for example,” he added.

Dr Muhieddin Amer, chair of electrical engineering and computing sciences at RIT Dubai said: “In collaboration with the main campus in New York, we have placed a growing emphasis on education and research in the renewable energy field, through a range of academic courses and industry engagements. The new laboratory reflects the top-tier of power systems technology and will further support our goal to help facilitate the shift towards greener solutions for a sustainable future.”

The laboratory is already home to pioneering industry-relevant research projects in the field.

nandini@khaleejtimes.com