Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) focuses on ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. In Dubai, a city known for its rapid development and energy-intensive lifestyle, ensuring a transition to clean and sustainable energy sources is crucial for long-term sustainability.

Affordable and Clean Energy in Dubai:

Dubai has been actively working to diversify its energy sources and reduce its carbon footprint. The city has embarked on ambitious renewable energy projects, such as the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which aims to harness solar energy to meet a significant portion of Dubai’s electricity needs. Additionally, energy efficiency initiatives have been introduced to reduce energy consumption in buildings and industries.

Canadian University Dubai’s Role:

The Canadian University Dubai (CUD) recognizes the importance of affordable and clean energy both within its campus and in the broader Dubai community. Here’s how CUD contributes to SDG 7:

Campus Initiatives:

Energy Efficiency: CUD implements energy-efficient practices and technologies on its campus, such as LED lighting, energy-efficient HVAC systems, and smart building management systems to reduce energy consumption.

Renewable Energy: The university may invest in renewable energy sources, such as solar panels, to generate clean and sustainable electricity for its facilities.

Awareness Campaigns: CUD raises awareness about the importance of energy conservation among its students and staff through educational campaigns and initiatives.

Community Engagement:

Research and Innovation: CUD’s faculty and researchers may engage in research related to clean energy and sustainable practices, contributing valuable insights and innovations to the energy sector in Dubai.

Collaboration with Industry: The university may collaborate with energy companies, government agencies, and research institutions to explore and develop clean energy solutions and technologies.

Community Workshops: CUD might organize workshops, seminars, and public events to promote clean energy awareness and encourage the adoption of sustainable energy practices in the general community.

Advocacy: CUD may advocate for policies and incentives that support the adoption of clean energy solutions and energy efficiency measures in Dubai.

In conclusion, Dubai’s commitment to affordable and clean energy is evident through its renewable energy projects and energy efficiency initiatives. The Canadian University Dubai contributes to this goal by implementing clean energy practices on its campus, conducting research, fostering awareness, and engaging with the community to promote sustainable and clean energy solutions. By taking proactive measures and collaborating with stakeholders, CUD plays a role in Dubai’s vision of a more sustainable and environmentally responsible future.

Students Aim to Reduce Energy Consumption at Canadian University of Dubai

Innovative communication at the centre of raising awareness among students

DUBAI, January, 2014: Five environmentally conscious youngsters have taken on the task of reducing energy consumption at the Canadian University Dubai.

The students are promoting energy saving lifestyles amongst the student and faculty bodies with the aim of reducing water and electricity use on campus this semester.

The scheme is part of the Conservation Award set up nine years ago by the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) as part of its strategic initiative to combat climate change. The Award is presented to academic institutions in Dubai for best practices in electricity and water consumption and usage.

Run in partnership with the Knowledge & Human Development Authority, the award aims to “promote and instill a culture of conservation amongst the learning community in nurseries, schools, colleges and universities and special needs centres’.

To improve the university’s green credentials, the students have to convince the rest of the students, staff and faculty to get on board.

Key energy-saving messages have been designed by the five students who have developed new and fun ways of communicating old messages, such as switching off lights and turning off taps, to encourage good practices in as many people as possible.

“A lot of the advice on how to save energy has been heard before, so it’s how you put those messages out there that makes an impact,” said Shabbir Furniturewala, a student in the School of Communications. “We have been creating a number of videos because they are interactive and we know that students will take the time to watch them. They can also share them across social media, spreading the word amongst the student body and the wider community.

“We took the decision to keep them light and funny,” he added. “Most environmental messages leave you feeling depressed. That won’t help sharing and liking amongst the students as much as a light-hearted approach.” The students used black and white silent movies as inspiration for a video dedicated to switching off lights. The video can be found on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/D40Guhh1P4o

The Art School has also be drafted in to the marketing drive, designing pop-art posters that communicate a key energy saving messages that raise awareness and call people to action.

“I am aiming to convince as many students as possible to make a positive change in their life and make a difference to the environment,” said Environmental and Health Sciences student, Aliyah Salim.

“The DEWA Competition is great for raising awareness of what we can all do to make a difference to the environment and the eve the small things matter. However, we are not treating this like a competition. For some of us this is a life long commitment, not only to live as ‘green’ as we can, but to convince other people to do the same.”

Guiding the team of students is university lecturer Ryan Sisson, who said: “It has been immensely gratifying to see the students working together and coming up with great ideas.

“The five students leading the campaign have done a great job of spreading the message through to the rest of the student body, through both messaging and the ongoing engagement of their peers in creative activities.”

The last day for applications for the DEWA Conservation Award is April 14th 2014, with the winners announced at a special ceremony later in the year.

For more information visit: http://www.dewa.gov.ae/community/conservation/consawardintro.aspx

CUD Professor’s Co-Invention – An Air Quality Monitoring Device – Gets U.S. Patent

Dubai, December 9, 2019: A path-breaking air quality monitoring device-co-invented by a Professor from Canadian University Dubai (CUD) in collaboration with researchers from two other universities has received a U.S. patent.

The device was developed through a US$1 million funding in a joint collaboration involving three universities: Qatar University, Universita de Brescia, Italy, and Canadian University Dubai.

The multi-parametric environmental diagnostics and monitoring sensing board uses multiple renewable energy sources to power the various environmental sensors mounted on it, unlike conventional sensor devices which use batteries that could be toxic for the environment and require regular replacements on expiry.

Dr. Adel Ben Mnaouer, Professor in the Department of Computer Engineering and Computational Sciences, CUD, who has been actively involved in the development of the device, commented: “The sensing board proposed in the patent represents a revolutionary invention capable of ensuring large-scale deployment of Air Quality sensing, covering a metropolitan city area with minimum costs and in a ‘set-and-forget’ scenario, due to its autonomous energy harvesting capabilities.”

Prof. Adel added: “The sensor node has multiple uses. It can be used to monitor environmental parameters at any desired indoor location, such as hospitals, museums, classrooms, offices, houses, museums, public administrations, governmental agencies, or company locations. It could be deployed in an external environment around potential sources of pollutants, such as for monitoring environmental parameters in stadiums, arenas, public areas, or industrial zones. It could also be used for collecting and analyzing data from diverse industries.”

According to Prof. Adel, the evaluation report carried out in the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has shown willingness to consider testing the sensing board and publishing the data if requested by the inventors. This would enable documented evidence of the device’s performance, leading to additional potential licensing opportunities.

According to the same report, Professor Rod Jones at the University of Cambridge and Mike Jarrett at the University of California, Berkeley, have praised the invention and offered to collaborate on furthering the research.

The report further indicates that the device has high licensing potential, especially with companies listed in the Potential Licensee section.

The report also reveals that an expert from Sensirion, a leading U.S. sensor manufacturer who was invited to evaluate the invention, hailed the device’s key capabilities of GPS combined with energy harvesting and cloud-based service platform as ‘impressive’.

High praise for the device also came from another expert from PerkinElmer, a U.S. company specialized in diagnostics, life science research, environmental and industrial testing, according to the report. The expert said: “The truly unique feature of the device is the ability to be powered from multiple energy harvesting sources.”

Architecture Professor’s Research Proposes New Practices to Enhance Energy Efficiency

September 30th, 2015: Recent research conducted by Canadian University Dubai (CUD) professor of architecture, Dr. Hamoud Dekkiche, has revealed how the application of infrared technology can assist in evaluating and enhancing the energy efficiency of our built environment.

With the increasing drive towards sustainable development, minimizing energy consumption has become one of the key benchmarks in the design and construction industry. As the LEED sustainability rating system now sets the standards for energy efficiency, Dr. Dekkiche set out to investigate how the real-life performance of a building actually lived-up to its official environmental credentials.

In partnership with Dr. Ali Taileb of Durham College, Ontario, Dr. Dekkiche based his research on a LEED Gold Standard educational building located in Toronto, and explored how infrared imaging could be used as a means of analyzing and improving energy consumption.

Dr. Dekkiche explained, “Buildings are responsible for around 30-40% of primary energy consumption and 50% of emissions worldwide, so green buildings are becoming an important dimension of the construction industry.

“However, the energy modeling and simulation that determines the LEED rating cannot accurately take account of internal components that might affect energy efficiency. Furthermore, a lack of rigorous inspection and testing means that even well designed buildings, if badly executed, can result in considerable energy loss.”

The research was presented at the International Conference on Sustainable Design, Engineering and Construction held in Chicago, USA earlier this year. It has also featured in the latest volume of Procedia Engineering, published by Elsevier.

Dr. Dekkiche specifically sought to explore how infrared technology could be used as a qualitative survey technique to inspect the functional energy efficiency of a building, and to establish its actual performance and sustainability credentials, by detecting where and how energy might be leaking from the site.

He concluded, “Infrared thermography can be used to inspect surface temperature variations and identify irregular thermal patterns that correspond to thermal bridges, which are vital points in the investigation of building envelopes.

“While further investigation is required, our research suggests that integrating infrared imaging into the LEED certification process could help improve the energy efficiency of buildings in the future.”

Canadian University of Dubai Among Environmental Elite at World Energy Day Workshop

October 28th, 2014: Representatives from Canadian University Dubai (CUD) were among a select group of delegates invited by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) to a special event celebrating the third annual World Energy Day.

Mr. Koutaiba Ahmed, Senior Manager of Physical Resources and Procurement; and Mr. Ryan Sisson, Lecturer in the School of Environmental and Health Sciences, were among 50 participants in the event that brought together senior stakeholders from key organizations across Dubai.

The Sustainability Workshop facilitated discussions on climate change, the role of organizations in reducing carbon emissions and the development of measurable strategies for efficient energy and water consumption. Hosted in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund, the event was attended by leading officials from organizations including Dubai Health Authority, Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority and Dubai Airport Free Zone.

Over recent years CUD has undertaken a number of measures towards reducing its carbon footprint, from water-saving initiatives such as sensor-activated taps, to the installation of more energy efficient lighting. The University’s environmental credentials were recognized earlier this year at the DEWA Conservation Awards, leading to an invitation to participate in the World Energy Day Workshop.

Mr. Ahmed said, “The Workshop provided an important platform to discuss the challenges and solutions associated with energy consumption and preservation. There are so many low-cost, practical methods that most organizations can apply, and having implemented just some of these measures we have witnessed tangible results in both cost saving and reduced energy consumption.

“However, as an organization we are looking to go beyond these measures and pursue a long-term strategy that will hopefully position CUD as an exemplar higher education institution in the field of sustainable development.”

Alongside the corporate measures CUD has adopted to operate more sustainably, the student body has taken a leading role in communicating and acting upon the environmental message, developing a series of videos to promote water and energy savings on campus.

Mr. Sisson, who guides the students in their conservation campaigns as well as their environmental education, said, “The Workshop revealed that the UAE is the world’s 14th largest consumer of power, and that the impacts of our current lifestyles and business operations could bring about some worrying environmental consequences for the country.

“As a University we have a great opportunity to play a leading role in educating people about the positive actions we can take to promote environmental sustainability, as well as building our own capacity as a pacemaker in organizational change and development.”

CUD Professor’s research paper on social costs of nuclear energy published in international journal

A research paper by Dr. Davide Contu, Assistant Professor at Canadian University Dubai, on the social costs of nuclear energy has been published in ‘Energy Policy’, the reputed international Scopus-indexed journal.

Dr. Contu’s research program employs a combination of methods from Environmental Economics and Environmental Psychology. In particular, it employs stated preference surveys to investigate social costs and benefits of nuclear energy across different countries.

The paper investigates preferences for current nuclear technology as well as preferences for the new advanced 4th generation nuclear energy technology, currently under research and development, with a nation-wide sample of the UK population. Overall, this research aims to contribute to the debate on public acceptability of nuclear energy after the Fukushima accident. In addition, it provides a framework to model individual preferences towards energy sources.

Dr. Contu is an empirical economist, whose research interests focus on stated preferences, choice modelling, and applied economics. He holds a PhD in Environmental Economics/Advanced Quantitative Methods and a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.

CUD Students Learn about Green Energy Solutions

As part of their course, students from Marine and Air Pollution Class (ENV 409) visited Green Energy Solutions & Sustainability (GESS) facility in Dubai, accompanied by Engr. Rashed Karkain.

During the visit, Mrs. Anita Nouri, CEO/Business Development Director of GESS raised awareness of the importance of minimizing the emission of Green House Gases into ambient air, and innovative technologies that can be implemented.

GESS, associated with Dubai Chamber, are project developers and fully integrated service providers of “Green Energy Solutions. They are committed to the development of clean and sustainable energy strategies with a primary focus on Waste Management in the MENA region.

Their services include Landfill Gas Projects, CDM Registration Consultancy, Project Management, and Engineering, Power Generation from Landfill Gas and ISO Consultancy and Certification.

GESS is a success story, in which contributes to protecting the environment and achieving objectives of Climate Change in line with UN Sustainable Development Goals”.