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Tribune News Network
Doha
QATAR Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, has started the ‘International Conference on Sustainable Energy-Water-Environment Nexus for the Desert Climate 2019’ (IC-SEWEN’19) with a number of pre-event activities at the Qatar National Convention Centre.
More than 200 guests attended the pre-event sessions exploring ‘Environmental and Public Health During Mega Sporting Events’, ‘Corrosion in Oil and Gas a Way to Sustainability’ and ‘PV in Desert Environment’, which featured global experts in the field.
The other highlights of the day included the Young Innovator Competition and a session on ‘Unlocking the Potential of Women for Sustainable Development’.
Dr Marc Vermeersch, executive director of QEERI, said: “Our institute plays a key role in addressing Qatar’s grand challenges related to water, energy and environment. IC-SEWEN’19 presents an opportune moment for experts and stakeholders in the Energy-Water-Environment (EWE) nexus to highlight the crucial research being conducted in this arena. We are thrilled to have such extensive participation from researchers, engineers, scientists and policy makers from Qatar, the region, and around the globe in our inaugural flagship conference.”
Dr Veronica Bermudez, senior research director of QEERI’s Energy Center and the conference chair, added: “We are delighted to be hosting experts and students from around the world at the first edition of the International Conference in Sustainable Energy-Water-Environment Nexus for the Desert Climate – it is not just the first of its kind in Qatar, but also in the region.
“Over the next three days, delegates will tackle a number of topics that are crucial to addressing the unique set of environmental challenges presented by harsh desert climates through over 20 sessions across multiple tracks – energy, water, environment and food security.”
Experts who attended the ‘Environmental and Public Health During Mega Sporting Events’ session included a Chinese delegation including Prof Kebin, the dean of The School of Environment at Tsinghua University in China. Participants from Qatar including members from the ministries, who were able to gain a better understanding of the scale of the challenges China faces in managing air quality during major events, drawing on parallels in Qatar. It proved to be a valuable experience as Qatar prepares to host a number for large-scale tournaments.
During the Corrosion session, experts including Dr Roy Johnsen from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology – NTNU, and Bruce Cowe, Total, France, discussed the effects of corrosion management in implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and how best practice of corrosion protection will have a major impact on reducing Co2 emissions.
The Women for Sustainable Development panel looked at the various challenges that are faced by women in this field, and how they can be transformed into opportunities. Panelists including Machaille al Naimi, president of Community Development, Qatar Foundation; Aisha al Maadeed, founder, Greener Future; Dr Dhabia al Mohannadi, assistant professor at Texas A&M University at Qatar; and Michael Mitchell, general counsel, Qatar Foundation, discussed a future in which women are given equal opportunities to design sustainable cities, and how education and innovation can bridge the gender gap.
The PV for Desert Environment Session aimed to address the specific concerns related to the PV and energy storage technologies, Dr Pierre Verlinden, Amrock Consulting, former VP, Trina Solar, highlighted the challenges in development of PV modules for harsh environments, and the panel discussion explored the topic of ‘PV System Reliability: Outdoor Test Facility and Requirements for Long Lasting
Modules’.
Students from schools across Qatar also attended the event for the Young Innovator Award competition, which is being organised in coordination with Kahramaa Tarsheed and the Ministry of Educationand Higher Education. The competition received over 300 entries from national and international schools in the country.
Students were required to produce a video which highlights solutions for the challenges related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The finals featured a jury comprising members from QEERI, Qatar Foundation Research, Development & Innovation, Kahramaa-Tarsheed and Nebras Power.
The Strategic partner for QEERI IC-SEWEN 2019 is Kahramaa. ExxonMobil and Nebras Power are platinum sponsors of the conference. Vortex IoT is on board as the gold sponsor. It is also supported by Total, Clarivate Analytics, Qatar National Research Fund, Education City Golf Club, University of Swansea and Destination Management partners are 365 Adventures.
Doha
QATAR Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, has started the ‘International Conference on Sustainable Energy-Water-Environment Nexus for the Desert Climate 2019’ (IC-SEWEN’19) with a number of pre-event activities at the Qatar National Convention Centre.
More than 200 guests attended the pre-event sessions exploring ‘Environmental and Public Health During Mega Sporting Events’, ‘Corrosion in Oil and Gas a Way to Sustainability’ and ‘PV in Desert Environment’, which featured global experts in the field.
The other highlights of the day included the Young Innovator Competition and a session on ‘Unlocking the Potential of Women for Sustainable Development’.
Dr Marc Vermeersch, executive director of QEERI, said: “Our institute plays a key role in addressing Qatar’s grand challenges related to water, energy and environment. IC-SEWEN’19 presents an opportune moment for experts and stakeholders in the Energy-Water-Environment (EWE) nexus to highlight the crucial research being conducted in this arena. We are thrilled to have such extensive participation from researchers, engineers, scientists and policy makers from Qatar, the region, and around the globe in our inaugural flagship conference.”
Dr Veronica Bermudez, senior research director of QEERI’s Energy Center and the conference chair, added: “We are delighted to be hosting experts and students from around the world at the first edition of the International Conference in Sustainable Energy-Water-Environment Nexus for the Desert Climate – it is not just the first of its kind in Qatar, but also in the region.
“Over the next three days, delegates will tackle a number of topics that are crucial to addressing the unique set of environmental challenges presented by harsh desert climates through over 20 sessions across multiple tracks – energy, water, environment and food security.”
Experts who attended the ‘Environmental and Public Health During Mega Sporting Events’ session included a Chinese delegation including Prof Kebin, the dean of The School of Environment at Tsinghua University in China. Participants from Qatar including members from the ministries, who were able to gain a better understanding of the scale of the challenges China faces in managing air quality during major events, drawing on parallels in Qatar. It proved to be a valuable experience as Qatar prepares to host a number for large-scale tournaments.
During the Corrosion session, experts including Dr Roy Johnsen from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology – NTNU, and Bruce Cowe, Total, France, discussed the effects of corrosion management in implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and how best practice of corrosion protection will have a major impact on reducing Co2 emissions.
The Women for Sustainable Development panel looked at the various challenges that are faced by women in this field, and how they can be transformed into opportunities. Panelists including Machaille al Naimi, president of Community Development, Qatar Foundation; Aisha al Maadeed, founder, Greener Future; Dr Dhabia al Mohannadi, assistant professor at Texas A&M University at Qatar; and Michael Mitchell, general counsel, Qatar Foundation, discussed a future in which women are given equal opportunities to design sustainable cities, and how education and innovation can bridge the gender gap.
The PV for Desert Environment Session aimed to address the specific concerns related to the PV and energy storage technologies, Dr Pierre Verlinden, Amrock Consulting, former VP, Trina Solar, highlighted the challenges in development of PV modules for harsh environments, and the panel discussion explored the topic of ‘PV System Reliability: Outdoor Test Facility and Requirements for Long Lasting
Modules’.
Students from schools across Qatar also attended the event for the Young Innovator Award competition, which is being organised in coordination with Kahramaa Tarsheed and the Ministry of Educationand Higher Education. The competition received over 300 entries from national and international schools in the country.
Students were required to produce a video which highlights solutions for the challenges related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The finals featured a jury comprising members from QEERI, Qatar Foundation Research, Development & Innovation, Kahramaa-Tarsheed and Nebras Power.
The Strategic partner for QEERI IC-SEWEN 2019 is Kahramaa. ExxonMobil and Nebras Power are platinum sponsors of the conference. Vortex IoT is on board as the gold sponsor. It is also supported by Total, Clarivate Analytics, Qatar National Research Fund, Education City Golf Club, University of Swansea and Destination Management partners are 365 Adventures.
