United Arab Emirates University shelters the National Water and Energy Center, the leading research center providing pioneering scientific research and comprehensive consulting services in the fields of water resources and energy sustainability. Being one of UAEU’s research centers aiming to be a world-class center specialized in research in areas of strategic importance to the country, the center provides a combination of research, training, professional development, and consultancy in the fields of water resources sustainability and energy.
Prof. Ahmad Murad, Associate ProvostforResearch, asserted that the National Water and Energy Center works in alignment with the university’s strategic plan by establishing a national and international reputation for the UAEU in the areas of water and energy harvesting, conservation, and sustainability, with a specific focus on renewable energy and non-conventional water resources. He mentioned that NWEC provides researchersin the fields of water and energy with opportunitiesto conduct their research and exchange their experiences by promoting collaboration among them to ensure the fulfillment of the center’s goals.
NWEC provides researchers with the right environment that allows them to gain experiences and achieve excellence in scientific research. As the center provides proper management and coordination mechanisms required to enable research collaboration inside the country, the proper alignment of research activities bridges the gap between the local industry and the academia. Benefitting the society from scientific research, the cooperation with the national, regional, and international entities of interest are placed in order to find cutting-edge solutions to ensure reliable, secured, and clean water and energy resources while improving their efficiency, sustainability, resilience, and use to preserve the natural resources and ensure the environmental sustainability of the UAE.
Prof. Mohsen Sherif, Director of the National Water and Energy Center said, "The center effectively contributes to the national agenda by conducting research and finding solutions regarding the sustainability of water resources and the conservation of the environment. The NWEC cooperated with several entities and successfully completed several projects.For example, it collaborated with Abu Dhabi Municipality to design a rainwater drainage system. The project included several studies in injection wells, advanced numerical models, and analysis of results."
"The center also cooperated with the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure to conduct field studies in the area of Wadi Al-Bih Dam with the aim of increasing the recharge of the groundwater reservoirs. Moreover, it collaborated with Ajman Municipality in designing and implementing a telemetric groundwater monitoring well network in Ajman. The Center also completed two projects with the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi,the first one is regarding the accurate surveying of groundwater wells and the other is regarding the possible usage and treatment of the water resulting from the extraction of oil and gas in Abu Dhabi," he added.
The Center has also cooperated with Al Ain City municipality to implement two projects. The first is an integrated approach to the sustainable management of the urban green spaces in Al Ain City. The second is related to the future needs of Al Ain City’s public and recreational services. As far as the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment is concerned, the cooperation is set to review the current capacity and efficiency of the climate change models in the UAE and assess the social and economic impact to the UAE’s climate change adaptation plan."
A note worth mentioning is that Prof. Mohsen Sherif has recently participated in a virtual seminar under the slogan "Water Preservation" in cooperation with the Dubai Municipality. He gave a lecture entitled "Groundwater in the UAE and the Effect of Climate Change". He also participated in a workshop,organized by Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research and GCC Water Sciences and Technology Association, on the "Artificial Recharge Experience in the GCC Countries" where he gave a lecture entitled "Dynamics and Quality of Groundwater Levels in the Aquifer Storage and Recovery Systems."