Mohamed Zayan, an intern at smart and green total facilities management company Farnek, has unveiled an innovative project that involved retrofitting a buggy, with photovoltaic panels that harness solar energy, to charge the buggy’s battery.
This solar-powered buggy will be operated in Expo City Dubai, showcasing Farnek’s commitment and alignment with Expo City Dubai’s sustainability goals, as well as COP28 ‘energy transition’ objectives.
According to Zayan, who is currently studying for his Master’s in Energy & Sustainable development from a UK-based De Montfort University in Dubai, “Quite apart from the energy savings, the project will encourage other students to embrace projects related to renewable energy.”
Farnek has estimated that the solar panels will produce around 735 kWh/year which helps to offset approximately 18% of the energy required to charge the buggy’s batteries at charging stations and should reduce around 330kg CO2e carbon emissions per annum.
Stress analysis of the structure was carried out using SAP2000 software to check the integrity of the buggy’s roof and supporting struts, considering design parameters such as speed as well as static and dynamic loads. PV Panels are not directly fixed to the buggy structure but rather are integrated into a dedicated, custom-made, light-weight frame to improve strength without adding any noteworthy load to the buggy.
Safety has been considered in the design, through a solar charge controller, integrated into the solar circuitry, which prevents any over or undercharging of the battery. The electrical and structural design of this project is flexible enough to add more PV modules in the future to increase solar production and hence offset even more fossil-based energy.
Ends
For more information, log on to www.farnek.com
Photo caption: (L-R) Mohamed Zayan, Ahmed Ali Agha, Farnek’s Senior Manager for Net Zero at Expo City, and Derek Ford, General Manager, Farnek Expo City FM, present the solar buggy during COP28.
About Farnek:
Farnek is the leading provider of sustainable and technology-driven Facilities Management in the United Arab Emirates. Established in the UAE since 1980, Farnek Services LLC is a Swiss-owned independent total facilities management company.
With a skilled workforce of more than 8,000 employees, Farnek delivers professional Facilities Management and security services across several sectors; Aviation, Hospitality, Banking, Retail, Shopping Malls, Telecom, Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure, Government, Education, Leisure and Entertainment.