The design of solar desalination plants equipped with vacuum pumps, nanoparticles, and geothermal energy by students at Qom University of Technology earned second place among 50 projects in the Water, Environment, and Energy (AME) competition organized by the Energy Science and Technology Research Institute of Sharif University.
The Center for Innovation and Technology in Water, Environment, and Energy (AME), in collaboration with the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology and the Energy Science and Technology Research Institute of Sharif University, held the first specialized and challenge-oriented event in the fields of water, energy, and environment in May 2019.
In this event, a four-person team from Qom University of Technology, led by Dr. Majid Mohammadi and including Mr. Mohammad Ali Amirgan, Mr. Saeed Moradzadeh, and Mr. Mohammad Hassan Mirbagheri, students of Energy Engineering at Qom University, participated with the idea of "solar desalination equipped with a vacuum pump and geothermal energy." After presenting their project orally at the Center for Innovation and Technology in Water, Environment, and Energy (AME) in front of the judges and participants, the team successfully secured second place among the selected ideas and progressed to the pre-acceleration stage at Sharif University for training in business idea development to enhance the economic aspects and construction of their project.
It is noteworthy that the AME Center for Innovation and Technology event was specifically focused on some of the fundamental challenges facing the country, including the challenges of smart energy optimization in buildings, waste management, segregation and recycling, summer cooling peak electricity management, and the management, treatment, and reclamation of process water and wastewater.
Unlike other startup weekend events, this competition had clearly defined topics and fields, and teams were given a two-month period to develop their projects and ideas while benefiting from preliminary training aimed at business development.
In this event, efforts were made to involve stakeholders and influencers from various levels of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the fields of water, environment, and energy. In this regard, the presence of representatives from related organizations, major industries, university specialists, and active practitioners in business and investment related to these three areas was prioritized.
