Ahmed Zakaria Hafez Mohamed, a researcher and PhD student in civil engineering, has won the prestigious Green Talent Award from Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Ahmed’s research focuses on using solar power to solve water scarcity in remote, rural communities. His approach boosts the water-pumping capability of Sterling engines to increase access to water. The engine functions as a power source for an innovative solar tracking system.
The Green Talent Award judges were impressed with his research, which resulted in a functional, solar-powered Stirling engine that can be put straight to use in a remote community.
Ahmed said: “Rural and remote communities, such as those in Egypt’s deserts, do not have access to electricity and they rely on diesel generators to pump or extract water from below ground. I hope that my research can be used to improve access to water and decrease our dependence on fossil fuels.
‘I am so proud to be the first Egyptian researcher to receive the Green Talent Award and this has encouraged me to set the bar even higher for my achievements. I am certain that the knowledge, exposure and new experiences gained from my time in Germany will enable me to be more effective and develop a greater understanding of how my research can help others.’
Ahmed participated in a two-week Science Forum where he visited top locations for sustainability research in Germany and he has an invitation to return in 2018 for a fully funded research stay at an institution of his choice.
Ahmed is now a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Researcher at the Nottingham Transportation Engineering Centre (NTEC) where he is researching energy harvesting from railway infrastructures.
Posted on Thursday 9th November 2017