Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak congratulated Abaarso School on its progress in producing a sustainable energy system with the $50,000 grant generously awarded to the school by Her Highness for being a runner-up in the Global High Schools category of the Zayed Future Energy Prize competition in January 2014, as reported by a recent article in the Gulf Times. The grant received by Abaarso School has been used to pay for a solar water heating system, which provides the entire school campus with heated water produced solely by solar energy. This has enabled the campus to cut down on the use of fuels used to boil water for cooking and made it more comfortable for students and staff to bathe when temperatures reach below 10°C. Other projects supported by the grant include an efficient rainwater collection system. Many people close to the school will recognize that the name ‘Abaarso’ means ‘drought’ or ‘to dry up’ in Somali, and rainwater is the only local source of water available. This system makes it possible for Abaarso to minimize the delivery of fresh water by truck from neighbouring cities. Grant money has also been spent on efficient LED lighting, the renovation of the school’s electrical grid and repairs to a wind energy turbine which the school hopes to return to commission in the near future. Much of the expertise for these projects was provided by engineers from the ARC Initiative (www.arc-initiative.org) of the Masdar Institute, who graciously volunteered to travel to the school to see the installation of solar heaters and other projects, and most importantly, to transfer their knowledge to Abaarso School students. “Having the Masdar engineers at the school was great,” said Grade 12 student Mustapha Mohammed Ibrahiim. “They taught us about things we don’t normally get to see.” Her Highness had the following to say of the School’s efforts: “In order to overcome the global challenges of energy, waste and water we face today, we require innovative thinking and unified efforts at every level of society. The students of the Abaarso School of Science and Technology have demonstrated the value of clean energy to communities today. I commend their achievements and the altruism of ARC Initiative who have helped make their vision possible.” Abaarso School would like to thank Her Highness for her very generous support. If you would like to read the original article, please follow the links below to the Gulf Times: http://gulftimes.ae/hh-sheikha-fatima-empowers-finalists-to-finish-zfep-project/