Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) organised a national competition titled 'Bikiron' to create awareness among university students about energy efficiency and conservation and encourage them in conceiving innovative ideas.
The closing ceremony of Bikiron was held on Thursday.SREDA organised the completion in cooperation with Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Programme(REEEP II).
The event with Mohammad Alauddin, Chairman, SREDA in the chair, was also addressed by Dr. Ahmad Kaikaus, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, as chief guest while Habibur Rahman, Secretary, Power Division, Satyajit Karmaker, Chairman (Secretary), Bangladesh Energy & Power Research Council (BEPRC) and Johannes Schneider, Head of Development Cooperation, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dhaka, spoke on the occasion as special guests.
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The Deutsche Gesellschaft fürInternationaleZusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is implementing REEEP II on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
SREDA has been taking various initiatives to spread awareness on energy efficiency and conservation. As part of Mujib Borsho celebrations, SREDA launched a nationwide awareness campaign titled "ShasroyeJalani, Shomriddho agami (save energy, brighten your future)". Bikiron was organised as part of this campaign.
Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Nasrul Hamid inaugurated the competition on September 9.
Innovative solutions were invited through www.bikiron.orgfrom university students on three categories: increasing energy efficiency in residential and commercial buildings (Energy-Smart Buildings), improving quality of life using sustainable energy technology in rural areas (Energy-Smart Villages), and making children and adolescents aware of energy conservation (Energy-Smart Children).
The teams had the opportunity to further strengthen their ideas with the help of renowned experts from the sustainable energy sector. Three webinars for each category were organised for their capacity development.
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More than 100 teams from universities across Bangladesh submitted their ideas. After a rigorous screening process, 23 teams made it to the final round. On November 11, they presented the ideas to a jury board comprised of public and private sector experts and academia. The winners were announced on the same day.
The winning teams pitched their ideas to the audience during the event. From a cooling solution for coastal fisherman, to an innovative metering system for buildings, and a proposal for creating an energy toolkit for children – the ideas were diverse and received appreciation of the audience.
The ten winning teams of the competition were handed over awards and certificates during the event.
The closing ceremony was organised to recognize these young aspiring innovators, and also to provide them guidance in their entrepreneurial journey.
Sonia Bashir Kabir, Founder, SBK Tech Ventures and Koen Everaert, Team Leader, Green Inclusive Development and Social Protection, EU Delegation spoke about the challenges and opportunities in taking a sustainable energy idea from ideation to implementation from a Bangladeshi and Global Perspective respectively.