My dedication to my high school studies placed me among the top 5% of students in Khartoum State, leading me to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Khartoum.
Throughout my undergraduate studies, I was particularly drawn to topics and projects involving renewable energy, including solar power, wind energy, hydropower and energy storage systems, and I developed a solid foundation in the principles of mechanical systems, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, HVAC systems design and hydropower generation.
During my second semester, I volunteered for a tree belt project supporting Sudan's contribution to the African Great Wall initiative aimed at halting desertification. I promoted the project on Twitter, recruited 5 volunteers, and helped plant 11 trees. Through this experience, I learned about Professor Wangari Maathai and her Green Belt Movement. Her vision that environmental action is central to socioeconomic growth and social justice inspired me to explore technologies and innovations that will achieve sustainability for Sudanese communities.
In my fourth year, I joined ASHRAE, IMECHE, and AEE chapters. Through AEE, I researched Sudan's reliance on petroleum for electricity, highlighting environmental degradation and the need for renewable energy. During that time, I was drawn to the fact that transportation accounts for 16% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This inspired my undergraduate thesis on reducing aeroplane carbon footprints through a CFD analysis using ANSYS Fluent to investigate an innovative boundary-layer control method that applies a moving surface to aeroplanes' control surfaces and injects momentum into the separation region, thereby reducing aerodynamic drag and fuel consumption during flights.
Despite Sudan's abundance of renewable energy resources, electricity generation still relies heavily on refined petroleum. Recent conflicts have severely damaged pipelines, refineries, and transmission lines, resulting in the country losing more than a third of its electricity production. In response, I worked with the AEE network to design off-grid solar systems for local communities. I led a team of five volunteers, conducted household energy audits (10-25 kWh/day), and used PVsyst to design solar systems.
Building on this experience, I aim to further promote renewable energy systems for Sudanese communities by approaching energy systems from a sustainability perspective and linking energy access directly to food security. So, I started developing an initiative to support smallholder farmers in transitioning from diesel-powered irrigation to solar pumping systems. Repeated infrastructure attacks and fuel shortages forced farmers to rely on black-market diesel at unsustainable prices, leading to crop losses and severe financial strain. I formed and trained a team of three recent mechanical engineering graduates to design low-cost 4-8 kW solar pumping systems using off-grid PV arrays and VFD inverters, with or without batteries, depending on irrigation needs.
For our first project in Shandi, we replaced a 5.5-hp diesel pump-costing nearly 1,000,000 SDG per month-with a 6.5 kW solar system costing 3,920,000 SDG. I led the technical and financial analysis, demonstrating a payback period of approximately four months, after which the farmer would have reliable, fuel-free irrigation. Convinced by the system's savings and reliability, the farm owner adopted the design, collaborating with a local solar supplier for installation.
The MSc in Energy Engineering, especially the Renewables and Environmental Sustainability track at the Piacenza campus, is well-suited to my academic interests and long-term goals, as it combines advanced engineering training with environmental sustainability and system-level thinking. Among the curriculum, Electric Conversion of Renewable Energy Sources is the course with the greatest potential impact on the communities I aim to serve. Sudan has one of the highest solar irradiation levels globally, making solar photovoltaic systems the most affordable and scalable energy solution. Mastering this course will enable me to design efficient PV systems, select appropriate power electronics, and optimise solar-based generation for both grid-connected and off-grid applications.
Many communities in Sudan are either far from the national grid or experience frequent power outages. The future of electrification in such contexts lies in distributed generation, mini mini-grids. For this reason, the course Smart Grids and Regulation for Renewable Energy Sources is particularly valuable, as it will provide me with the technical and regulatory knowledge required to integrate renewable energy into weak or decentralised networks. This knowledge is essential for designing resilient energy systems capable of managing variability, storage, and demand in rural and conflict-affected regions.
I am also strongly drawn to Bio-Energy and Waste-to-Energy Technologies, as it aligns with my interest in linking energy access with food security. This course will allow me to explore how agricultural residues and organic waste can be converted into energy, creating integrated solutions that address energy shortages while supporting sustainable agricultural systems.
Finally, Industrial Ecology is the module I am most excited about, as it approaches energy systems from a holistic sustainability perspective. By examining resource flows, environmental impacts, and life-cycle assessment, this course will equip me with the tools to design energy solutions that are not only technically viable but also environmentally and socially responsible.
I plan to utilise the skills I will learn at the Politecnico di Milano university to provide practical, sustainable solutions for the most vulnerable communities in Sudan. I will position myself as a leader in sustainable development, reaching more vulnerable regions across Sudan and leading the scaling of these initiatives. By creating models that reduce emissions and secure livelihoods, and by linking sustainable energy with economic growth, I aim to prove that sustainability is a path to stability in Sudan.
Throughout my undergraduate studies, I was particularly drawn to topics and projects involving renewable energy, including solar power, wind energy, hydropower and energy storage systems, and I developed a solid foundation in the principles of mechanical systems, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, HVAC systems design and hydropower generation.
During my second semester, I volunteered for a tree belt project supporting Sudan's contribution to the African Great Wall initiative aimed at halting desertification. I promoted the project on Twitter, recruited 5 volunteers, and helped plant 11 trees. Through this experience, I learned about Professor Wangari Maathai and her Green Belt Movement. Her vision that environmental action is central to socioeconomic growth and social justice inspired me to explore technologies and innovations that will achieve sustainability for Sudanese communities.
In my fourth year, I joined ASHRAE, IMECHE, and AEE chapters. Through AEE, I researched Sudan's reliance on petroleum for electricity, highlighting environmental degradation and the need for renewable energy. During that time, I was drawn to the fact that transportation accounts for 16% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This inspired my undergraduate thesis on reducing aeroplane carbon footprints through a CFD analysis using ANSYS Fluent to investigate an innovative boundary-layer control method that applies a moving surface to aeroplanes' control surfaces and injects momentum into the separation region, thereby reducing aerodynamic drag and fuel consumption during flights.
Despite Sudan's abundance of renewable energy resources, electricity generation still relies heavily on refined petroleum. Recent conflicts have severely damaged pipelines, refineries, and transmission lines, resulting in the country losing more than a third of its electricity production. In response, I worked with the AEE network to design off-grid solar systems for local communities. I led a team of five volunteers, conducted household energy audits (10-25 kWh/day), and used PVsyst to design solar systems.
Building on this experience, I aim to further promote renewable energy systems for Sudanese communities by approaching energy systems from a sustainability perspective and linking energy access directly to food security. So, I started developing an initiative to support smallholder farmers in transitioning from diesel-powered irrigation to solar pumping systems. Repeated infrastructure attacks and fuel shortages forced farmers to rely on black-market diesel at unsustainable prices, leading to crop losses and severe financial strain. I formed and trained a team of three recent mechanical engineering graduates to design low-cost 4-8 kW solar pumping systems using off-grid PV arrays and VFD inverters, with or without batteries, depending on irrigation needs.
For our first project in Shandi, we replaced a 5.5-hp diesel pump-costing nearly 1,000,000 SDG per month-with a 6.5 kW solar system costing 3,920,000 SDG. I led the technical and financial analysis, demonstrating a payback period of approximately four months, after which the farmer would have reliable, fuel-free irrigation. Convinced by the system's savings and reliability, the farm owner adopted the design, collaborating with a local solar supplier for installation.
The MSc in Energy Engineering, especially the Renewables and Environmental Sustainability track at the Piacenza campus, is well-suited to my academic interests and long-term goals, as it combines advanced engineering training with environmental sustainability and system-level thinking. Among the curriculum, Electric Conversion of Renewable Energy Sources is the course with the greatest potential impact on the communities I aim to serve. Sudan has one of the highest solar irradiation levels globally, making solar photovoltaic systems the most affordable and scalable energy solution. Mastering this course will enable me to design efficient PV systems, select appropriate power electronics, and optimise solar-based generation for both grid-connected and off-grid applications.
Many communities in Sudan are either far from the national grid or experience frequent power outages. The future of electrification in such contexts lies in distributed generation, mini mini-grids. For this reason, the course Smart Grids and Regulation for Renewable Energy Sources is particularly valuable, as it will provide me with the technical and regulatory knowledge required to integrate renewable energy into weak or decentralised networks. This knowledge is essential for designing resilient energy systems capable of managing variability, storage, and demand in rural and conflict-affected regions.
I am also strongly drawn to Bio-Energy and Waste-to-Energy Technologies, as it aligns with my interest in linking energy access with food security. This course will allow me to explore how agricultural residues and organic waste can be converted into energy, creating integrated solutions that address energy shortages while supporting sustainable agricultural systems.
Finally, Industrial Ecology is the module I am most excited about, as it approaches energy systems from a holistic sustainability perspective. By examining resource flows, environmental impacts, and life-cycle assessment, this course will equip me with the tools to design energy solutions that are not only technically viable but also environmentally and socially responsible.
I plan to utilise the skills I will learn at the Politecnico di Milano university to provide practical, sustainable solutions for the most vulnerable communities in Sudan. I will position myself as a leader in sustainable development, reaching more vulnerable regions across Sudan and leading the scaling of these initiatives. By creating models that reduce emissions and secure livelihoods, and by linking sustainable energy with economic growth, I aim to prove that sustainability is a path to stability in Sudan.
