Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Natalia Murillo | CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti (May 27, 2021) Camp Lemonnier’s Installation Energy...... read more read more
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At six feet, seven inches tall, Mina Magdy is hard to miss – but the work he does sometimes goes unnoticed. Originally from Cairo, Magdy has made energy efficiency his life’s work. He brings that passion and knowledge to Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti (CLDJ) as Installation Energy Manager. This week, we all should notice his work – this week he is being published in an international academic journal for a case study on energy efficiency.
His peers refer to Magdy as “The Professor” because of his incredible ability to take data and translate the information to usable facts.
Magdy develops, organizes and implements the energy and water conservation program at CLDJ. He has been building skill in these areas for over ten years. As “The Professor,” Magdy makes data useful and brings home lessons on how we all can affect energy conservation in our daily lives in ways we might not have thought of.
His supervisor, Kirk Stevens, Deputy Public Works Officer said, “As Installation Energy Manager, Mina’s job is to promote efficiency and reduce costs as much as possible without jeopardizing mission capabilities or reducing the quality of life.”
This is a big job. There are 6,000 people living on base. Camp Lemonnier is the only enduring U.S. military base in Africa. It is one of the hottest places on the globe where people live. Strategically located -- close to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, at the south end of the Red Sea, the U.S. Navy-led camp helps U.S., allied and partner nation forces maintain security in Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia.
The camp draws and purifies water from the ground, burns diesel fuel to create electricity and manages its own wastewater. Magdy contributes academic knowledge and work experience to all of these efforts.
Magdy’s academic studies are from Cairo University’s Faculty of Engineering, where he is working on a Master of Science in electrical power and energy utilization as well as a professional engineering license. He has worked in the field of energy efficiencies doing facilities management, utilities management and energy management since completing undergraduate studies in 2011.
This week’s Magdy’s academic work is being published in the journal WSEAS, an academic publishing and scientific research organization based in Greece.
His academic team comes from Cairo University in Giza, Egypt. They wrote a case study detailing the use of hybrid renewable energy resources as a main source of power for poultry farms in Egypt. The goal is to help farms to reduce their energy costs, much like our goals here – minus the poultry.
Here at CLDJ, “The Professor” works on finding ways to increase sources and usage of solar energy in order to reduce the base’s fuel consumption -- thus increasing the reliability of the electrical grid. He also is finding uses for reclaimed water and using our air conditioning units more effectively by paying attention to peak time usage. He also leads the “Energy Vampires” Awareness Program, which focuses on changing resident water and energy consumption habits.
“Mina has only been part of the PWD team for six months,” Stevens said. “In time, we will be able to implement his ideas and become more efficient and resilient with power and water.”
“I strive to develop that background and update it with new information and experience,” said Magdy. “I have a passionate drive and desire to get Camp Lemonnier to where it can generate the energy it needs using the surrounding environment. This place has great potential to do so.”
Energy Conservation and investing in energy reduction measures just makes sense to both “the Professor” and the Navy.
The Navy’s goals for the strategic development of energy efficiency are organized into three areas: raising awareness on energy and water usage, increasing the reliability, resilience and efficiency of utilities grids and making renewable energy resources more common throughout the fleet.
“I want to share a concept that I use every day,” said Magdy, with a sense of compassion. “It's what is referred to as the ‘butterfly effect.’ In this concept, mathematicians try to explain the effect of very small changes that make a bigger impact in the long run. They tried to illustrate the concept like resembling the effect of flipping butterfly wings in the Amazon Rainforest triggering the creation of wind storms in other locations. We need always to believe that the smallest changes in our daily habits do have an impact whether they be positive or negative, small or great, near or far.”
Mina Magdy’s efforts, like the butterfly’s wings, will change the world. And-- if we all work together and pay attention -- so too could our efforts.
| Date Taken: | 05.31.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.31.2021 08:39 |
| Story ID: | 397788 |
| Location: | CAMP LEMONNIER, DJ |
| Hometown: | CAIRO, EG |
| Web Views: | 407 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, "The Professor" saves energy at Camp Lemonnier, by PO1 Natalia Murillo, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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