The Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME) was created through an agreement signed between Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (DEWA) and the Department of Energy of the United States of America, in June 2015, in order to organize a sustainable solar houses competition in Dubai, in 2018 and 2020.

The 2018 edition of this competition is organized by DEWA, in Dubai at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. SDME consists of 10 contests that will follow the lines of those in previous editions of the competition, although having the necessary customization to challenge the teams to adapt their designs to the heat, dust & high humidity that we experience in the Middle East. The projects are developed by multidisciplinary teams, giving the students the opportunity to learn about technical issues, teamwork, communication skills, and sustainable lifestyle and socio-economic issues in order to ensure the viability of their project.