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Solar energy to power Dubai bus stops
Solar energy will be used to power bus stops in areas where there is no direct access to electricity, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced.
As many as 400 new stops are being planned in the next phase, a significant portion of which will be air-conditioned.
However, the air-conditioners will still be elusive in around 150 of the existing bus shelters that haven’t had power connectivity for long.
Dubai became the first city in the world to have air-conditioned bus stops in 2008, converting 885 of its stops into sleek, aluminium-built shelters. However, at least 150 of these still don’t have electricity to power the air-conditioners. Once completed, the total number of air-conditioned bus shelters will be 1,285.
Looking for a solution, last year RTA began a trial on using solar power at two bus stops in Al Jafliya, but the project hasn’t provided satisfactory output as yet in terms of powering the air-conditioners.
According to a senior RTA official, the trial will continue until a solution is found and, hopefully, can be employed at stops that lack power connectivity.
However, in the new phase, RTA has redesigned the stops and will use solar energy only to power the lights and advertising billboards.
“The newly designed crescent-shaped shelters are made of high-quality materials, and using paints resistant to heat, humidity and dust. Some of them will also be fitted with modern air-conditioning systems,” said Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA.
The shelters will have seating capacity for eight, but and will accommodate 13 to 16 individuals.
He added that the shelters will have easy access for people with special needs and will be fitted with screens directly linked with the control room of the Public Transport Agency in order to transmit information about journeys and routes available.
“It is part of a master plan to leverage the public transport sector along with associated infrastructure in the emirate with the aim of bringing happiness and comfort to riders, especially during the blazing summer season,” he said.
Al Tayer hoped that the new shelters will prove an added attraction and encourage people to use public transport, helping push the share of public transport in Dubai to 20 per cent in 2020 and up to 30 per cent by 2030.
Last year, RTA succeeded in raising the share of public transport in the overall transportation use in the city to 14 per cent from six per cent in 2006.
“Providing electricity to power air-conditioned shelters in some remote areas was one of the key challenges confronting planners at the initial stage of the project. The RTA has therefore worked on solutions to overcome it by offering solar power technology,” he explained.
He stated that the Public Transport Agency embarked on the experimental use of solar panels to power these shelters, and the practice will be assessed.
The RTA is also considering the provision of ATMs and vending machines for soft drinks, newspapers etc at the stops.
For the convenience of commuters, he said, shelters will be made of a reinforced polyester-covered aluminium and the seats of low-heat absorption materials.
LED lights will be used to power billboards to economise the use of electric power.
Work on the new phase will begin from August, with the installation of 40 shelters in the new areas of Dubai.
The performance of the shelters will be studied until the end of this year and, depending on the result, further steps will be taken.
http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/transport/solar-energy-to-power-dubai-bus-stops-1.1541451
UAE rolls out biojet plan for green fuel movement
A joint industry roadmap for the sustainable production of aviation biofuels in the United Arab Emirates has been rolled out and culminates in a 20 point action plan covering four development areas: feedstock supply; biorefinery; distribution and overall supply chain.
‘The BIOjet Abu Dhabi: Flight Path to Sustainability’ is a collaborative roadmap by Etihad Airways together with Boeing, Total, the Abu Dhabi oil refining company Takreer and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. It’s aimed at creating the Middle East’s first commercially viable domestic aviation biofuel industry.
Among its 20 recommendations, the action plan calls for knowledge development through the creation of experimental farms; the mapping out of farm land to facility the growing of halophyte crops which can survive in arid climates and under sea water irrigation, development of a phased plan to blend aviation fuels into jet supplies and the exploration of partnerships with local and international stakeholders.
The project’s leader Linden Coppell, Head of Sustainability, Corporate Affairs, Etihad Airways said the upward momentum now required significant buy-in from government, the commercial sector and civil society. “We have started discussions with various stakeholders and will set up task forces to address the individual aspects of the action plan,” she explained.
The initial collaborative partners are bullish about Abu Dhabi’s prospects of becoming a bio fuels leader. The aviation industry, according to Dr. Alejandro Rios G. Director, Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium, Masdar Institute, has “no alternative” but to back bio fuel development.
“The price of jet fuel has increased consistently from 2000-2012 by 260% and even though there has been some respite recently, increases are likely in the future meaning the airlines will be held hostage to this volatility and 40% of their costs go to this specific item,” he said. “It’s clear that we have to respond together to work and push for alternatives that are sustainable.”
The BioJet roadmap suggests Abu Dhabi has the potential to supply domestic alternative fuel feedstock from salt-tolerant halophyte plants that can be irrigated with seawater, inland planted forests and municipal and agricultural wastes. Dr. Alejandro says research into halophyte products has already begun at a collaborative farm at Sweihan outside of Abu Dhabi where plants are being irrigated by sea water and a newly inaugurated experimental farm pilot facility at Masdar City where eight fields of halophytes are being irrigated by sea water. The pilot facility – a kind of working laboratory – will double in size within three to five years, he said.
“The possibilities of making this happen in the UAE are enormous,” he added.
http://www.arabianaerospace.aero/uae-rolls-out-biojet-plan-for-green-fuel-movement.html
What’s new in Green Building standards?
Green building programs and standards can impact the selection of wood products for residential and non-residential construction. The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) recently approved LEED V4 and the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) has been adopted in 10 states. This recorded webinar addresses these two leading programs and the details about how they impact the use of wood and selection of building materials.
http://www.intelligentbuildingtoday.com/2015/06/17/whats-new-in-green-building-standards/
EMS Awarded Energy Audit Project for Al Rostamani Group
Energy Management Services (EMS) has revealed plans to work with Al Rostamani Group, a UAE-based business conglomerate, on their existing buildings. The reputable group is one of the fastest growing companies in the UAE construction sector.
EMS’ strong reputation in the region, allows them to be leading energy consultants in the Middle East. EMS will conduct an Energy Audit for the Al Rostamani Facilities in Dubai and Sharjah. Potential energy saving methods will be identified through an energy consumption analysis conducted by EMS experts for the four properties. EMS Smart Property Solutions facilitate the creation of smart facility through the optimization, integration, and automation of energy systems. As part of the project, EMS’ goal is to ensure that the proposed energy facilities will provide optimal energy at a reduced cost. Based on recent experience with similar projects, EMS identifies the potential Annual Energy Savings and aims to achieve energy savings within 1.5-4 years. The implementation of energy conservation measures and equipment in the Al Rostamani Facilities will both be financially and environmentally sustainable for Al Rostamani Group.
As Energy Partners for many clients in the Middle East over the past two decades, EMS has been actively involved in assisting its clients to strategically manage energy procurement by designing and implementing energy efficiency solutions, supplying reliable and cost-competitive energy services, and coordinating the installation of energy infrastructure and technologies.
Visit EMS website to learn more about our services at www.ems-int.com
New LNG import terminal is a possibility, UAE energy minister says
The UAE may consider another large new gas importing facility to meet the fast-growing energy needs of the country, the energy minister Suhail Al Mazrouei said yesterday.
The minister was setting out broad goals for the energy mix over the coming decades as he announced the publication of the second annual State of Energy report.
The report will provide a more detailed breakdown energy targets when it is published in October.
Mr Al Mazrouei reiterated the target was to generate 24 per cent of energy needs from clean energy sources by 2021, but said that “given the numbers we have seen it is going to be more than that”.
He said that Dubai in particular had been making rapid strides in renewable energy technology.
“We have seen in Dubai the lowest-ever cost of solar photovoltaic generation in the world, and it is today becoming a benchmark and driving hope to many countries around the world that this form of energy that used to be subsidised can compete on its own, and provide power and electricity to many parts of the world that didn’t previously have electricity,” the minister said.
He noted, however, that natural gas remained crucial to the country’s future. The inaugural State of Energy report last year underlined the dominance of natural gas for the foreseeable future.
The UAE generates 90 per cent of its domestic power needs from natural gas and sits on reserves of about 6 billion cubic metres – the sixth-largest reserves in the world, according to the US Energy Information Administration. However, demand for power has been growing at least 6 per cent a year, requiring the import natural gas from Qatar and other sources.
The UAE imports about 2 billion cubic feet per day of gas from Qatar through the Dolphin pipeline, the largest cross-border gas project in the region.
Also imports about 3 million cubic tonnes of liquefied natural gas a year through the LNG terminal in Dubai.
Mubadala Petroleum and International Petroleum Investment Company – in a joint venture called Emirates LNG – plan to build an LNG intake facility in Fujairah with capacity to bring in 9 million tonnes a year. Although there have been mixed signals about whether that project will go ahead on time, the goal is still that it be built by 2018.
The minister made clear that the growth in the share of power generated by clean energy sources (primarily nuclear) would be meeting additional demand and not replacing natural gas, the need for which would continue to grow strongly.
“We are not shifting away from gas towards more renewable energy – there is growth of about 6 per cent a year, sometimes more, on energy demand,” Mr Al Mazrouei said.
“The UAE is today a net importer of gas, so in future we require huge amounts of gas, primarily from imports. Despite the fact that we are developing some of the most challenging reservoirs in the world – sour gas [projects at Al Hosn and Bab] – we are still going to have a huge need for imports.”
He said that the tender for the Fujairah plant had gone out “and once that project is approved and functioning we will continue to look at supply and demand balance … we will definitely require additional LNG to balance the market”.
Energy Management Services - Emirates LLC. 