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Fuelling the future

The Stern Review published late last year made grim reading. It predicted temperature rises of 2°C over 50 years, melting glaciers, widescale extinction of animals, devastating falls in crop yields and a 20% reduction in the world economy. The UK's Meteorological office has already predicted that 2007 will be the warmest on record - and what is the cause of all these changes? Mankind's appetite for products that result in the pumping out of greenhouse gases. Renewable energy is seen by some as the only solution.

But how does the Middle East fit into this jigsaw? Eng Yahya Bin Saeed Al Lootah, vice chair, SS Lootah Group explains: "Energy consumption across commercial and business sectors in the Middle East is reaching an all-time high as a result of rapid urban development. Add to this the growing tourism sector and an increasing number of cars, besides the inevitable need to use air conditioning and produce fresh water through desalination plants in the GCC countries." This rise in demand for energy is coupled with the fear that peak oil production is fast approaching, or as some maintain has already passed, meaning an end is in sight for the energy-hungry world as we know it unless other forms of energy are used.
"Forecasts suggest that by 2050 renewable energy sources will cater for nearly 50% of the UAE's total energy requirements and solar energy is likely to be the major energy source," adds Eng Al Lootah. "With more than 300 days of bright sunshine in the Emirates, tapping solar energy applications is natural."

Solar technology is already in use in the UAE, powering parking meters, offshore buoys and water heating in hotels. The Pacific Control Systems headquarters in Dubai produces air conditioning from solar technology, while Abu Dhabi plans to build a US $380 million (AED1.4 billion) 100MW solar power plant in the desert in an attempt to move away from its reliance on hydrocarbon fuels.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company signed an agreement earlier this year to develop the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, which will operate as a non-profit organisation designed to promote and develop renewable energy resources. The Government of Dubai also recently announced the creation of a new Renewable Energy Division, which will be responsible for green buildings, energy and water conservation and renewable power generation.

"There are two main types of solar power available in the Gulf," explains Dr Alan Dickson, md Solstice International and former chair of the Dubai Natural History Group. "Solar thermal, which can heat liquid and provide steam for a power plant or water for a building; and photovoltaics, which produce electricity directly from sunlight in the same way that solar cells in calculators do. You can clad buildings completely in photovoltaic panels, which have the combined effect of producing electricity while reducing the need for air conditioning due to shading." Combining these with battery storage for times when there is no sunlight, they could decentralise energy supplies and reduce dependency on the grid.

John Owen of distributor Sole UAE believes that there is a huge market for these technologies in the Middle East. "Solar energy is slowly starting to take off in the region and the conditions are perfect for it," he says. "There is a lot of potential for its use within the tourist and hotel industries for heating water and it cuts down on costs. The problem is that it's a new technology in the region and still expensive to install, which does put people off."

Developers are also starting to take note of the benefits of using solar technology within the region. Nakheel has taken its first steps into its use by installing a series of solar panels onto the roofs of a number of its 20 Shoreline Apartments development on Dubai's Palm Jumeirah to produce domestic hot water. The company is also looking into the use of solar technology for air conditioning. "Solar cooling is being used efficiently in Europe and other parts of the world and promises significant power savings in the order of 40%," explains a Nakheel spokesman. "Add to this the environmental benefit of reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Nakheel Environment is currently conducting solar cooling trials on selected home villa sites," he states.

Wind power is another renewable that is being looked into. "Electricity generation through wind power might prove popular," says Dickson. "The sea breeze in this region is regular at about 12 knots. You only get a few hours so the output wouldn't be high, but it coincides with the peak time for air conditioning, which would be convenient." The wind power plant set up on Sir Bani Yas Island off Abu Dhabi was the first such project of its type in the Arabian Peninsula and produces 850kW of energy to power a seawater desalination facility. This is set to be followed by a series of wind parks in Fujairah. Smaller wind turbines can also be attached to individual properties to provide a proportion of the power needed to run the building.

Consultant Atkins recently installed the blades of the wind turbines which will provide 11-15% of the energy requirements of the Bahrain World Trade Centre. "We try to push wind and solar power in projects where appropriate," says Nick Lander, regional head of sustainability at Atkins. "We are currently in the concept design phase for a project called DIFC lighthouse, which will become a working prototype for low carbon towers within the region and will generate energy through three 29m-diameter wind turbines. But we also look at other ways to reduce energy, such as the integration of passive design, which includes shading and cooling features and the recovery of elements such as water and heat."

Creating buildings that are more energy efficient and sustainable is another issue that is taking hold in the UAE. The Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC) was formed in 2006 with the aim of advancing these principles. "The vision of the council is to make the built environment sustainable," says Mario Seneviratne, secretary of the board, EGBC and director, Green Technologies. "We want buildings to be more energy conscious and reduce their eco-footprint through a mixture of recycling programmes, use of renewable energy and better construction methods for maximising light and cutting down on the resources needed to build them."

Other sources of renewable energy may not prove successful in the region according to Dickson. "There are not enough waves in the region and wave technology is still in the experimental stage," he says. "Underwater turbines would be better; they sit where there are large currents and are as regular as the moon. Plus, there is more power from water than from wind, but once again this technology is still in the experimental phase. Crops for fuel aren't really a viable alternative either in what is a desert region."

The main problem with renewable technologies is the reduced amount of energy they produce compared to conventional forms of fossil fuels. Add to that the fact they are still a relatively new technology in the Middle East, with high installation costs and this puts a lot of people off. Customer acceptance is another issue; even though solar and wind power have been around for decades, many people still do not consider them a viable option for their homes or businesses simply because they don't have the information necessary to make educated decisions. The price of energy in the Middle East is a further reason: why should people invest in solar paneling or wind turbines on their houses when the cost of energy is so cheap?

There is also the problem of installing renewable technology such as wind turbines onto the facades of buildings. "One of the biggest challenges with the Bahrain World Trade Centre was that it was a world first," says Simha LytheRao, senior project manger, Atkins. "A big challenge was to both physically and operationally integrate the turbines and bridges into the high-rise building form." Installation of renewable technology in a region that is unfamiliar with it will require specialist training.

So what does the future entail for renewable energy in the Middle East? It seems that renewables will play their part alongside the cleaner fossil fuels. "We believe that the integration of energy sources like natural gas with renewable energy technologies is a viable solution for our region," states Al Lootah. "However, there is no infrastructure or incentives to support the use of these technology applications. The advancements in renewable technologies have the potential to change the way we live and could dramatically alter our reliance on energy generated from traditional energy sources...the possibilities are endless."

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