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Renewed hope
Renewable energy technologies are already being seen on projects in the Middle East, but only sporadically. Peter Ward reports on the current market for such products and the impact that green building legislation is expected to have on their uptake.
Green building is currently high on the agenda of most developers, consultants or contractors. One method of achieving sustainability in a project is to ensure that renewable energy technology is used.
There are numerous different technologies available for use in buildings and due to the Middle East climate the most logical and popular type used to date have been solar powered. However there are several other options open to consultants, ranging from wind power to greywater harvesting.
Atkins Middle East's regional head of sustainability, Nick Lander comments on the current use of renewable technology in the region: "Renewables are a last resort in green design and we are seeing some use across the Gulf."
Among the examples he lists are the photovoltaic (pv) panels that are being used to provide power within Knowledge Village, Dubai. "Solar hot water and pvs are also being used for remote systems like marine navigation lights and parking meters," he adds.
The use of such products in the Middle East is increasing, as Whitby & Bird's director of sustainability and renewables Heath Andersen reports. "I think there is more of a focus on renewable energy.
It's a combination of things: people are realising that there is so much to be done here and it is an energy resource that we should be harnessing more. I think [clients] are doing that a little bit off their own bat and the authorities are also driving it a little bit."
One of the challenges that the application of renewables faces is that developers and building owners have to wait to see a return on their investment.
Andersen explains: "We do a lot of projects for developers who pass the properties on, so getting them to engage in operational costs is still a bit of a challenge. Sometimes because they are going to develop and then get rid of [the building] they are not too worried about the operational costs over ten years."
Legislative incentives
New legislation and guidelines have gone a long way to promoting the use of renewable technology. Lander states: "The new rules are a good step in the right direction for sustainable design in general and they will encourage designers to stretch themselves to come up with more elegant solutions."
Some legislation such as that dictated by the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) is praised by Andersen for requiring developers to not only abide by the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating systems but add a further 2.5% savings on top. He reasons that the guidelines are the main reason owners are installing the green technologies.
"There are some clients taking it up off their own back and doing it because they think it's a good idea, but the green building regulations definitely are the biggest driver," states Anderson.
Viessmann general manager Murat Aydemir is also quick to praise the legislation. "The regulations are very good at making people aware of what they should do and are good guidelines for improving a building's green technology," he states. But warns: "[The legislation] is a starting point, it's not the end."
Mario Seneviratne, director of Green Technologies and secretary to the board of the Emirates Green Building Council agrees, stressing that LEED assessments cannot fully motivate developers to use renewable technologies.
"If you take a subject like LEED, why would you spend a couple of million Dirhams to get one point under renewables when you could use it and get two points under something else?" he questions. "There is a carrot, but I don't think it is a big enough carrot to make people go in that direction solely."
Energy options
Solar energy is the most popular renewable technology in the Middle East and rightly so considering the virtually constant available sunshine in the region. However there are different types of solar technology available and several other technologies that operate independently of the sun.
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