Energy demand in both India and the UAE is likely to soar this decade.
To meet this demand, it is pivotal for both countries to establish a strong foundation to adopt renewable energy.
India and the UAE have independently announced plans for adoption of renewables. India has set a target of 29.8 gigawatts in additional renewable energy capacity by the end of 2017, taking its total to almost 55GW.
In the UAE, the various emirates have individual plans for renewable energy. Dubai has announced a target of generating 5 per cent of its total energy through renewables by 2030 and Abu Dhabi has plans for 7 per cent by 2020, which would make for 3GW more of renewable energy in the UAE.
While the countries have very different requirements that are driving the adoption of renewables, there are also some similarities. Both are striving to diversify their energy mix with an aim to enhance energy security and reduce dependence on conventional sources of fuel.
India has already made significant progress in this area, having installed a capacity of 30GW by the end of last year, 13.2 per cent of the country’s total power generation capacity. The country provides a well-structured and attractive market for renewable power generation, with both government and industrial participation spurring its growth. However, the high capital associated with renewables, coupled with high financing costs and insufficient power transmission and distribution infrastructure, has challenged and restrained renewable energy adoption in India.
The UAE, on the other hand, is relatively new to the adoption of renewable energy and is still in the process of developing an environment that would be conducive and attractive for private sector participation, a must for accelerated development. Some key short-term achievements for the UAE have been:
• Setting up the Masdar Institute, which has helped to start and sustain research and development
• Hosting the International Renewable Energy Association, which in turn has led to greater commitment from the UAE to deliver on areas such as sustainability and energy efficiency
• Creating plans to adopt renewable resources. Dubai's recent announcements of rooftop solar and energy service companies are clear examples of this approach.
Renewable energy promises to be environmentally friendly and allows the UAE to diversify its energy mix and attain a higher degree of energy security. However, these benefits are not adequate to counter the various challenges that the energy sources faces in the UAE and the rest of the region.
The foremost challenge for renewables adoption in the UAE is the practice of subsidising fuel for energy generation, and then subsidising electricity as well. In spite of recent price increases, non-renewable electricity is still available at a low cost, making renewables superfluous for most individuals. Renewables will face difficulty in the UAE as long as this practice is in place.
The regulatory environment in the UAE is also not as conducive as in other countries that are promoting renewables. Lack of clarity on policies relating to private electricity generation through renewables will be a crippling factor, if it is not sorted out this year. Recent moves on the parts of Dubai and Abu Dhabi appear to be aimed towards sorting this out, sending a positive signal on this front.
One final factor challenging renewables adoption in the UAE is the insufficiency of supply through local sources, for both services and products. Given the UAE’s excessive dependence on imports to cater to demand, the country could face difficulty creating the infrastructure for renewables.
However, other factors will need to be considered that bode well for renewables. For instance, there is the dependence on generators that run on diesel to generate electricity for construction projects, telecoms and other facilities not within the reach of the existing power networks.
A recent Frost & Sullivan analysis shows sales of more than 6,000 diesel generators in the UAE for last year alone, and more than US$60 million is spent each year on non-diesel generator rentals. Multiply this by a large-scale construction ramp-up because of the Expo 2020 and the remoteness of some of the places the infrastructure would need to reach, and the UAE presents a very feasible case for the adoption of renewables.
Abhay Bhargava is the head of energy and power systems for the Middle East and North Africa at Frost & Sullivan
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The biog
Fatima Al Darmaki is an Emirati widow with three children
She has received 46 certificates of appreciation and excellence throughout her career
She won the 'ideal mother' category at the Minister of Interior Awards for Excellence
Her favourite food is Harees, a slow-cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled wheat berries mixed with chicken
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Mobile phone packages comparison
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Company%C2%A0profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m. Winner: Majd Al Megirat, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Ahmed Al Shehhi (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m. Winner: Dassan Da, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Heba Al Wathba, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Richard Mullen, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Harbour Spirit, Adrie de Vries, Jaber Ramadhan.
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Profile of Tamatem
Date started: March 2013
Founder: Hussam Hammo
Based: Amman, Jordan
Employees: 55
Funding: $6m
Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
