The UAE needs a comprehensive energy policy if it wants to reduce consumption, say experts.
A two-day workshop in the capital recently discussed the county's energy needs, as well as ways to improve efficiency through technology.
Hosted by the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in collaboration with the Swiss university Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), the event was attended by policy-makers, suppliers, academics and professionals from the local and international energy sectors.
Sgouris Sgouridis, an associate professor of engineering systems and management at Masdar, said the UAE needs a body similar to the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy to handle a nation-wide energy policy.
"We need a high-level strategy for the nation to direct the energy portfolio in a more optimal way," he said.
The workshop was organised to "bring everyone to the table", but the real difference, he said, would be made if things were "formalised under a ministry".
Prof Sgouridis said that one of the biggest challenges was getting stakeholders - including the government, regulators, utility suppliers, sellers and consumers - to work together towards a common goal.
He said each group perceives costs differently depending on which technology they are using and the financial incentives.
Matthias Finger, a professor of network industries management at EPFL, said it was important to have "all the actors on board" to be able to make a change.
"It's about the link between institutions and who needs to do what, so that technologies can be deployed to their fullest potential," he said.
Prof Finger said that it was vital for people to be able to understand how much energy they consume.
Prof Sgouridis said "smart grids" - which use digital technology to gather information about the behaviour of suppliers and consumers to help improve eenergy efficiency, distribution and consumption - can do that by creating a "two-way communication".
It gives people instant information about how much energy they are consuming in real-time and the option to cut consumption in peak hours.
The technology also works in the home, where washing machines can be programmed to run only at night, when energy is cheaper.
Prof Finger said there are "many things you don't need to use at 6pm in the evening; it's just because we're used to it".
The challenge, he said, was to find mutual financial incentives for all the stakeholders if energy consumption is to be reduced.
"Utilities want to sell as much energy as possible, so you need to develop a business model that makes it attractive to save energy," said Prof Finger.
Bruce Smith, a business adviser for the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority, said there must be a "very clear" objective for the government to invest in a smart grid system.
He said that just giving consumers access to information about how much they consume was not enough, as human behavior was difficult to change. "The key is giving them the ability to do something about it, so they can react to the information," he said.
Osman Ahmed, head of the Siemens Centre of Excellence for Smart Buildings, said bringing in a fully operational smart grid system could be easier in the UAE as there are fewer layers of Government.
"The structure is more simplified here, " Mr Ahmed said.
Prof Finger said the UAE has the money and resources to make it work, adding: "It's such a new country, which can be an advantage in many ways. You can build from scratch and do it right."
molson@thenational.ae
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
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
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Engine: 1.5L three-cylinder petrol, plus 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery
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Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
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COMPANY PROFILE
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Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
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Inspiration: Wife and kids
Favourite book: Changes all the time but my new favourite is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
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Favourite run: Jabel Hafeet, I also enjoy running the 30km loop in Al Wathba cycling track
NO OTHER LAND
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre V6
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
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The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
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The bio
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1 UAE 5 5 0 10
2 Qatar 5 4 1 8
3 Saudi 5 3 2 6
4 Kuwait 5 2 3 4
5 Bahrain 5 1 4 2
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Scoreline
Arsenal 3
Aubameyang (28'), Welbeck (38', 81')
Red cards: El Neny (90' 3)
Southampton 2
Long (17'), Austin (73')
Red cards: Stephens (90' 2)
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Scoreline
Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')
Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')
Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'