A "green wave is coming" to the hydrogen industry that will lead to the sought-after fuel being produced with renewable energy rather than gas, a director of Masdar, the UAE's clean energy company, said on Thursday.
Andreas Bieringer, Masdar's director of business development and commercial, said lower-carbon blue hydrogen would take some of the early "heavy lifting" as the industry grows.
But he told a summit in London that "ultimately the world will be green".
Hydrogen is widely tipped as a fuel of the future because it produces only water vapour, not carbon dioxide. There are moves to use it instead of fossil fuels in aeroplanes, ships, lorries, heavy industry and domestic heating.
But hydrogen is rarely found by itself in nature and has to be hived off from water first. If that process uses fossil fuels, there is less gain to the planet.
Some hydrogen is produced by renewable means, such as wind turbines (green hydrogen), or with natural gas combined with carbon capture and storage (blue hydrogen). But these methods are currently more expensive than unabated gas (grey hydrogen), which accounts for most global production.
The colour spectrum extends to pink (nuclear), yellow (solar) and white (rare naturally occurring hydrogen underground) among others.
The UAE has plans to become a leading supplier of green hydrogen. A test shipment of ammonia, a hydrogen compound, was exported to Germany last year.
Mr Bieringer said the market was starting to mature with subsidies such as US President Joe Biden's sprawling $369 billion green package "creating some momentum" for clean hydrogen.
However, he said the industry "would be blind to ignore" that some countries and sectors would not immediately use the green kind.
No small task
Gauri Singh, a deputy director general of the Abu Dhabi-based International Renewable Energy Agency, said the cost of green was currently two to three times higher than blue.
She said the amount of renewable energy needed to meet future green hydrogen demand was about equal to the world's total electricity supply today – "not a small ask", she said.
Mr Bieringer said the nascent hydrogen industry was in a "time for pragmatism and not dogmatism".
"Green is coming. Ultimately the world will be green. It will take maybe a bit longer than we thought," Mr Bieringer said.
"But if the blue is helping to do the heavy lifting, helping to carry some of the investment, especially for expansion of the infrastructures, that will pave the way for the green wave that is ultimately going to come.”
His remarks were echoed by several speakers at Thursday's Investing in Green Hydrogen summit in London. Axel Wietfeld, the chief executive of Germany's Uniper, said there was a convincing case for using blue hydrogen as a "bridging technology" even though "the endgame will be primarily green".
Didier Holleaux, a vice president of France's Engie – a partner of Masdar – said using natural gas and carbon capture made it possible to "develop the economy quicker, even if at some point in time you may decide – in 10 years, 20 years – that blue hydrogen is out of the picture".
"In the meantime, if there is no blue hydrogen you slow down the whole process of developing the hydrogen economy," he said.
Driss Berraho, the head of green hydrogen at Saudi Arabia's Acwa Power, said the company was "100 per cent convinced" there would be a market for the fuel. There are plans to produce green ammonia in Saudi megacity Neom.
Fast-tracking the energy transition is one of the UAE's priorities for Cop28 in Dubai. The summit's President-designate and Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, is the chairman of Masdar.
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Liverpool’s fixtures until end of 2019
Saturday, November 30, Brighton (h)
Wednesday, December 4, Everton (h)
Saturday, December 7, Bournemouth (a)
Tuesday, December 10, Salzburg (a) CL
Saturday, December 14, Watford (h)
Tuesday, December 17, Aston Villa (a) League Cup
Wednesday, December 18, Club World Cup in Qatar
Saturday, December 21, Club World Cup in Qatar
Thursday, December 26, Leicester (a)
Sunday, December 29, Wolves (h)
