When Arifa Begum approached residents of her diverse neighbourhood in the London borough of Newham to get them to invest in solar panels for their local libraries, she was surprised by the response.
Many had never heard of solar energy before, Ms Begum told The National.
“When we told them we were buying solar energy and installing it in local libraries and schools, their first question was: what is green energy?” she recalled.
Ms Begum was encouraging residents, a third of whom are muslim, to become investors in the solar panels for three local libraries – putting up a minimum of £50 ($67) with the possibility of a three per cent return every year.
The initiative, which raised its £120,000 target in three months, was part of Repowering London, an NGO that won the Ashden Awards for climate solutions on Wednesday.
Over its lifetime, the project is expected to save up to 734 tonnes of carbon emissions and contribute an estimated £25,100 to a fund for the benefit of the local community.
Solar panels were installed on the roofs of Stratford, Beckton Globe and East Ham libraries, and funded by Repowering Finance, a non-profit business.
Community Energy Newham, the co-operative established for the project, then raised the funds from local residents to buy the panels powering the libraries.
The next phase will involve panels for the Godwin Junior and St Stephen’s Primary schools, where the installation is expected to finish before 2028.
The borough of Newham is among London’s poorest but it is also one of the most emerging. With the Olympic Park regeneration project at its doorstep, constituencies in the borough were recently ranked top in the England for social mobility and opportunity.
Ms Begum, who is originally from Bangladesh, said almost a third (28 per cent) of residents in the borough were Bengali.
She has been a community lead on the Newham project, and said that a lot of their online contacts were in Bengali, and they also contacted local Bengali newspapers.
Ms Begum notes that many were keen to have solar panels installed in their homes but did not know how.
Even for those previously aware of the technology, Ms Begum said that little information was available about the practicalities of installing solar power for personal use.
“We are not educated enough about how much it costs and what kind of roof is needed,” she said.
It is a gap that the UK government is also trying to bridge, announcing last week that solar panels will be fitted “by default” in new homes as part of its Future Homes Standard that will be published in autumn this year.
“Solar panels can save people hundreds of pounds off their energy bills, so it is just common sense for new homes to have them fitted as standard,” said Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. “So many people just don’t understand why this doesn’t already happen."
Repowering London's founder, Afsheen Kabir Rashid, said: "This is good news, but not good enough as the UK has an old building stock."
Ms Kabir Rashid pointed to the estimated 29 million homes that must be retrofitted to meet 2050 net-zero targets, according to 2020 research by the UK Energy Research Centre.
"We need funding to support a community retrofit revolution to take households through the retrofit journey prioritising resident consent, comfort, wellbeing and safety throughout the process," she said.
Repowering Finance aims to create community funds worth up to £750,000, which can be used to train young people in green energy jobs, and allow families in social housing to buy clean energy and reduce bills.
"We want every community energy group to have access to low cost, flexible finance that prioritises social impact over financial returns. Repowering Finance is a model that can be replicated to enable local ownership and benefits across the UK," Ms Kabir Rashid said.
The Brixton-based Repowering London first won the Ashden Award in 2016 – and its naming this year recognises the organisation’s achievements since then.
“Repowering London have shaken up the community energy sector. A hands-on, people-centred organisation, they have a deep commitment to improving skills and opportunities in clean energy, which includes training young people,” the award's organisers said in a statement.
“Profits generated by the sale of solar energy generated are used to support local initiatives like energy efficiency advice for social housing residents."
Its Voyage to Repower programme in 2023 offered unemployed 16-24 year olds a pathway into green careers, and more than 150 young people have received paid training and mentoring.
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: Dh898,000
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.
- It’s So Easy
- Mr Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover)
- Civil War
- Coma
- Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
- November Rain
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
Encore:
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
ILT20%20UAE%20stars
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THREE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Your Guide to the Home
- Level 1 has a valet service if you choose not to park in the basement level. This level houses all the kitchenware, including covetable brand French Bull, along with a wide array of outdoor furnishings, lamps and lighting solutions, textiles like curtains, towels, cushions and bedding, and plenty of other home accessories.
- Level 2 features curated inspiration zones and solutions for bedrooms, living rooms and dining spaces. This is also where you’d go to customise your sofas and beds, and pick and choose from more than a dozen mattress options.
- Level 3 features The Home’s “man cave” set-up and a display of industrial and rustic furnishings. This level also has a mother’s room, a play area for children with staff to watch over the kids, furniture for nurseries and children’s rooms, and the store’s design studio.
No Shame
Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Last 10 NBA champions
2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
Name: Colm McLoughlin
Country: Galway, Ireland
Job: Executive vice chairman and chief executive of Dubai Duty Free
Favourite golf course: Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club
Favourite part of Dubai: Palm Jumeirah
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
THE NEW BATCH'S FOCUS SECTORS
AiFlux – renewables, oil and gas
DevisionX – manufacturing
Event Gates – security and manufacturing
Farmdar – agriculture
Farmin – smart cities
Greener Crop – agriculture
Ipera.ai – space digitisation
Lune Technologies – fibre-optics
Monak – delivery
NutzenTech – environment
Nybl – machine learning
Occicor – shelf management
Olymon Solutions – smart automation
Pivony – user-generated data
PowerDev – energy big data
Sav – finance
Searover – renewables
Swftbox – delivery
Trade Capital Partners – FinTech
Valorafutbol – sports and entertainment
Workfam – employee engagement
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Match info
Newcastle United 1
Joselu (11')
Tottenham Hotspur 2
Vertonghen (8'), Alli (18')
England squads for Test and T20 series against New Zealand
Test squad: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes
T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Pat Brown, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, James Vince
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Sawt Assalam, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Foah, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Faiza, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: RB Dixie Honor, Antonio Fresu, Helal Al Alawi.
7.30pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Boerhan, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard.
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
