Reaching net-zero by 2050 requires a radical shift in the way we power our economies. In the coming decade, driven by the urgency to decarbonise, we will transform the way we power our cars, homes and much of the industrial economy. This will involve a significant departure from fossil fuels, while putting power at the forefront of our sustainable future and signalling a golden age for electricity.
This cleaner, more electrified future is not a given, however. The International Energy Agency’s recent report on electricity grids highlighted the inadequacies of the world’s network as we move towards a decarbonised, digitalised and decentralised energy future. According to the IEA, the task before us is to rebuild and repurpose an 80 million-kilometre grid system that took us 100 years to develop, in the next 15 years.
The beauty of electricity is not simply its production but its versatility. Our ability to store it, move it and build use cases around it has dramatically improved living standards and positioned it as the bedrock of prosperity. Just consider the vital role electricity plays in powering the air-conditioning that has been instrumental to the development of cities in the UAE and around the Gulf.
This new phase of sustainable growth will lean on electricity in new ways, unforeseen when our current grids were developed. The nature of generation is changing dramatically with increasingly high shares coming from low-cost intermittent sources such as wind and solar. Power demand is also being shaped by new forces. While we will still need it for our lights, televisions and computers, we will also need it to charge our cars, provide heating as well as cooling and for fuelling industrial processes.
The task before us is to rebuild and repurpose an 80 million km grid system that took us 100 years to develop, in the next 15 years
The nature of our relationship with the grid will evolve into something more dynamic. More and more of us may want to also supply power to our grids from home energy systems and electric vehicles, and in some countries, smart appliances and smart meters are allowing customers to use appliances when demand is low, and power is cheaper – offering stability benefits to the grid and cost benefits to consumers.
This is not an incremental shift but a transformation in our power system that requires considerable investment. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the cumulative global investment needed to build the grid of the future is more than $20 trillion from now to 2050 – making it one of the most significant global infrastructure demands of the 21st century.
A significant proportion of this investment will be made in interconnections. As the electricity system evolves, connecting reliable sources of supply with major demand centres will increasingly involve cross-border power trading made possible by high-voltage interconnections. Take the XLinks project for example, which Taqa is invested in. It will connect 10 gigawatts of new wind and solar power generation capacity in Morocco, with a major source of demand 3,800 kilometres away in the UK.
These high-voltage interconnectors are also playing a role in linking low-carbon grid power to industrial demand centres, again encouraging the development of new partnerships and unleashing innovative solutions for hard-to-abate emissions. Adnoc and its partners recently announced the financial close of a first-of-its-kind in the region project that will allow the grid to serve Adnoc’s offshore power needs – helping them to decarbonise their operations and their production.
These examples show the versatility of the electricity system while also highlighting the extent to which it must evolve over the next few decades to enable the energy transition. And we are already behind the curve. It is estimated that about 1,500 gigawatts of wind and solar power projects in the US and Europe are stuck in interconnection queues – leaving projects equal to all new renewables installed globally since 2016, standing by, waiting for a grid connection.
The sector was already bracing for the electrification revolution but the climate action agenda and Cop28 priorities have put us on notice of the need to pick up the pace. Fast-tracking the energy transition is a centre piece of the Cop28 Presidency’s priorities, and that means supercharging the speed at which we build out robust, flexible and interconnected grids.
This essential prerequisite for the energy transition does not get the attention it deserves, but the reality is there is no transition without transmission. As the Economist headline said in its April 8 edition this year, if net zero is the goal, it may be more appropriate that you hug a pylon than a tree.
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
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)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The years Ramadan fell in May
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
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The team
Photographer: Mateusz Stefanowski at Art Factory
Videographer: Jear Valasquez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Model: Randa at Art Factory Videographer’s assistant: Zanong Magat
Photographer’s assistant: Sophia Shlykova
With thanks to Jubail Mangrove Park, Jubail Island, Abu Dhabi
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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Have you been targeted?
Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:
1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.
2. The money has been transferred into a structured note. These products have high upfront, recurring commission and should never be in a pension account.
3. You have also been sold investment funds with an upfront initial charge of around 5 per cent. ETFs, for example, have no upfront charges.
4. The adviser charges a 1 per cent charge for managing your assets. They are being paid for doing nothing. They have already claimed massive amounts in hidden upfront commission.
5. Total annual management cost for your pension account is 2 per cent or more, including platform, underlying fund and advice charges.
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
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Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
TRAINING FOR TOKYO
A typical week's training for Sebastian, who is competing at the ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon on March 8-9:
- Four swim sessions (14km)
- Three bike sessions (200km)
- Four run sessions (45km)
- Two strength and conditioning session (two hours)
- One session therapy session at DISC Dubai
- Two-three hours of stretching and self-maintenance of the body
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.
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HOW TO WATCH
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TikTok: @thenationalnews
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SPECS
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
More on animal trafficking
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Related
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
