High above the city of Aspen, Colorado, the waters of Maroon Creek run past wildflower-filled alpine meadows before flowing into a hydroelectric dam that is helping this famous ski resort to reach its goal of using 100 per cent renewable energy.
The picturesque town, known the world over as a winter playground for the rich and famous, reached its goal of using only renewables in 2015, becoming just the third city in America to have made the transition.
Cop28, the UN climate conference taking place in Dubai from November 30 to December 12, will have a major focus on the importance of renewable energy in the fight against climate change.
Aspen relies on snow for its winter business and has for decades sounded the alarm on climate change.
It committed to reaching 100 per cent renewable energy in 2004 but took more than 10 years to reach the lofty goal.
“When the city started to look at its climate goals and reducing carbon in the atmosphere, it looked to its electric utility and its contribution and it also looked back to say, 'What did we learn from the past that we can bring into the future?'” said Phil Overeynder, a utilities engineer for special projects at the city of Aspen.
While most urban areas have a long way to go to achieve what Aspen has, 180 cities have pledged to turn to 100 per cent renewable energy in the future, according to Environment America, a research and policy centre.
Maroon Creek and the power it provides have played an integral role in the history and development of Aspen, which attracts millions of tourists each year.
“[The] creek not only provides the eventual treated drinking water for the community, but is also a vital part of our hydro production,” said Justin Forman, director of utilities at the city of Aspen.
The dam has been in the same spot since the 1890s, when Aspen was a gold and silver-mining town.
“In the 1970s, we buried that wooden flume and then in the early '80s, we turned the wooden dam into a concrete structure, and we redid the head gate in 1985,” Mr Forman told The National.
Aspen, with its immense natural beauty and resources, has advantages that other cities across the country do not.
Its creeks, which wind down the towering Rocky Mountains, provide a significant amount of power, but not enough for the entire city of a little less than 7,000 people.
“I liken it to using what you have within the vicinity to the best of your ability possible,” Mr Forman said of the city’s strategy.
The city obtains about 46 per cent of its power from hydro, but it had to figure out a green alternative for the rest, looking a little farther afield for a viable additional energy source.
“The rest comes from wind energy projects scattered as far as 800 miles [1,290km] away, across the northern Great Plains,” Mr Overeynder said.
“It's a grid-connected system that brings energy from a distance.”
The grid is made more resilient through the use of other energy sources.
“It's certainly something that other cities and towns could emulate,” Mr Overeynder said.
The city is connected to the Western Interconnection, a huge expanse of networks that powers much of North America.
“It's a series of wires and generators all connected and interconnected to bring electric power to customers all across the western US from Canada and into Mexico,” Mr Overeynder said.
Aspen wanted to show other towns and cities that they can go green without raising energy prices.
“You can make this transition if you do it with a long-term plan in mind,” Mr Overeynder said.
"You can make it in a way that doesn't raise prices and makes this utility reliable."
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Match info
Premier League
Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
Arsenal 2 (Mustafi 26', Rojo 68' OG)
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
Crops that could be introduced to the UAE
1: Quinoa
2. Bathua
3. Amaranth
4. Pearl and finger millet
5. Sorghum
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
