Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) hosted a series of seminars and panel discussions, with leading experts and specialists from multinational organisations working in the water, energy, technology, sustainability, and environment sector. These discussions took place at the Dubai Solar Show, organised by DEWA, in conjunction with the 19th Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) 2017, from 23 to 25 October, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC).
The three-day event schedule was held daily from 10 am to 5.30 pm, at Sheikh Saeed Hall 3 at DICEC. Vital topics such as climate change, energy transformation, the future of the energy sector, energy efficiency, reliance on renewable energy in the region, solar technologies, smart networks, sustainability, innovation, and more were discussed.
HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA and Founder and Chairman of WETEX, said that DEWA was keen on organising these important seminars, under the directives and vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in line with its efforts to make Dubai a global hub for sustainability and green economy, and to promote a culture of sustainability and conservation. The seminars informed the public and stakeholders about sustainability, the environment, renewable energy and the challenges facing cities in their journey towards sustainability.
Day One Seminars
Day One focused on the global challenges of climate change and need to transform conventional energy to cleaner sources. Luis Davila, Head of Partnerships, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, spoke about the key mechanisms of the Paris Climate Agreement, which has set a clear long-term temperature goal to limit warming to 2°C and ideally 1.5°C, how close we are to meeting these goals, the recent developments in the US and ways in which state and non-state actors are taking action. Tanzeed Alam, Climate & Energy Director, EWS-WWF, moderated a panel discussion on the role of the MENA region in implementing the Paris Agreement, with the participation of researchers and specialists in the field of climate change and the environment. Frank Wouters, Director EU-GCC Clean Energy Network focused on how hydrogen enables this energy transition.
Eva Ramos, Director of Environment Analysis & Economics, Environment Agency at Abu Dhabi, gave an overview how energy efficiency plays in meeting the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. Recent reports highlight that about 50% of global greenhouse gas reductions can be delivered through energy efficiency. This presentation highlighted recent findings from reports such as ‘Perspectives for the Energy Transition’ by IEA and IRENA and highlighted types of energy efficiency mechanisms that lead to the greatest benefits for climate change, the economy and other issues.
Day 1 also included a panel discussion on ‘How to Unleash the Potential of Energy Efficiency’. This session explored and asked questions such as: What role do building energy efficiency standards and rating systems have? What about subsidy reform and appliance standards? How do we best finance energy efficiency? How does energy efficiency impact the uptake of more renewable energy? The discussion was moderated by Stephane le Gentil, CEO, Clean Energy Business Council; and included Faisal Ali Hassan Rashid, Director DSM, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy; Nabil Battal, Director, Global Safety & Environment, DP World; Graeme Sims, Executive Director, Regulatory & Supervisory Bureau (RSB) Dubai; Afra Majid Alowais, Senior Engineer, Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority; and Jesus Gutierrez, Founder & CEO, Smart4Power.
The final session was led by Ridah Sabouni, Managing Director MENA, Energetics Incorporated, who presented his views on realising improved industrial energy efficiency through implementation of ISO 50001.
Day Two Seminars
The second day of the Dubai Solar Show focused on Renewable Energy Finance and Policy: Focus on MENA. Dr. Mustapha Taoumi, Clean Energy Technology Expert, EU-GCC Clean Energy Network, gave an overview on the regulatory frameworks and policies necessary to drive the uptake of renewables in the MENA region. In addition, a panel discussion entitled, ‘Current Challenges to Increasing Uptake of Renewable Energy in the Region and Solutions’ was held. The discussion saw the participation of Nour Mezher, Project Manager – Renewable Energy, EWS-WWF; Laura El-Katiri, Programme Officer, Policy Advice, IRENA; Mhairi Main Garcia Vice Chair, Clean Energy Business Council; and Dr. Florian Klumpp, Industry Collaboration Coordinator, EU-GCC Clean Energy Network.
Day Two seminars included: DEWA’s Shams Dubai initiative, which encourages building owners to install solar panels on the roofs of their buildings to produce electricity from solar energy, as well as the best regulatory practices for installation. DEWA has successfully installed 453 solar panels in Dubai, with a capacity of 18.7MW.
Driss Berraho, Manager Business Development, ACWA Power; Jonathan Walters, Senior Advisor to Castalia Strategy and a former director at World Bank, MENA; Dr. Steven Griffiths, Vice President for Research and Associate Provost at Masdar; and Phil Hale, Director Business Development, Solar Reserve, participated in a panel discussion entitled ‘Utility Scale CSP 101 and Thermal Energy Storage Applications’.
Day Three Seminars
Day 3 focused on the role of cities in combating climate change. A group of leading experts and specialists participated in the hour-long session on the contribution of solar energy to sustainability in the city.
Fida Mohammed Alhammadi, Head of Research & Building Systems Law, Dubai Municipality; and Salim Mohammad Zid, Senior Building Service Engineer, Dubai Municipality, presented Dubai’s initiatives for sustainability, its construction progress and the challenges in meeting increased demand on power and water, as well as the latest update on green building projects. They also included an overview of the implementation mechanism of the al Sa’faat, an outline of the requirements for assessment and certification of green buildings, and Dubai’s roadmap toward sustainability.
Majid Al Hazami, Acting Director – Smart Grid PMO, DEWA, gave an overview of DEWA’s Electric Vehicle Programme (Green Charger). Al Hazami mentioned that DEWA has successfully installed 100 electric charging stations in different areas of Dubai, with plans to double this number to 200 stations in 2018.
Another panel discussion was also held on ‘Electric Vehicle Grid Integration – How to power EVs from renewables and Electricity Storage’. The discussion switched to the new paradigm of clean energy vehicles, the role of governments and public entities as fleet buyers and regulators in setting up global energy policies and incentives, changing the mindset of car buyers and integrating EV into the overall energy system of a smart city.
The seminars were part of the second Dubai Solar Show, held in a dedicated 14,000 square metre space, with 28 sponsors and 90 exhibitors from around the world. The event was held in conjunction with the 19th WETEX 2017, and the 4th World Green Energy Summit (WGES), during which over 60 global speakers focused on key topics such as smart cities, green economy, innovation and sustainable development.