This week, all eyes were fixed on the Capital as it hosted the first Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), which saw over 150 VIP delegates, including heads of states, ministers and energy experts, discussing the global challenges of energy and water security.

General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed and Queen Rania presenting the Zayed Future Energy Award to Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Bangladesh Islamia School, UAE, a Global High School Prize winner for the Asia category. — Supplied photos

This week, influential voices were heard but more importantly, tangible sustainable initiatives were showcased by many young green-minded individuals who demonstrated several possible ways to achieve sustainability in their respective community.

Carbon neutral

Foremost among them are the students from Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Bangladesh Islamia School in Abu Dhabi who was awarded the Zayed Future Energy Prize (ZFEP) for Global High School Prize category.

The Asian school was among the four schools from four regions that were honoured with $100,000 each to fund their proposed sustainability projects.

Shaikh Khalifa School plans to become carbon neutral through efficient cooling systems, solar panels and solar batteries. The school has already cut its electricity consumption by 15 per cent by installing energy-saving light bulbs, which won them the UAE-based Sustainable Schools Initiative last year.

“As a school in the UAE, the home of the beloved founding father and namesake of the Prize, this is an exceptional honour. The Global High Schools category reaches out to schools and students with the simple but powerful message that every student has the power to make a difference. It is a source of inspiration to students all over the world,” said principal Mir Anisul Hasan.

Off-grid solar power

Inspired by the call from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a group of 10 members of the Young Future Energy Leaders (YFEL) — part Masdar Institute’s Outreach programme — has proposed an innovative off-grid solar power project that seeks to bring electricity to healthcare facilities in remote areas of the UAE and sub-Saharan Africa.

The off-grid solar power project aims to implement a system that would provide a continuous, reliable and sustainable supply of energy to an entire hospital. The proposal envisions three power-generating options, including a self-contained photovoltaics (PV) system, a hybrid system integrating PV with other available renewable energy, such as biomass, and wind, or a hybrid system using PV combined with a fossil-fuel engine generator.

“Through this project, team members will be able to implement the principles of advanced energy and sustainability that they have learned about and put them into practice,” said Muna Al Amoodi, project leader and senior environmental officer at Dubai Aluminum Company (Dubal). Eventually, one or two hospitals will be identified for the rooftop solar project, and while the focus for this year is hospital facilities, in future, schools and households may be considered.

The off-grid solar power project will consist of two phases — Phase 1 includes a feasibility study addressing technical and economic issues regarding the proposed sites and the possible system designs, and Phase 2 will involve the purchase, installation, commissioning and handover of the project, as well as, maintenance and operational training, performance observations and a final project presentation.

Rice-husk gasifiers

A team of seven Emirati green entrepreneurs has also developed a project to bring clean-energy rice-husk gasifiers to farms and ranches across the UAE, with initial support from the YFEL.

Titled ‘Moving towards a Sustainable Environment: Replacing Diesel-based Generators with Eco-friendly Rice-Husk Gasifiers’, the project was inspired by their visit to rural areas in northern India, where villagers were generating electricity through clean, inexpensive rice-husk gasification, rather than diesel-powered generators.

The entrepreneurs have selected the Awafi area of Ras Al Khaimah for the first-phase of implementation. This region, which is home to ranches, Ghaf trees and mild weather in winter, will witness the first small-scale pilot project. If the technology and system prove successful, the team will establish a company to install rice-husk gasifier systems in farms and ranches across the UAE.

The pilot will provide customers across Awafi with cheap and eco-friendly electricity that meets energy requirements in a way that can replace their current use of diesel generators.

Next generation

Several entities have also demonstrated their commitment by educating the next generation on sustainability issues.

The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) and Aldar Academies launched the Estidama School Programme which was aimed at creating thematic junior think-tanks, engage and communicate with children about the significance of sustainability through the UPC’s Estidama four-pillar approach and its Complete Sustainable Communities (CSC) initiative.

By focusing on the main components of CSC, the programme intends to enable children to better understand how sustainable planning can design vibrant, exciting and environmentally friendly places to live.

An inter-school competition to design a small community will be set up during the year to enable children to put what they have learnt during the sessions into practise.

“Awareness, education and knowledge are the main drivers that empower behavioural change and change the mindset of individuals towards sustainable living. Children will play a pivotal role in ensuring that Estidama gradually and positively impacts our environment...Our objective is to encourage the younger members of our community to consider how they will live and work in the future,” said Mohamed Al Khadar, executive director for Development Review and Estidama, UPC.

ADSW 2013

Hosted by Masdar and supported by the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), ADSW is the foremost annual event dedicated to advancing future energy, energy efficiency and clean technologies.

ADSW 2013 comprises the General Assembly of Irena, the World Future Energy Summit (WFES), the International Water Summit (IWS), the Abu Dhabi International Renewable Energy Conference (ADIREC), the Zayed Future Energy Prize (ZFEP) award ceremony, and the inaugural energy ministerial of South American-Arab Countries (ASPA).

Hosted by Masdar and supported by Irena, The ADSW was organised under the patronage of General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec).

The ADSW was attended by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, French President Francois Hollande, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kouchner, Jordan’s Queen Rania Al Abdullah, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shaikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, Iceland President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, Kosovo President Yahya Agha and Philippines Vice-President Jejomar Binay, among others.

olivia@khaleejtimes.com