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H.E. Eng. Ahmed AlKaabi said that clean energy and water are two essential resources for smart cities to develop sustainably.
Strategies for smart energy and water management in focus Giving the opening speech at the Smart Cities Forum, H.E. Eng. Ahmed AlKaabi, Assistant Undersecretary for Petroleum, Gas and Mineral Resources Sector at the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure, highlighted the importance of strategies for smart energy and water management, given that by 2050, nearly 70% of the global population is forecast to live in cities, impacting energy and water demand. “The Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure plans a demand side management programme target of 40% reduction in energy demand and 50% in water demand to 2050. It will support the UAE’s transition to smart cities, focusing on four key pillars; built environment, industry, transport and agriculture.”
Sustainability
Connections
Achieving decarbonisation
Connecting business
Huda Masalmeh, Manager and Sustainability Consultant at Eedama, opened the Climate & Environment Forum on the second day of the World Future Energy Summit by noting how sustainability has become a critical issue that is becoming more urgent each year. “It is becoming clear that sustainability is a trend that is not going away.”
The World Future Energy Summit hosts seven country pavilions that connect emerging markets with top global technology players.
Following this, H.E. Eng. Yousef Al Ali, Assistant Undersecretary at the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure, UAE, outlined the UAE’s commitment to decarbonisation and sustainability. He said, “Over the next decade, the UAE will focus on driving clean electrification through solar and nuclear energy, improving energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions and turbo-charging innovation to commercialise hydrogen.”
The German pavilion has been a longstanding feature of the summit, this year showcasing cutting edge technologies from 15 companies in fields of renewable and sustainable energy ranging from solar and wind energy to hydropower, biopower, energy transmission and distribution.
“It is becoming clear that sustainability is a trend that is not going away.”
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“If today’s youth is properly educated, it is the most promising sign of a future Ecotopia.” Mohammed Eissa, Youth 4 Sustainability Representative
SMART CITIES FORUM: Sharing expertise
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Shaping the future of solar Image credit: Nextracker
Hans Sauter, VP Sales, MENA, Nextracker, discusses how the company’s innovative technologies are enhancing solar projects in the region. How is Nextracker’s Robotic Cleaning Solution benefiting the region? Nextracker’s Solar Tracker Robotic Cleaning has helped reduce soiling and maximise performance of large-scale PV systems in the Middle East, North Africa and other regions. The main criteria that has helped Nextracker develop a range of solutions for this include the ability of robots to clean at night, withstand high temperatures and perform with low operation and maintenance cost as well as the ability to complete robotic cleaning on over one kilometre of modules per battery charge, and accomodate multiple charging and cleaning cycles per evening.
How are Nextracker’s innovations helping drive performance in the region’s solar projects? Nextracker is contributing towards a number of projects in the region. For instance, for Saudi Arabia’s photovoltaic solar
Nextracker smart solar tracker. project Sakaka, Nextracker was chosen as the tracker supplier because of its track record of delivering on-time, innovative technology, establishing local manufacturing, and its experience with other projects in the region.
Nextracker has recently opened an office in Dubai. We are associated with several projects in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and others. In Saudi Arabia, we have been involved with ensuring skills transfer through awareness creation and training.
Leading in the solar industry Mariella Doppelbauer, Area Sales Manager Middle East, Fronius International GmbH, highlights what makes the organisation a frontrunner in the solar energy sector. What importance has Fronius given to sustainability? We use more than 80% renewable energy throughout our business. The Life Cycle Assessment conducted for Fronius GEN24 Plus has confirmed that our inverters are among the world’s most sustainable in the world. As a family-run business, we try to incorporate the three sustainability values of ‘people, planet, profit’ into all our processes.
Why is reparability of inverters important for the industry to further increase sustainability? If a Fronius inverter is at fault, it can either be repaired on site by our repair centre or that of a Fronius system partner. This enables us to keep costs low and we are naturally motivated to build inverters with maximum durability.
How is Fronius providing sales and service support in the region? In 2020, we opened our Cairo office with a sales team and technical support
Fronius incorporates the sustainability values of people, planet, profit into all processes. engineers. There is also a representative in Dubai. Further, our network of Fronius System Partners Plus is definitely the backbone of our sales and service across the Middle East. We see ourselves well prepared for both the residential and the commercial market segment.
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“The governments of the region are investing in creating awareness on water sustainability, especially for children.” Jesús Sancho, Director General, ACCIONA ME
SOLAR AND CLEAN ENERGY FORUM: Regional developments
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Engie optimistic about hydrogen prospects
Korea Water Partnership (KWP) and Korea Water Cluster (KWC) have organised the Korea Pavilion to support global business and cooperation between domestic and foreign suppliers and consumers. Most of the participating companies have experience in doing business in the MENA region, and are recognised in Korea as leading providers of technologies and products. Exhibitors include SM Tech, which specialises in water hammer prevention facilities, and Grenex Ltd, which specialises in pile cloth disk filter and Total Phosphorus (T-P) removal processing. The filter screens contaminants effectively in sewage and wastewater treatment facilities. Michigan Technology Co., Ltd has a DOF treatment system, which effectively removes organic pollutants, while DH Water provides water purification systems using RO (reverse osmosis), a cube-type water purification device using sunlight, and a portable water purifier using a solar panel. COOGY’s solutions are specialised in finding cracks and breakages, using ultrasonic waves, while SOLVE Co’s lightweight HDPE butterfly valve is resistant to corrosion and chemicals, and is unaffected by raw water.
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Image credit: Engie
Korea Pavilion showcases the best of water tech
Low-carbon energy company Engie sees huge potential for hydrogen in the Middle East. “It is of course early days, but we see a number of opportunities here,” says Frederic Claus, Managing Director for Thermal & Supply, AMEA. “We have seen many announcements over the last 12 months, including in the Middle East.” It is the multiple uses of hydrogen which makes it so promising, he says. “Firstly, it’s the missing link with respect to renewables, to overcome the issue of intermittency. It can be used as feedstock in industries such as fertilisers, it can be used to decarbonise the so called hard to abate industries, and you can use it as a fuel as well in mobility, for example in shipping, trucks and buses.” Engie has a number of projects ongoing around the world, mainly in Europe, and is working on a number of opportunities in the Middle East, where it has a strong base. Claus sees the Middle East as a promising region given its competitive costs in terms of tariff per mw/hr, especially compared with Europe. “Projects are still to be developed and structured, but there is huge potential,” he says. “The challenge is to be more competitive, and the way to make it more competitive and affordable is to scale up. In order to do this the equipment needs to be cheaper, and we need to find offtakers, since it’s a huge investment. The challenge is to find the offtakers willing to commit in the long term, on the assumption that prices are likely to go down in the coming years. “Today green hydrogen is more expensive, but this is on the basis of
World Future Energy Summit | Daily News
Frederic Claus, Managing Director for Thermal & Supply, AMEA, Engie.
smallscale projects, so the question is when is it going to become competitive compared with other forms. The general consensus is that green hydrogen will become competitive beyond 2030 or 2035, but it might happen faster. Around 20 years ago we were in a similar situation with solar, and then the prices of solar panels came down, the performance of the panels increased significantly and we have seen a downward curve in the tariff. So maybe we can beat the concensus.” Another area which Engie is very interested in is battery storage. “If you can combine renewables and storage, we can have a flexible supply of power with peak shaving,” says Claux. “It can also be a flexible tool to
manage the rest of the production sources. With the increasing penetration of renewables we will need more battery storage in the grid to adjust to security and flexibility objectives. Now it is quite expensive, but again, technology will change this, and we believe prices will go down as the need for storage increases and economies of scale are achieved. We are confident given the tremendous amount of research into this area that we will see an improvement in performance in the coming years, as we have seen with wind and solar. “We launched a battery storage project in Australia a few months ago on a former coal plant site, South Africa’s Eskom is looking to tender a project and we expect some tenders in the Middle East, particularly UAE and Saudi Arabia, given their big ambitions in renewables.”
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“Waste-to-energy is complementary to recycling and can help support the circular economy.”
BUSINESS: What next after COP26?
Wassim Moussaoui, Managing Director, Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) Middle East Holdings.
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Mitsubishi Power showcases clean energy and digitalisation technologies
At the summit, Mitsubishi Power is highlighting the brand’s most successful turbines in the industry – the J-Series Air Cooled gas turbines – which boast world-class reliability of 99.6% and efficiency of greater than 64%. Capable of operating on a mixture of up to 30% hydrogen and 70% natural gas, the turbines can be increased to 100% hydrogen in the future. Mitsubishi Power aims to achieve 100% hydrogen readiness in these large-scale, industrial J-class gas turbines by 2025, followed by commercialisation thereafter. This transition capability of gas turbines will significantly elevate the demand for hydrogen in the region, ultimately driving innovation and cost reductions and helping countries reach net zero. Currently, Mitsubishi Power’s JAC-class gas turbine is set to power a 2.4GW gas-fired Fujairah F3 GTCC power plant being built in the UAE. It will be
Dr Emmanouil Kakaras, Executive Vice President Next Energy Business at MHI EMEA. the largest natural gas fired GTCC facility in the UAE, sufficient to power 380,000 households in the country, playing a crucial role in the country’s power generation sector and contributing to the GCC’s
Hydrogen economy hints at new global power dynamics Rapid growth of the global hydrogen economy can bring significant geoeconomic and geopolitical shifts giving rise to a wave of new interdependencies, according to new analysis by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). ‘Geopolitics of the Energy Transformation: The Hydrogen Factor’ sees hydrogen changing the geography of energy trade and regionalising energy relations, hinting at the emergence of new centres of geopolitical influence built on the production and use of hydrogen, as traditional oil and gas trade declines. Driven by the climate urgency and countries’ commitments to net zero, IRENA estimates hydrogen will cover up to 12% of global energy use by 2050. Growing trade and targeted investments in a market dominated by fossil fuels and currently valued at US$174bn is likely to boost economic competitiveness and influence the foreign policy landscape with bilateral deals diverging significantly from the hydrocarbon relationships of the 20th century. “Hydrogen could prove to be a missing link to a climate-safe energy future”, Francesco La Camera, Director-General of IRENA said. “It is green hydrogen that will bring
power grid. Fujairah F3 is the first project in the Middle East utilising the Advanced M701JAC model turbines. The company completed the shipment of gas turbines in 2021 and full commercial operation will begin in 2023. Participating in the WFES Solar & Clean Energy Forum, Dr Emmanouil Kakaras, Executive Vice President Next Energy Business at MHI EMEA, joined a panel of top power utilities executives and experts to discuss the immense possibilities of hydrogen in accelerating a clean energy future in the region. Dr Kakaras also addressed questions about hydrogen’s actual uses and costs, production and demand, carbon capture and storage, as well as the importance of national policies and guidelines. “The pace of developing and introducing viable solutions to the global decarbonisation challenge is accelerating. Nations are setting net-zero strategies in their transition towards a secure, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable energy supply and hydrogen remains the number one contender and a powerful enabler of this global energy transition, while serving as a catalyst to create a resilient and decarbonised economy. In many ways, hydrogen is the first step towards a brighter future” said Dr Kakaras.
IRENA says green hydrogen could disrupt global trade and bilateral energy relations.
Image credit: IRENA
Image credit: Mitsubishi Power
Mitsubishi Power, the power solutions brand of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd (MHI), is demonstrating its core expertise of providing reliable, innovative, and advanced energy solutions, to drive decarbonisation and energy transition in the Middle East, at this year’s World Future Energy Summit.
new and diverse participants to the market. With international co-operation, the hydrogen market could be more democratic and inclusive, offering opportunities for developed and developing countries alike,” he added. “It is green hydrogen that will bring new and diverse participants to the market, diversify routes and supplies and shift power from the few to the many. With international co-operation, the hydrogen market could be more democratic and inclusive, offering opportunities for developed and developing countries alike.”
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“Behind every challenge lies a much greater opportunity. Let us use this time that we have together to connect minds and create an inclusive and sustainable future for all.”
SOLAR ENERGY: Leading exhibitors
Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology
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A paradigm shift in water Presenting at the Water Forum at the World Future Energy Summit, Emma Dannemiller, Senior Program Manager, Water at NEOM Energy & Water, explained the relationship between decarbonisation and NEOM’s Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) water model. “We are proud to say that we are leading a paradigm shift in water. NEOM’s ZLD, high quality water production, distribution, treatment, and recycling network is shifting the global water paradigm from one of scarcity to one of abundance. It also leads to decarbonisation across all greenhouse gas scopes of emission.” Dannemiller provided an overview of NEOM’s water network, noting that it runs entirely on renewable energy and that it is circular and full of feedback loops. “ZLD at NEOM means no wastewater. 100% of used water and brine is collected, processed, recycled and re-used. It also means that much of the water contents, once considered waste, are extracted and captured for further processing, and these contents deliver additional and significant revenue streams.” There were five carbonisation pathways associated with NEOM’s solution that Dannemiller highlighted, including the use of renewable energy; system efficiency and circularity; customer choices; the production of low carbon salts and metals; and finally the potential the production of green materials and the
Emma Dannemiller, Senior Program Manager, Water at NEOM Energy & Water. potential for carbon sequestration. These five pathways lead to carbon avoidance and reductions across direct operational emissions, energy consumption and indirect upstream and downstream emissions.
Pioneering water mobility
Italian support
Presenting one of the most striking new technologies on display at the World Future Energy Summit is SeaBubbles, who are presenting their hydrogen fuel cell-powered flying boat designed for waterways in freshwater or on the sea.
Italy is the fourth global supplier of components to the UAE renewable energy production industry and, with more than 400 specialised companies, it is the second largest producer in Europe and the sixth largest exporter globally.
Claiming to be a pioneer in green mobility, SeaBubbles aim to revolutionise transport
through a machine that boasts cutting edge innovations including retractable selfstabilising foils, falcon-wing doors and hydrogen propulsion. The SeaBubble is an easy to navigate water-emitting boat that promises a gentle ride for up to eight passengers as well as incredible views. In addition, no noise pollution is produced by the SeaBubble and, in a
SeaBubbles’ stand at the World Future Energy Summit.
world of green ambitions, it creates zero emissions. Thomas Brouchet, Sales Director France and Switzerland, commented, “SeaBubbles is a French company building the first flying boat powered by hydrogen in the world. We are currently assembling the boats and they will be ready in March. “We have already sold one that will be used in Geneva and we are building more. In the Middle East we have some very hot leads but there is also interest in Switzerland, Netherlands and in France. The excitement is clearly there.” Brouchet concluded, “It is a very interesting moment for the company and we have been preparing the industrialisation phase of the boat from day one. There will be many more boats to come in the following years.”
Courtesy of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) in cooperation with the Embassy of Italy, the country is one of seven country pavilions at the World Future Energy Summit where 16 specialised small and medium enterprises (including 2 startups) are being hosted. Amedeo Scarpa, Italian Trade Commissioner to the UAE, said, “With EU€75mn worth of goods exported to the UAE in the first six months of 2021, Italian companies have clearly recovered from the negative market trend caused by the pandemic. Compared to the same period in 2020 Italy’s exports to the country have grown by 11% and have also surpassed by almost 4% the value of the same period in 2019.” “The UAE is a very strategic market for the internationalisation of companies operating in the renewable energy sector… I am confident that the exchange of technologies, ideas and solutions between Italy and UAE can only grow.”
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“The world urgently needs to come up with bold measures to mobilise and channel clean energy investment to emerging and developing economies on a major scale.” Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency
DESALINATION: Sustainable solutions
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Beyond COP26: What’s next for CEOs?
The transition away from carbon and towards net-zero emissions is likely to be a top priority for many executives.
It is important to recognise that with all the attention on climate change, things are speeding up in some important areas, say Tom De Waele, Managing Partner, Bain & Company Middle East and Torsten Lichtenau, Partner, Bain & Company London. Ahead of COP26 2021, the UAE pledged to reduce its carbon emissions by 23.5% compared to business as usual for the year 2030, effectively translating into absolute emission reduction of approximately 70 million tonnes. It also announced an ambitious target of reaching netzero emissions with US$163bn invested in clean and renewable energy sources by 2050, becoming the first Middle Eastern country to commit to a net-zero emissions target. While the policy work continues, many senior executives of UAE corporations will raise the question, “What do we do after COP26?” According to Tom De Waele, Managing Partner, Bain & Company Middle East and Torsten
Lichtenau, Partner, Bain & Company London, the first thing they will have to do is recognise that with all the attention on climate change in 2021, things are speeding up in some important areas. Regulations: Carbon taxation and emissionstrading schemes will expand, and the price of carbon will probably rise. Governments will also promise more subsides to spur change, such as initiatives designed to reduce the cost of green hydrogen. Financial disclosure: Companies will face more requirements to report on their climate risks, through a set of common reporting standards and climate-change disclosures, for example.
Until now, executives may have been rewarded just for stating goals; from here on, they will need to show real reductions. Tom De Waele Managing Partner, Bain & Company Middle East
Science-based targets: More companies will set ambitious decarbonisation targets and sign onto initiatives to track these goals and will aim to include Scope 3 emissions in their plans. Scrutiny from investors: Sustainability and climate change in particular, will become even more important for investment decisions. Fund managers are starting to respond: The Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative brings together 128 fund managers with US$43tn under their care in a pledge to make investment decisions that support the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 or sooner. Customer expectations: Pressure from customers will lead more companies to look beyond their own operations and across their supply chains and use of their products. BMW plans to reduce carbon emissions across the entire life cycle of its vehicles, from production through ownership, by at least 40% by 2030. De Waele opines that most importantly, the focus is going to shift from setting targets to delivering results. Until now, executives may have been rewarded just for stating goals; from here on, they will need to show real reductions. The transition away from carbon and toward net-zero emissions is likely to be a top priority for many executives for the rest of their careers. For most companies in the UAE, the window for consideration has closed. It is time to act and deliver. Sustainability and climate change in particular, will become more important for investment decisions.
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“The Water Forum this January will also discuss the latest eco-friendly technologies that can be applied in the Middle East for greener operations.” Rami Ghandour, Managing Director, Metito
SPONSORS AND PARTNERS: Meet our supporters
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Addressing water scarcity with sustainable desalination Martin Clark reports on driving down costs and boosting decarbonisation in desalination.
Desalination is key to delivering potable water supply to the countries of the Gulf.
Desalination has long played an important role in delivering potable water supply to the countries of the Gulf. But it is not a perfect process, of course, utilising potentially harmful chemicals as well as being hugely energy intensive. The decarbonisation of desalination has therefore become a driving thread among developers of new projects, prompting innovation and ingenuity. This is especially important in Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest producer of desalinated water. A sign of the times, the new Jubail 3B desalination plant to be built by SEPCOIII and Acciona in Saudi Arabia will utilise energy from its own state-of-the-art solar power plant. The 570,000 cu/m a day desalination facility will eventually supply two million people across the cities of Riyadh and Qassim.
Acciona and its partner are the main contractors on the US$692mn project, which is to be developed and financed by a consortium of investors that includes Engie and AJLAN, for the publicly-owned Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWCP). The project includes its own solar energy plant to reduce the consumption of electricity from the national grid, with Acciona to build the photovoltaic plant, plus the construction of 58 km of power lines, an electricity substation, and associated marine works. The new desalination plant is expected to come on stream in the first quarter of 2024. It continues a flurry of new desalination projects awarded in recent times, with Acciona of Spain securing plenty of additional work. That includes a €460mn (US$521mn) turnkey contract for the
Our analysis shows that the water demand gap will quintuple by 2050, from today’s 42 cubic kilometres per annum to approximately 200 cubic kilometres per annum. World Bank
Al Khobar RO2 plant in Khobar, around 400 km from Riyadh. This facility will have a capacity of just over 630,000 cu/m a day, making it one of the biggest in Saudi Arabia and the largest reverse osmosis plant in the world built under the EPC (engineering procurement and construction) modality in a single phase. It reflects a trend that is shaping decision-making at leading Saudi agencies active in this sector, such as the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), which is targeting key environmental, climate change, and carbon neutrality goals. SWCC is the world’s leading desalinated water producer, providing the largest production volume of 5.9 million cu/m of desalinated water per day — and rising. In April 2021, it achieved a new record — recognised by Guinness World Records — for setting the lowest water desalination energy consumption cost, down to to 2.271 kWh per cu/m. SWCC has increased its production of desalinated water by 64% during the past three years, and has simultaneously reduced carbon gas emissions from its production systems. Another local player with an active role in building out new desalination capacity is ACWA Power, which is one of the key movers behind the vast Rabigh 3 independent water project (IWP), due on stream in 2022 and with a capacity of 600,000 cu/m a day. Its output will cater to the water
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“The future of Arab water security will largely depend on the development of the NCWR as a strategic perspective, which is no longer an option but a must.” Dr. Hussein El-Atfy, Secretary General, Arab Water Council
demand of Makkah al-Mukarramah and Jeddah, ensuring a steady supply to the citizens of the two cities and villages, especially during demand peak periods such as the Holy Month of Ramadan and Hajj seasons. Water scarcity remains every bit as much of a challenge as it ever was for all in the region. In a press release ahead of the event, it was noted that between 1975 and 2001, the amount of fresh water available to a citizen of the MENA region was effectively halved from 3,000 cu/m per person down to 1,500 cu/m per person, largely as a result of rapid population growth. That has diminished even further in the years since, down to as a little over 1,000 cu/m, compared to a global average of over 7,000 cu/m.
WATER FORUM: Latest technologies and trends
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The decoupling of power and water production across the region has resulted in a growing trend to adopt captive solar PV plants, which is expected to drive water production costs down further. Corrado Sommariva Chief Executive, Sustainable Water and Power Consultants
of Sustainable Water and Power Consultants.
“According to our analysis, even if all viable demand and supply management measures are implemented, the total cost of closing the water demand gap will be approximately US$104bn per year. This cost easily could go as high as US$300 bn – US$400bn a year if none of the demand management options is adopted.”
The Arab Water Council (AWC) developed six policy briefs in the field of Non-Conventional Water Resources (NCWR) with its different components (desalinated water, treated wastewater, agricultural drainage water, brackish groundwater, rainwater harvesting) including enhanced policy framework, legal and institutional enabling environment, technical capacity building, social consideration and economic and financial measures towards sustainable use of NCWR development and management in the Arab region.
“The decoupling of power and water production across the region has resulted in a growing trend to adopt captive solar photovoltaic (PV) plants, which is expected to drive water production costs down further,” noted Corrado Sommariva, Chief Executive
The MENA region contains more than 6.3% of the world’s population, but less than 1% of global water resources. Making up the predicted MENA water deficit in 2025 will require the production of an additional 237 billion cubic metres of potable water.
In Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) has announced that commercial operations on the Jubail 3A independent water producer (IWP) project will commence in the last quarter of 2022.
Image credit: Adobe Stock
It means high and growing water demand, but all at a time of greater environmental awareness and climate change concern. This is expected to accelerate interest in alternative energy and other mechanisms to mitigate the eco footprint of desalination facilities, which are, at the same token, growing in scale each year. Making up the predicted MENA water deficit in 2025 will require the production of an additional 237 billion cu/m of potable water, according to the Forum press release. Roughly half of the world’s water desalination projects are taking place in the MENA region. It makes the shift in energy production over to renewables all the more essential.
“Our analysis shows that the water demand gap will quintuple by 2050, from today’s 42 cubic kilometres per annum to approximately 200 cubic kilometres per annum,” the World Bank said in a report.
By 2050, water scarcity could cost MENA between 6-14% of the entire region’s GDP each year.
The Middle East is one of the most arid and water-stressed regions of the world.
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