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Abu Dhabi Steps Up the Sustainability Drive
C O V E R S T O R Y
Abu Dhabi Steps Up the Sustainable Drive
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The emirate’s DSM strategy will ensure economic growth and social development
By His Excellency Mohammed bin Jarsh Al Falasi
Undersecretary, Abu Dhabi Department of Energy
In line with the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Abu Dhabi is building momentum for climate action at home by introducing policies and initiatives to embed sustainable practices in every walk of life. The emirate has ambitious plans for economic growth and social development. The government foresees rapid economic and population growth leading to 2030 and beyond, and as such has formulated a number of policy frameworks to ensure sustainability considerations are at the forefront of development plans.
As the population grows and living standards improve, the demand for water and electricity will increase significantly.
Abu Dhabi’s built environment is defined by modern buildings, and the capital is one of the few places in the world with nearly 100% electrification of buildings.
Due to the emirate’s hot climate— which can reach up to 50 degrees Celsius in the summer months—most of the energy consumption in buildings is driven by cooling, which makes up more than 60% of building energy demand.
Abu Dhabi’s water intensity is higher than global benchmarks, largely due to the demand for water in agriculture and irrigation, which comprises 65% of water consumption. The hot climate, purchasing power, large green spaces and higher penetration of villas compared to apartments also contribute to high water intensity.
On the demand side, the government has also been studying opportunities for improving the energy and water efficiency of end users across different sectors, including residential, commercial and institutional buildings, industry and agriculture. To this end, the Abu
Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE) developed the “Abu Dhabi Demand Side Management and Energy Rationalization Strategy 2030” that defines specific targets for reduction of electricity and water consumption of 22% and 32% respectively by 2030 as compared to the 2013 business-as-usual baseline.
There are three main objectives of the Strategy: • To conserve the emirate’s resources by rationalising consumption and raising energy efficiency;
• To enhance energy security by reducing dependence on external natural gas; and
To meet environmental targets by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and conserving water resources.
be defined as the process of managing energy and water consumption to optimise available and planned resources for power and water generation, thereby reducing the need for new infrastructure, reducing natural gas and gas oil consumption and better utilising existing infrastructure. DSM incorporates all activities that influence customer use of electricity and water and results in the reduction of the electricity and water demand, which are mutually beneficial to the customers and the utility.
11 The Strategy is a multi-stakeholder initiative led by the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy and several programme owners and key stakeholders. It contains nine programmes that are led by one or more specific government entities, who manage the implementation of the programme(s) and are responsible for achieving annual targets that contribute to the overall targets of the Strategy.
Objectives 1 Conserving the emirate's resources by rationalizing consumption and raising energy efficiency
2Enhancing energy security by reducing dependence on external natural gas
3Conservation of the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and conserving water Reduce water consumption by 32% by 2030 *Against the 2013 BaU Scenario (baseline) Reduce electricity consumption by 22% by 2030 *Against the 2013 BaU Scenario (baseline)
Electricity Saving: More than 19,000 GWh Water saving: More than 480 Mm3
Building Regulations Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities
Street lighting Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities
District Cooling Department of Energy
Energy Storage Emirates water & Electricity Company
Rebates & Awareness Al Ain Distribution Company / Abu Dhabi Distribution Company
Standards & Labels Abu Dhabi Quality Conformity Council / Emirates Authority For Standardization & Metrology
Building Retrofits Abu Dhabi Power Corporation
Demand Response Emirates water & Electricity Company
Water Use & Reuse Al Ain Distribution Company / Abu Dhabi Distribution Company
abudhabidoe doe.gov.ae Department of Energy Abu Dhabi
The nine programmes included in the Abu Dhabi Demand Side Management and Energy Rationalization Strategy 2030
The effective implementation of the DSM strategy is projected to save around 19TWh of electricity and 483Mm 3 of water by 2030 saving 14-18 billion dirhams in electricity costs and 8-15 billion dirhams in water costs by 2030 in addition to offsetting 9.3 million tonnes of CO 2 emissions.
12 Building Retrofits A key programme of the DSM Strategy is the Retrofit Project, which aims to improve energy efficiency in buildings by modifying existing systems with energy efficient ones. The programme aims for a
30% reduction in electricity consumption, which in turn will lead to savings and reducing costs to building owners, tenants and the government.
The Emirate recently completed the first pilot project retrofitting eight government buildings including Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC), and Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC). The pilot tested different Energy Saving Performacne Contracting (ESPC) models and delivered energy savings through innovative building and energy management solutions. The buildings were identified after carefully studying high energy consumers among government entities in the capital. Three ESCO companies were selected for the Investment Grade Audit (IGA) phase to conduct a detailed analysis to estimate the water and electricity consumption baseline along with the usage breakdown. Based on this, a number of smart energysaving solutions were deployed in the buildings to improve the efficiency of cooling, lighting and water components. The project deployed several technologies such as solar rooftop PV installations, smart metres and thermostats, LED
lighting, efficient chillers, new Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) controlled chilled water pumps and innovative chiller evaporative cooling membrane to meet the targeted savings.
Since cooling consumes the biggest chunk of energy in these buildings, innovative cooling solutions were effective in cutting down the overall consumption. Smart computer-aided solutions such as Energy Control and Management System (ECMS) helped the operators in monitoring, controlling and optimising system energy performance; and smart metres obtained live measurements of chilled water and electrical consumption in certain areas.
On completion of the pilot retrofit, the average energy intensity in a sample building came down to 293kWh/m 2 from 470kWh/m 2 and resulted in reducing 4,800 tCO 2 /year. With an initial average energy saving of over 30% across the eight buildings, the project goes to show the potential ESPC holds in terms of resource and cost savings. The pilot project is the first for government buildings to follow the ESPC (Energy Savings Performance Contract) model and utilises private energy service companies or ESCOs to implement energy and water conservation measures.
H E Bin Jarsh Al Falasi said: “The success of the pilot has opened a world of opportunities in the retrofit sector. We are now all set to launch Abu Dhabi’s Super ESCO, which aims for achieving unprecedented levels of efficiency in the emirate and make the existing buildings more sustainable. While energy efficiency is the main target of the programme, it will also have economic benefits and will eventually be a boost to the emirate’s GDP. It will lead to the creation of a whole
new business sector and introduce new companies, new products and new jobs in the market.”
Following the success of the pilot, the DoE will support the tendering process for the retrofitting of 150 governmental buildings starting this year. This will be followed by a large-scale rollout of Super ESCOs to drive the Building Retrofit programme across 3000 buildings in the emirate by 2030.
The Super ESCO programme has been projected to result in a saving of 2.7 TWh electricity and 9 Million cubic meter water over the next decade. In addition to the cost and resource savings, the programme has a far-reaching economic impact. It is poised to create new business opportunities and introduce new companies and financial products as well as give rise to new job opportunities in the field. It will lead to the formation of a new business infrastructure and boost the emirate’s GDP. For a million USD invested in the building of energy efficiency retrofitting business, it is estimated 8 -11 new highly skilled jobs will be created. Moreover, the value of retrofitted older buildings value will increase due to the energy efficiency and cost saving as well as the healthier living environment they offer to their occupants.
13 AD Power has recently announced Abu Dhabi Energy Services (ADES) establishment as the first Super ESCO, which will lead the implementation of the building retrofit programme in the emirate.
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