The oil-rich Arabian Peninsula is probably one of the last places on earth you would expect to find any interest in reducing the world’s dependence on fossil fuels. But today, Gulf countries seem to be elbowing one another for pre-eminence in the pursuit of projects that require the least amount of energy as possible. And much like the region’s other mega-plans, when it comes to renewable initiatives, the investment strategy is focused on the superlatives, i.e. ‘the biggest’, ‘the tallest’ and of course the ‘one and only.’
Chief among these fantastic claims is that of the Burj El Taqa, whose designers say it will be the world’s first skyscraper to produce 100 per cent of its own energy. The 64-storey structure is to be powered by a massive 60-metre wind turbine attached to its roof, as well as an island of solar panels which will “drift in the sea within viewing distance of the tower,” according to a recent article in German magazine Der Speigel.
In this seemingly environmentalist utopia, El Taqa is flanked only by a project known as the Masdar Intiative or “the world's first zero carbon, zero waste city,” according to its developers.
Much more than your typical UAE real estate venture, this Abu Dhabi-based six square kilometre ‘green community’– expected to open by 2009 – is being pitched as a model for sustainable development and the basis for the Emirate's plans to play a major role in the global solar energy business. In addition to a cutting edge solar plant, the city will also be powered by wind farms and contain research plantations, presumably to help develop biofuels. To keep emissions down – or hopefully non-existent – it will also feature ultra-modern digital measuring systems and encourage pedestrian traffic by integrating covered walkways and high-density zoning into its urban planning to reduce the need for vehicles.
Yet perhaps Masdar's most important component in this region of endless infrastructural imagination is its academic arm, dubbed the Masdar Institute for Science and Technology, which is being established in cooperation with the leading American university, M.I.T. Targeting 1,500 environmentally-conscious business tenants, Masdar has already made a splash in the sustainable development community by launching a 250 million USD ‘Clean Tech Fund’ in a partnership with Credit Suisse and the UK firm Consensus Business Group. In the words of ceo Sultan Al Jaber, “There is nothing like this in the world…. It will be a living example of sustainable development that will position Abu Dhabi and Masdar at the forefront of intelligent resource utilization.”
However, for those looking for something beyond the drawing board, there is at least one eco-happy endeavour that has actually begun to materialise over the desert sands. The nearly completed Bahrain World Trade Center now boasts three 65-tonne wind turbines, each 29 metres in diameter. The 50-storey twin tower structure was designed by UK firm Atkins, which incidentally was also behind Dubai’s landmark Burj Al Arab Hotel. (Just in case you were wondering that one also made the Guinness Book for world’s tallest all-suite hotel.) The BWTC is seen as setting a precedent for sustainable design with its turbines expected to generate 10 per cent to 15 per cent of the building's energy needs. Atkins has 30 other environmentally conscious projects in the pipeline for the region include the striking ‘Lighthouse’, a 66-storey office building intended as a marquis structure for the Dubai International Financial Centre. In addition to its own triple set of turbines, this project will also include some 4,000 photovoltaic solar panels, known in the industry as PV panels. If the project is completed along these specs, it would supposedly offer a 60 per cent reduction in its energy consumption when compared to a conventional office tower of its size. The bad news is that projects incorporating PV are not really an option in Dubai today.
Even though the UAE seems to be the ideal place to harness the power of the sun, the government has yet to create the regulatory structure needed to make that happen. PV is a very expensive technology and thus the return on investment, which can take up to 15 years in some cases, will only be feasible when local authorities make it possible to sell the excess energy generated by the panels back to the national electricity grid, a process known as co-generation. But Nick Lander, regional head of sustainability for Atkins, is not worried in the slightest. He believes the UAE government doesn’t want to “rush into” a co-generation policy. Besides, the ‘Lighthouse’ project is going to take some time. “They haven't got a policy yet, but they are working on it,” he says.
In the broader sense, sustainable development is about a lot more than turbines and solar panels. In fact, the key energy saving component behind much of Atkins’ projects is the inherent principles that go into the engineering and planning of an environmentally conscious structure. In additional to renewable power generation, such as solar and wind, these principals include passive design, engineering efficiency and recovery strategies. Passive design can mean reducing a structure’s glass surfaces as well as shading its windows; engineering efficiency can mean the use of daylight sensors to automatically dim lights in favour of natural sunshine; and recovery strategies are used to recycle critical resources such as water. For example, wastewater from a building’s hand basins and washing machines, known as grey water, can be used to flush toilets and irrigate landscape.
Other factors to be considered include the orientation of the building itself and the use of efficient mechanics, such as eco-friendly chillers that reduce mechanical friction through the use of magnets instead of ball bearings. “It’s more efficient to reduce energy consumption than counteract it,” says Lander. “Efficient window ratios and building materials are going to save a lot more energy than a wind turbine ever will.”
Indeed, many of the waste reducing tactics that go unnoticed are the less visual, less glamorous ones. The Beirut-based firm Middle East Environmental Technologies (which also has an outshoot in the UAE) supplies a range of waste management and reduction systems, including high-efficiency shower and faucet taps that can cut water consumption in half. One of its clients, the Phoenicia Intercontinental Hotel in Beirut, has also installed a system that reduces and treats grease build up in its kitchen’s hoods and ventilation systems. “The reception is unbelievable,” says general manager Sebastien Khandjian, in reference to relative new market for the company’s products. “I barely have a chance to breath.” But he and others are sceptical about some of the spectacular claims made by mega-environmentalist projects, especially the idea that a massive tower could somehow power itself. For his part, Lander admits that achieving 100 per cent self-energy production for a high-rise remains “a very long term goal.”
Despite all the enthusiasm, talk of environmental awareness, as progressive as it may be, needs to be put into context. The UAE still boasts one of the highest CO2 emissions per capita in the world as reliance on traditional energy sources remains great. “Masdar is a great project but compared to the 45 billion USD that is being spent on oil and gas enrichment – well, that kind of gives you some perspective,” says Khandjian.
In the bigger real estate picture, traditional sources of energy are likely to remain essential especially with record breaking projects like Burj Dubai, the ‘world’s tallest’ building and Dubailand, ‘the world’s largest theme park.’ If anything the region at least has more cash to experiment with green-inspired designs than anywhere else. “Out here we are always keen to invest in the biggest, the best or whatever type of project and environmentally-conscious design is no exception,” says Lander. “We have an advantage over the rest of the world because people here are prepared to invest in really good ideas.”
Contacts
Atkins
Dubai, UAE
Tel +9714 4059 300
HYPERLINK "http://www.atkinsglobal.com" www.atkinsglobal.com
Masdar Initiative
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Tel +9712 698 3000
HYPERLINK "http://www.masdaruae.com" www.masdaruae.com
Middle East Environmental Technologies
Dubai, UAE
Tel +9715 276 0851
HYPERLINK "http://www.meetech.biz" www.meetech.biz
