The news about the costs of Abu Dhabi's latest solar project is not a clear-cut figure, and it also means that it isn't necessarily the world's cheapest power produced from solar energy.
The numbers that were announced are based on a weighted levelised energy costs (LEC). One source put it simply as a “blended tariff between the widely reported off-season tariff at 2.42 US cents per kilowatt hour and a high summer tariff”.
While a consumer may purchase watermelon throughout the year, the cheapest time is likely going to be in the summer when the fruit is in season. But it isn’t accurate to say that the seasonal price is how much you spend for your regular purchase – you must factor in the out-of-season price as well.
Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Company shows on its website that the non-weighted cost of the Marubeni/Jinko bid for the Sweihan solar project is 2.94 cents per kWh. While that doesn't beat out Chile's record at 2.91 cents, it will still be one of the cheapest solar power plants in the world.
Remember, Abu Dhabi will pay 1.6 times more than 2.42 cents during the peak months from June to September.
I also mentioned in a previous piece that other variables helped bring down the cost of solar in Abu Dhabi, such as the internal rate of return (IRR). Abu Dhabi's utility set the IRR at 7 per cent, whereas Dubai chose a 10 per cent standard. Mohammed Atif, the Middle East and Africa regional manager for the energy consultancy DNV GL, said in September that this helps companies deliver a lower tariff.
So while Abu Dhabi may, in fact, have only the second lowest price for solar energy in the world, solar still beats its competitors. BNEF estimates a new natural gas plant in the Middle East would deliver power at 3 cents per kWh, more than 2 per cent more than the pricetag of Abu Dhabi’s Sweihan solar plant.
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Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
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Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- 600-seat auditorium
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- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
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Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
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Real Madrid (2) v Bayern Munich (1)
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When: 10.45pm, Tuesday
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
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When: Friday, 2pm
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The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
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OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
War on waste
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
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The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
