We are living in a world where, despite uncertainty in news and events, there is one trend that can be voiced with increasing certainty – the accelerating pace of the clean energy transformation and how this is reshaping the way in which the world generates electricity.
Although we have known about electricity since ancient times, humans have only been harnessing its power for about 250 years. Its evolution has seen the use of sources including coal, hydroelectricity, natural gas, nuclear power and has lent itself to the innovation of electricity entrepreneurs, who have been able to develop different lighting technologies.
Blue and white gallium nitride-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are the backbone of new energy-efficient lighting systems. The efficiency of an LED white light bulb is 20 times that of a traditional incandescent bulb. The US government’s department of energy estimates in that country alone, the transition to LED lighting will save 261 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity by 2030, which will eliminate the need for more than 30 power plants of 1,000 megawatts (MW) each. That in turn will prevent the generation of about 185 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.
These breakthrough efficiencies also enable low-cost systems that couple LEDs and solar cells and provide illumination to millions of people in developing countries, who currently rely on toxic and dangerous kerosene-based light. This year's Zayed Future Energy Prize recognises the global impact of this technology on both the climate and the citizens of our planet. However, the impact of this technology is only now beginning to be realised.
The United Nations estimates that the world’s population is expected to reach 10 billion people by 2050. Coupled with rising global temperatures, this growth will put enormous pressure on water and food supplies. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN calculates that food production will need to increase by 50 to 60 per cent globally to match demand. Simultaneously, climate change models indicate that without adaptive systems, temperature increases will pose large risks to food security and result in increased food prices.
Solid-state lighting using light-emitting diodes is helping to address the necessity for adaptation by enabling smarter greenhouses and indoor vertical farms that are efficient both in terms of energy consumption and water usage. LEDs are also enabling a 24-hour growth cycle that is decoupled from local weather conditions. Farmers are working to create light combinations to accelerate growth and in some cases, even enhance nutritional value. These technologies have helped the Netherlands become the globe’s number two exporter of food as measured by value, second only to the US, which is 270 times bigger. For example, Dutch tomato greenhouses produce more than six times the yield and consume 25 times less water than the global average.
At the University of California, Santa Barbara, we are now exploring the use of high-power lasers in driving lighting systems. The small size and high-power output of lasers make them ideal sources for compact applications requiring high illuminance, such as vertical farms, a method of farming where crops are grown indoors using vertical space to intensify production. Lasers can also enable novel form factor luminaires such as fibre-guided lighting. We envision running fibres under and around plants to provide more uniform illumination and further increase crop yields.
Water is another point of concern for a growing global population. Already nearly 850 million people lack a basic drinking water service and contaminated water results in more than half a million deaths annually. Climate change, increasing water scarcity, population growth, demographic changes and urbanisation already pose challenges for water supply systems. The World Health Organisation reports that by 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas.
To help address this problem, LED emission is being pushed into the deep ultraviolet. We are developing devices that emit ultraviolet-C radiation at 280 nanometres (nm), capable of killing bacterial pathogens. Although energy efficiency and power output are still low, we believe that ultimately we can create devices nearly as efficient as their white counterparts, with the power to enable compact water purification units that can be deployed in the developing world, just like solar-powered task lighting.
These ideas and innovations are just the beginning and we know that many approaches will be required to address the challenges we will face. But just as the blue LED enabled a lighting revolution that has already impacted how we consume energy, continuous innovation in lighting functionality will impact our ability to sustain and thrive.
Shuji Nakamura is the Japanese-born inventor of efficient blue light-emitting diodes. A professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, he was this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award winner at the Zayed Future Energy Prize and one of three recipients of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2014
Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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THE DETAILS
Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
WandaVision
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Rating: Four stars
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.