Shams 1 concentrated solar plant in the Abu Dhabi Western region. An interactive map shows the major inroads the UAE has made into the development of solar power – the country now accounts for more than half of the GCC’s and Levant’s solar power capacity. Courtesy Mubadala
Shams 1 concentrated solar plant in the Abu Dhabi Western region. An interactive map shows the major inroads the UAE has made into the development of solar power – the country now accounts for more than half of the GCC’s and Levant’s solar power capacity. Courtesy Mubadala
Shams 1 concentrated solar plant in the Abu Dhabi Western region. An interactive map shows the major inroads the UAE has made into the development of solar power – the country now accounts for more than half of the GCC’s and Levant’s solar power capacity. Courtesy Mubadala
Shams 1 concentrated solar plant in the Abu Dhabi Western region. An interactive map shows the major inroads the UAE has made into the development of solar power – the country now accounts for more th

UAE’s progress in clean energy mapped out


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A map showing the growth of clean-energy projects in the region over the past three years highlights the extensive progress the UAE is making in solar power.

It charts the details of 198 projects in the GCC, the Levant and North Africa, which between them are worth about US$3 billion (Dh11bn) with an installed capacity of 1,700 megawatts.

However, such projects still provide less than one per cent of the region’s electricity needs.

"Compared to the total power capacity in the region, it is absolutely tiny," said Daniel Zywietz, managing director of Ambata Capital Middle East and CEO of Enerwhere, a Dubai-based provider of off-grid energy solutions, who compiled the map with the help of the Clean Energy Business Council, a not-for-profit company based in Masdar City, and presented it at an event yesterday.

While many of the projects are wind power initiatives in North Africa, the map also shows the major inroads the UAE has made into the development of solar power – the country now accounts for more than half of the GCC’s and Levant’s solar power capacity.

“There are actually something like 20 major projects that were commissioned over the past 11 months and we still have several more under construction, some of which might still be commissioned this year,” said Mr Zywietz.

“What we are seeing going forward, the activity is actually dramatically increasing.

“If we look back at how many tenders and projects were being planned one year ago and compare [that] to how many are under tender and being planned now, it has doubled or tripled and this is primarily because of activity in the UAE and Jordan.”

In Jordan, the high cost of conventional energy makes solar power attractive but in the UAE other drivers are also in play. Solar power, Mr Zywietz said, “has become nearly the standard for public buildings in the UAE”.

“It has become part of the theme to include renewable energy both in the form of photovoltaic for electricity generation, and even more so in regards to hot water production with solar thermal,” he said.

Utility companies are also developing solar projects, while a third area of growth is what Mr Zywietz referred to as “the off-grid sector” – projects in remote parts of the country that lack access to grid power and have to rely on diesel to provide their energy needs.

Developments in solar technologies mean that producing electricity in off-grid locations is now less expensive than using diesel, and companies and private individuals are now taking advantage of this, Mr Zywietz said.

“There are at least five islands [off Abu Dhabi] that already run on solar or that are being converted to solar,” he said. “Similarly, in the Northern Emirates you see multiple projects.”

Coupled to planned solar rooftop programmes for individuals and large utility projects expected to be announced next year, the UAE’s solar industry has a bright future, Mr Zywietz said.

“The structure of the market is changing and that is just as important to the development of the solar industry as are the headline numbers,” he said.

“For the industry, the willingness to invest is not only driven by market size, it is also driven by the risk of not being able to sell anything at all.

“And the more small and medium-sized projects you have, the more diverse the market is, the bigger the chance that, if you make an investment you can compete on an even scale and it is not one shot where you either win or lose.

“I see a sustained market development that is not driven by just one institution.

“This is multiple government institutions, multiple emirates, more and more private-sector customers buying.”

The map is available to the public at: www.cleanenergybusinesscouncil.com/en/map/

vtodorova@thenational.ae

Three-day coronation

Royal purification

The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.

The crown

Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.

The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.

The audience

On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.

The procession

The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.

Meet the people

On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.

While you're here
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Profile of Foodics

Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani

Based: Riyadh

Sector: Software

Employees: 150

Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing

Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.

RESULT

Leeds United 1 Manchester City 1
Leeds:
 Rodrigo (59')
Man City: Sterling (17')

Man of the Match: Rodrigo Moreno (Leeds)

THE SPECS

Touareg Highline

Engine: 3.0-litre, V6

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Power: 340hp

Torque: 450Nm

Price: Dh239,312

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Last five meetings

2013: South Korea 0-2 Brazil

2002: South Korea 2-3 Brazil

1999: South Korea 1-0 Brazil

1997: South Korea 1-2 Brazil

1995: South Korea 0-1 Brazil

Note: All friendlies

McLaren GT specs

Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: seven-speed

Power: 620bhp

Torque: 630Nm

Price: Dh875,000

On sale: now

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  • 400m Olympic running track
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  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments