Dubai, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, sultans and shieks – these are foreign terms to us Westerners, but ones we no doubt will become familiar with. If you saw the television program 60 Minutes recently, you may have been awe-struck by the development occurring in Dubai, one of seven states (called Emerates) that comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Dubai is building as fast as it can & sans environmental regulations. Dubbed the "richest city in the world," it has $300 billion in development projects underway, including a skyscraper twice the height of NYC’s Empire State Building. Next door, another UAE state, Abu Dhabi, is following in its footsteps, but is taking a more sustainable approach. Its fascinating Madscar initiative is an attempt to create the world’s first sustainable city – Arab-style.
In April 2006, Abu Dhabi decided to create Masdar – which means – the Source – in Arabic, a walled city covering 640 hectares. Promoters say it "will be living testimony to the possibility of sustainable cities." The Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, the company executing the Masdar initiative, calls it the "creation of a historic global shift to new energy sources and sustainable resource utilization."
In contrast to neighboring Dubai, which is building an energy-consumptive city of glass, steel and concrete towers, Masdar is being designed to run entirely on renewable energy. World renown architect Lord Foster is designing Masdar so that its 50,000 residents will live on streets modeled on traditional souks and medinas – but draped with shades of fabric that convert sunlight into electricity. Canals will run alongside the streets, some of which will be only 10 feet wide to protect pedestrians from the heat, which averages over 40C in the shade during the summer. There will be fields of solar concentrating mirrors in the desert and wind turbines will catch breezes from the Gulf.
Palm and mangrove plantations will create a green belt around the city to provide raw material for bio-fuels, a new industry that, say developers, may one day supplement oil and gas revenues. The tiny emirate is the fifth largest exporter of oil in the world, but it is envisaged that Masdar City will not need a drop. "We want to position ourselves as thinkers and progressives," says Sultan Al Jaber, the chief executive of Masdar. "Years ago in the Middle East we lived in a very sustainable environment. We are bringing that back by creating a compact city where people don’t need to use a car."
Adjacent to Abu Dhabi International Airport, the goal is to create a city based on sustainable employment, eventually facilitating a population of 100,000. The first stage of development will set the tone for the entire project; the construction of a state-of-the-art photovoltaic power plant that will deliver the energy required to build the entire city!
The compact, high-density city will be completely free of cars and their emissions; a world model of energy conservation with zero carbon emissions and zero waste. Compared to average urban levels, fossil fuel consumption will be reduced by 75%, water demand by 300% and waste production by 400%. Cycling and walking will be the most common means of travel.
Accoring to the city’s master plan, no one will be more than 200 meters from essential facilities, including shops selling locally grown produce. A fully automated, electric Personal Rapid Transit System will provide a flexible and comfortable alternative to private cars. A Light Railway Transport system will link the Masdar development to adjacent developments, the airport and in the future with the center of Abu Dhabi.
Futuristically, developers plan to integrate real time monitoring of energy use and carbon emissions in public spaces. Digital management and intelligent systems with sensors and data mining will provide information to support the decisions of individuals and service providers.
Through a micro-chip-like network of connections, developers plan to coalesce the expertise and resources to enable global technological breakthroughs in advanced energy technologies. There will be a university education and research center – the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (in partnership with MIT) – which will offer Masters and PhD programs in science and engineering disciplines focused on advanced energy and sustainability. Its research and educational institutions and partnerships will search for solutions to mankind’s most pressing problems: energy security, climate change and truly sustainable human development.
Special economic zones will attract business and commercial partners focused on the advanced energy systems and technologies from around the world, from start-ups to major corporations.
The city is being designed based on local climate and cultural traditions, particularly its solar movements and prevailing winds. Its orientation captures cooling sea breezes from the North, while its perimeter protects against the warmer desert winds. The Eastern wall facing the airport will be raised to provide a buffer, reducing aircraft noise in the city. Shaded by PV collecting canopies, courtyards and wind towers will draw cooling breezes into the narrow streets and filter harsh sunlight, conjuring images of ancient bazaars and market places.
Construction materials with a high thermal mass will considerably reduce energy requirements. The relationship of one building to the next will provide shading and generate year round useable spaces between them. Solar collectors will be on roofs throughout the city; wind turbines will be placed at its outskirts. The perimeter wall will form an intelligent outer shell, housing the energy, environmental and recycling services.
A solar powered desalination plant will provide a potable drinking water supply. Wastewater will be purified and recycled back to the city. In the process, it will be used to grow tree plantations, contributing to its biofuels strategy.
Carbon Sequestration is Key
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has embarked on an initiative to develop a national CO2 capture and storage (CCS) network. Leaders believe the country can reduce its CO2 emissions by 40%, while increasing oil production by up to 10% and liberatinq large quantities of natural gas by separating CO2 from industrial and energy related sources and delivering them to oil reservoirs for enhanced oil recovery.
In February, the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company released an international request for proposals to conduct a feasibility study for carbon sequestration. The study initially targets Abu Dhabi and is expected to later expand to cover the rest of the UAE. The multi-billion dollar CCS program is the largest of its kind in the world and the first to be undertaken at a national level. Canadian firm SNC-Lavalin has been selected to conduct the study, which will be completed by the end of the year.
The firm will evaluate and rank options for onshore and offshore CO2 capture from industrial facilities in Abu Dhabi, and will identify the first project to be implemented as part of the network, provide a roadmap to develop the network and potentially link it with similar schemes across the region.
Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, CEO of Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, says, "CCS is the most promising technology for the reduction of energy-based CO2 emissions and a viable substitute for the vast amount of natural gas currently re-injected into oil reservoirs for pressure maintenance. It’s a win-win, reducing CO2 emissions in the country, while increasing oil production and maximizing natural gas availability."
Future Solar Leader
Besides powering the city using solar, Masdar has visions of becoming the premium developer and installer of renewable energy systems in the Middle East and North Africa region. It has entered into a partnership with one of the world’s leading renewable energy developers, Conergy AG of Germany.
The partnership will start with solar PV and then span out to fully integrated renewable energy systems including solar cooling, wind and biomass technologies. The partnership with Conergy will support Abu Dhabi’s objectives to build local capacity and capability by transferring knowledge to UAE based resources in manufacturing, engineering, project management and finance of large scale renewable energy projects. Conergy will also assist Masdar in identifying and analyzing global trends in alternative energy technologies and translate them into international business opportunities.
The Masdar Clean Tech Fund, L.P. is a $250 million fund that will build a portfolio of cleantech funds, committing about $75 million to 3-5 fund managers. The remaining capital will be invested in co-investments alongside fund managers, direct investments in companies sourced by the Fund and strategic joint-venture investments. The Fund will seek to invest in companies with technologies that are suitable for commercialization in the United Arab Emirates.
Abu Dhabi is competing with Dongtan, China, which is trying to create the world’s first zero carbon city on an island at the mouth of the Yangtse. The emirate believes it will win the race. "We are seeing a transition from the industrial age of human civilisation to the ecological age," says Peter Head, a director of Arup, the British engineering firm that is building Dongtan.
One day, all cities will be built like this. Unfortunately, the U.S is now a laggard.
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Masdar is the host of the World Future Energy Summit in January 2008.
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