IRENA highlights renewable energy initiatives

Solar power planet The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is advocating action oriented-initiatives to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy at the Abu Dhabi Ascent. The high-level meeting hosted by the UAE on May 4-5 is in preparation for the September U.N. Climate Summit in New York. IRENA is highlighting its Africa Clean Energy Corridor and SIDS - Lighthouses initiatives to the governments, international organisations, and delegates from the private sector and civil society convening in Abu Dhabi to learn about and shape specific stakeholder initiatives that address climate change.
Energy accounts for over 60 percent of emissions and the transition to renewable energy offers the most cost-effective, technically proven and economic solution to reduce this. The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) urged for a tripling or even quadrupling of the share of renewables in the energy mix by 2050 to avert catastrophic climate change.
"The climate agenda is becoming ever more prominent and the IPCC has expressed very clearly the need for the world to act quickly," said IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin.
"We are meeting in Abu Dhabi because we still have a choice. De-carbonising the world's energy mix is possible and the transition to renewable energy can also generate additional growth and employment. Action-oriented initiatives like Africa Clean Energy Corridor and SIDS - Lighthouses and the others presented here at the Abu Dhabi Ascent, show us how." IRENA's Africa Clean Energy Corridor is a plan to transform the continent's current fuel mix with hydro, geothermal, biomass, wind and solar energy projects deployed from Cairo to Cape Town. With a regional approach, fostering international co-operation across countries of the Eastern and Southern Africa power pools, the Africa Clean Energy Corridor develops the continent's vast energy resources, optimising the energy mix and advancing economic prosperity. New jobs and investment opportunities will be created while fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions will be reduced.
The SIDS - Lighthouses initiative is a systematic approach for the transition to renewables in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Renewable energy sources have been shown to be viable in small island energy systems, and some islands have become a ‘lighthouse' for the possibilities that renewable energy offers. The deployment of renewable energy technology and efficient use of energy can, and is, having a transformational impact on SIDS energy security, employment generation and economic and social well-being.
ZonesCorp Continues to maintain highest international standards across its operations
ZonesCorp has demonstrated its on-going commitment to internationally recognised best practices as it successfully completed ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 recertification audits across all of its zones.
ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 are internationally established standards for environmental management and occupational health and safety management systems respectively. Using these standards provides assurance and comfort to company management, employees and external stakeholders alike that environmental impact of ZonesCorp activities is being measured and improved and that demonstrably sound occupational health and safety standards are being adhered to.
This is part of ZonesCorp's continual commitment to improve resource efficiency, reduce waste, and drive down costs as well as promoting a safe and healthy working environment by providing a framework that helps to consistently identify and control health and safety risks; reduce the potential for accidents; aid legislative compliance; and improve overall performance, all to an internationally recognised standard.
The audit and recertification was conducted by TUV Nord (Technical Inspection Association), the German internationally recognised technical service provider. The process was completed under the supervision and continuous support of the HSE team at TUV Nord in Abu Dhabi.
Shibu Davies, General Manager, Middle East Certification '&' Auditing, HSE, and Laboratory at TUV Nord commented, "ZonesCorp has maintained a high standard of compliance since the last assessment so we are pleased to be able to recertify all the ZonesCorp zones. Recertification shows a strong and continued commitment from the management team to constantly upgrade and improve their processes and systems." For his part, Mohamed Hasan Al Qemzi, Chief Executive Officer at ZonesCorp said, "We are constantly seeking to raise our standards throughout all areas of our operations in support of Abu Dhabi's vision for a progressive, sustainable and internationally recognised manufacturing industry. We aim to be role models to our partners, investors and peers by promoting internationally recognised best practice and recertification is another important milestone in pursuing this goal."
The Abu Dhabi Ascent is a further indication of our recognised leadership on climate change solutions. We should celebrate this fact, and continue to do more. The coming negotiations for a new climate agreement in 2015 provide an opportunity to build on this progress. The sustainability dimensions of Expo 2020 will provide another.
Together, I am convinced that we can rise to the challenge of climate change. The UAE is proud to play our part in supporting this effort.
Source: WAM