Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, DEWA, today inaugurated the 2nd RetrofitTech Conference in Dubai, which will cover different topics related to technologies and mechanisms to retrofit existing buildings.

The conference also explores the challenges and opportunities in the UAE’s retrofit market to achieve greater energy efficiency and sustainability.

The event was attended by Dr. Matar Al Neyadi, Under-Secretary of the UAE Ministry of Energy, Ahmed Buti Al Muhairbi, Secretary-General of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Holley Chant, Executive Director of Sustainability at KEO International Consultants, Stephane Le Gentil, CEO of Etihad ESCO, officials from the government sector, and some of the biggest local and international companies. Experts in sustainability and green buildings, and representatives from energy service companies, developers, and district cooling were also present.

In his keynote speech, Al Tayer emphasised the importance of the conference to encourage more energy service companies to take part in this promising market. He noted that this will support the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 to reduce energy demand by 30% by 2030, and the Carbon Abatement Strategy to reduce carbon emissions by 16% by 2021.

"Dubai has a clear strategy for sustainable development based on the vision by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Last November, His Highness launched the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to provide 7% of Dubai’s energy from clean sources by 2020, 25% by 2030 and 75% by 2050. This firm commitment and ongoing support by our wise leadership has promoted the importance of environmental issues and their inclusion in all Dubai’s development plans.

"As a result, the Emirate has made significant advances in addressing energy efficiency, security, rationalisation, and efficiency of energy demand as key elements of its plans for sustainable development. The strategy launched by His Highness shapes the energy sector in Dubai over the next three decades and provides a practical solution for addressing the environmental challenges the world is facing. This is done by establishing a sustainable model for energy conservation, which supports economic growth without damaging the environment or its natural resources," he said.

"The Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 consists of five main pillars: infrastructure, legislation, funding, building capacities and skills, and having an environmentally-friendly energy mix. The infrastructure pillar includes initiatives such as the Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is managing and building. The park is the largest single-site solar park in the world. It will produce 1,000MW by 2020 and 5,000MW by 2030, with a total investment of AED 50 billion. The first phase of the project became operational in 2013 and the 200MW second phase will be operational in April 2017.

"The solar park will help reduce 6.5 m tonnes of carbon emissions annually. The infrastructure pillar also includes the establishment of the Dubai Green Zone, which is a free zone designed to attract research and development centres and emerging companies in clean energy. The third pillar is about providing financial solutions for research and development in clean energy and its applications. This includes the establishment of the AED 100 bn Dubai Green Fund that will provide financial tools for clean energy investors in the emirate," added Al Tayer.

Al Tayer noted that DEWA established the Etihad Energy Service Company (Etihad ESCO) to support energy service companies in Dubai and encourage energy efficiency practices.

Over 30,000 existing buildings in Dubai are being retrofitted. One of the projects Etihad ESCO is working on is the retrofit of 157 buildings for Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority with investments of AED 64 m. The project will save up to AED 22 m annually in electricity and water costs in the buildings, reducing 31% of their energy use. Etihad ESCO also signed two comprehensive Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPC) at a combined value of AED 37 m, to improve and enhance the overall energy efficiency of the lighting infrastructure of the power plants at Jebel Ali, Al Awir, and 7 other DEWA-owned buildings.