Japan trip

Self Reflection

Self Reflection

Date: 08/10/2012 Time
3pm-4pm Venue
 F11-ADMC Group members:
Chairman: Ammar Saeed
Secretary: Khalid Ali
Participant: Hedley Butterfield
Members: Othman Ismail & Omair Ali

Agenda: alternative energy use in the UAE

 -What is the problem with the fossil flues generated energy?
 -Is it expensive to use alternative energy?
 -What are the benefits of using alternative energy?
 -What are the solutions and suggestions?

 The general topic for the discussion was about the use of alternative energy in the UAE, which is a topic that is rarely discussed among the general public. In recent years, the UAE has taken major steps towards adopting greener energy resources. In Abu Dhabi, there is a nuclear plant project underway. Another project resulted in the creation of a whole “city” from the ground up with a focus on sustainability and green energy. These projects are especially interesting since the country adopting them is itself one of the major oil producers in the world.

As Omair mentioned in the meeting, the pollution that comes with the use of oil is causing a lot of damage to the environment. And the UAE has recently begun to realize the negative effect of oil on the environment and that something mustbe done to counter it. However, as Othman said, there is also an economic side to the issue. Oil will unavoidably be depleted in the future. Thinking ahead, the UAE has started to think seriously about not only investing in sustainable energy resources, but also how to diversify its economy to avoid the dreadful prospect of an economic downturn that may have a lasting effect.

Using alternative energy resources therefore seems to be unavoidable. But since there is no ready formula yet, large sums of money must be invested in R&D. This will undoubtedly seem costly in the beginning, as Othman mentioned, but it will surely pay off in the long run, as Omair said. Omair is convinced that large costs are only expected in the starting phase where the government will need to spend huge amounts of money on the infrastructure, but it is a one time thing. And it seemed plausible to me that the best source of alternative energy to be adopted in the UAE must be solar energy, due to the sunny climate in the UAE.

Mr. Hedley discussed other types of alternative energy like using the wind energy in England. But he said that the turbines used for wind energy are noisy, expensive, and generated only about 4% of the UK needs of energy. The government had to raise tax rates to pay for the required funds. Ammar, however, thought that wind is not a feasible energy resource for the UAE Ammar agreed with my initial opinion. He said that the wind will not be a dependable source of energy for the UAE and that solar energy will be the best solution.

One of the most important points raised during the meeting was education. The whole idea of alternative energy will not work unless the end users are convinced about the concept. I suggested organizing campaigns to raise awareness in the public sphere, and Ammar on the other hand said that the focus should be on the younger generation. He supported his opinion with an example of some schools giving away bags that have alternative energy solutions which the students can use on their own. creating workshops for school students.

 At the end of the meeting all the members in the group agreed on the benefits of using the alternative energy in the near future in the UAE and the use will have a huge impact on the local environment and residents as well.

Meeting Report

Date: 08/10/2012

Time: 3pm-4pm

Venue: F11-ADMC

Group members:

Chairman: Ammar Saeed

Secretary: Khalid Ali

Participant: Hedley Butterfield

Members: Othman Ismail & Omair Ali

Agenda: alternative energy use in the UAE

-What is the problem with the fossil flues generated energy?

-Is it expensive to use alternative energy?

-What are the benefits of using alternative energy?

-What are the solutions and suggestions?

The chairman Ammar Saeed opened the meeting at 3 pm after welcoming the members and Mr. Hedley.

The first point of discussion was about the problems of fossil flues energy:

-Khalid said that the pollution was the main problem and the toxins that come out from processing the oil and gas to generate energy.

-Ammar said that it costs a lot in the long term for maintenance and operation.

-Othman said that scientists say that the oil will come to an end in the future so we should look for new energy sources.

-Omair said that the pollution that comes from the regular energy plants harms the environment and the humans health.

  the second point was about the cost of using alternative energy: 

-Othman said that it will cost a lot in the beginning to build.

_Omair said that in the long term using the alternative energy likes solar will not have additional expenses and it’s only a one time thing that the government will pay a huge amount of money.

-Khalid said the best kind of alternative energy to use in the UAE is solar energy and it usually does not cost a lot.

-Hedley discussed the other types of alternative energy like the using of wind energy in England and the turbines were expensive and noisy and only generated about 4% of the UK needs of energy; also the government paid for the setup of the wind farms and raised the taxes to get the money back.

-Ammar said that the wind power is not useful to use in the UAE and the solar will be the best solution as the emirates have a sunny climate for most of the year.

 the Third point was about the benefits of using alternative energy:

-Omair said that it will help to reducing pollution and protect the environment.

-Othman said that building new solar energy factories will help provide new jobs

- Khalid said that solar energy usage will help in reducing the cost also on the public as it's cheaper to generate.

-Ammar said there is an example here in Abu Dhabi to use solar energy in aloft hotel.

Solutions and suggestions to solve the issue:

-Khalid suggested having a campaign to raise the awareness.

-Othman suggested teaching the younger generations about the benefits of using alternative energy and said there are some schools here in the UAE that gave away bags that have alternative energy solutions that the students can use in their daily life.

-Omair said that the government should subsidise the solar power installations so the people can use them.

-Ammar said that the government should start using the solar energy on the governmental buildings.

At the end of the meeting all the members in the group agreed on the benefits of using the alternative energy in the near future in the UAE and the use will have a huge impact on the local environment and residents as well.

Mansour Interview

Date: Monday 26^th September 2012

Venue: F11

Time: 10:00

Interviewee: Mansour Albloushi

Interviewers:   Hedley Butterfield, Omar & Abdulla

The Interview panel included Hedley, Omar, and Abdullah. The interviewee was Mansour.

The panel started by greeting Mansour and welcoming him to the meeting. They first asked Mansour to speak about himself. Mansour’s reply was mainly factual; he is 24 years old, working on his diploma degree at ADMC, and is currently employed by Abu Dhabi Immigration where he supervises training programs.

When asked to give some real life examples of working under pressure which he may have experienced, he said that he has to communicate with over 200 employees on a daily basis.

Mansour was then asked why he thinks he should be hired by the company to which he confidently replied that he has enough experience for handling the position’s demanding tasks. Mansour expects to be married in 3 years. Mansour also exhibited a readiness to take up overtime tasks during weekends.

Mansour expects to be paid a better salary for the offered post than the one he currently received from his employer. His current salary is 30000 AED and he expects to be paid no less than 45,000 for the new job.

 When asked if he had any question for the interview panel, Mansour inquired about 

the working hours. The panel said he is expected to be present from 9 am to  5 pm.

Overall, Mansour did not seem to have a clear vision about the career path he wishes to pursue. 

On the other hand, he exhibited a great deal of confidence in his skills and capabilities to carry out the position's roles responsibilities