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.
