RAK To Chart Roadmap to World Leading ISO Energy Transition Certification At Middle East Energy

Press Release

• 28-02-2023

• Intelligent Solutions Needed To Manage Complex Zero Carbon Source Networks
• UNESCO To Outline Framework Fundamentals For Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Implementation

DUBAI, UAE; FEBRUARY 24, 2023 – The Middle East’s progress in the energy transition will come under a focussed industry spotlight next month when industry leaders gather in the UAE for Middle East Energy - the region's most comprehensive energy event - which will run at the Dubai World Trade Centre from March 7-9.

Industry professionals, sector leaders, utility providers and policymakers will gather at the event’s three high-level strategic conferences – the Strategic Conference, Technical Seminars, and Intersolar Conference - to unearth implementation solutions to modern energy challenges.

“The conferences will provide an inspiring view of the future possibilities,” commented Azzan Mohammed, Exhibition Director, Energy portfolio – MEA of Informa Markets the organiser of Middle East Energy. “The powerful speaker platform will outline the blueprint to fastening the energy transition, case studies to inspire real-world and practical solutions to energy projects and business challenges and lay the groundwork for integrating renewables into the mix.”

Addressing the Technical Seminars themed around the transformation of energy and utilities through innovation will be Dr. Pablo Izquierdo Lopez, Manager – Energy Services, Engineering, Utilities and Renewables Office (Reem) of Ras Al Khaimah Municipality. In the power generation session, Dr. Lopez will outline the pathway which has seen the northern emirate entity become the first in the world to achieve ISO 50001 energy management certification.

“I will chart the road map and activities carried out to upgrade assets and capabilities, including energy performance contracting to achieve immediate savings,” explained Dr. Lopez. “Asset upgrades were enhanced through knowledge sharing and capabilities upgrades through standardisation of templates and procedures to maintain and improve long-term savings.”

Tackling the Technical Seminar’s Renewables and Storage stream will be Marta Mieres Barcena of the US technology conglomerate Honeywell. She will explore how renewables and storage can solve key oil and gas industry challenges, including decarbonisation, operations efficiency, asset resilience, and business digitalisation.

“Oil and Gas companies have started to articulate ambitious plans to limit their exposure to carbon-intense operations. The use of renewables paired with storage contributes to the move towards cleaner energy sources while providing opportunities for greater system resiliency, and process optimisation with increased revenue,” explained Barcena.

The event’s Strategic Conference – this year themed the Decarbonisation of Energy & Utilities - will feature a dedicated session on Women in Renewable Energy. Delivering an opening address will be Assistant Professor Dr. Suzan Shahin, Head of the Innovation Centre at Umm Al Quwain University, and Chair of the Women in Renewable Energy (WiRE) UAE chapter. She will delve into the role of sustainable energy resources towards net zero carbon emissions, proffering the case for biodiesel – vegetable oil-based fuel - as a sustainable, price-competitive energy resource towards net zero carbon emissions.

“Biodiesel can be used as a clean, non-toxic, eco-friendly, and sustainable energy resource. In comparison to fossil fuel, it is a cheaper option that reduces greenhouse gas emissions to 41 per cent, and doesn’t contribute much to climate change and global warming,” says Dr. Shahin. “Biodiesel has combustion properties similar to petrodiesel. However, because of the purity of the source, it has a higher quality than petrodiesel, provides excellent lubrication and thus reduces engine wear by 30 per cent, and yields 220 per cent more energy than the energy required for its production, transportation, and distribution.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Nazar Hassan, Senior Program Specialist at UNESCO’s Regional Bureau for Sciences for the Arab States, will join a fire-side chat examining the region’s progress in rural electrification. Dr Hassan will focus on evidence-based integrated solutions for the implementation of the UN’s sustainable development goals in developing economies.

The international community has been urged to undertake a paradigm shift to facilitate the practical and accelerated implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda in developing economies by putting SDG One - extreme poverty reduction - at the core of the proposed solution framework, which calls for the joint utilisation of a newly proposed and innovative ‘Aristotle Framework for Action’ Initiative, and the ‘Pro-poor Environmentally Green Engineering Systems (PEGES) Standard.’

Dr. Hassan will stress how the PEGES standard - a green technologies and applications selection mechanism – is intended to foster accelerated sustainable development in developing countries through a set of sustainability eco-design requirements.

“In addition to the easy identification of the appropriate set of green jobs and green technologies and applications, the PEGES standard allows for building the right type of infrastructure, including the required sustainable energy systems in rural areas. This will not only have a positive impact on the environment and meet climate goals but substantively also contribute to reducing inequality within the societies,” he explained.

The conferences will run alongside the Middle East Energy exhibition, where over 900 international providers will promote ground-breaking technology and innovation across the event’s five dedicated product streams of smart solutions, renewables and clean energy, backup generators and critical power, transmission, and distribution as well as consumption and management.

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