UAE Ministry of Climate Change Signs an Agreement With Khalifa University and IRENA at WFES 2018

The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) signed an agreement with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Khalifa University of Science and Technology to develop and implement a smart and interactive system for real-time solar performance assessment and environmental monitoring. The new system will be installed at the new premises of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in Dubai.

In the presence of His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, the agreement was signed by His Excellency Sultan Alwan Al Habsi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Regions Sector at MOCCAE, Mr. Adnan Amin, Director-General of IRENA, and Dr. Tod Laursen, Interim President, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, on the sidelines of the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) 2018, part of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2018 being held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC).

His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “In line with the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, AI, the major initiative announced by our visionary leadership within the UAE Centennial 2071 objectives, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment is keen on being among the first government entities to adopt all tools and technologies related to artificial intelligence and ensure more efficiency in achieving its strategic goals. An effective protection of our environment is largely dependent on the quality of the available information used to make appropriate decisions. State of the art technologies are central in contemporary environmental protection in tasks such as monitoring, data analysis, communication, information storage and retrieval, so it is natural to integrate and enhance all these tasks with Artificial Intelligence knowledge-based systems.”

Adnan Amin, Director-General of IRENA said: "The partnership with the Ministry of Climate Change and environment and Khalifa University harnesses new, locally-developed technology to offer real-time environmental and renewables data. It is yet another example of the UAE’s leadership in energy transformation and sustainability through knowledge and innovation. At the same time, it reflects IRENA's increasing interest in artificial intelligence technologies as they present growing opportunities to improve energy management and accelerate renewable energy deployment.".”

Researchers at the UAE Research Center for Renewable Energy Mapping and Assessment (ReCREMA) of Khalifa University of Science and Technology will set up the smart monitoring system which will display real-time indicators for many environmental and renewable energy parameters. It will be fed with real-time satellite data, satellite-derived environmental parameters for marine, land surface and air quality. It will also include an integrated forecasting system for solar resources, marine water quality, and air quality. All displayed parameters will be updated at time scales varying from 15 min to hourly. The renewable energy tools are being developed as part of the ongoing collaboration between Masdar Institute and IRENA under the Global Atlas Initiative.

Dr. Tod Laursen, Interim President, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, said: “The partnership with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and IRENA illustrates the effectiveness of our research projects that remain relevant to the UAE and the region. We believe such collaborations will bring benefits to multiple stakeholders and the community in general, while increasing the role of technology advancements in the UAE, enabling the country to remain better prepared for unforeseen eventualities.”

The solar and environmental monitoring tools have been developed by a team of researchers headed by Dr Hosni Ghedira, Professor of Practice, and Director of ReCREMA. It works on a tool based on multi-source satellite imageries and modeling component that shows the existing expertise developed at the Masdar City campus on the adaptation of earth observation (EO) technologies to the specific environmental conditions in the UAE and the Gulf region.

Dr Hosni Ghedira said:  “We are building a robust system that can be used by wide range of end-users in the UAE and will be extended to the GCC countries in the future. It would be moving from simple real-time monitoring to different time-range forecasting which will extend its range of applications in the region.”

This monitoring system can also help other local organizations such as the Environmental Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD) in monitoring and forecasting water quality, and alerting the desalination plants about impending pollution incidents that can damage their systems. It will also be useful for providing advance alerts about the currents, tide and the sea level to warn ships and tankers to change their routes, if required. The marine observation and modeling work will be led by Dr. Maryam Al Shehhi, a postdoctoral researcher at Khalifa University of Science and Technology.