Tag Archives: energy efficiency

How Environmental Engineering Has Improved Environmental Condition

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It is common knowledge that the environment is not at its best now nor has it ever been for the past decades. Unfortunately, people have been deliberately negligent of their environmental responsibilities. With many abusive and irresponsible acts against the environment, resources are seriously depleted. Without conscious awareness about the adverse effects of environmental abuse, the planet may be uninhabitable in the years to come. As experts see the need for reform and to counteract the abuses done by many, various corrective actions are put in place. Tactical strategies and methodologies are created to correct what needs to be corrected … Continue reading →

Earth Hour – Making of a Movement

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Earth Hour is a worldwide movement for the planet organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Earth Hour engages a massive mainstream community on a broad range of environmental issues. The event is held worldwide and held towards the end of March annually, encouraging individuals, communities, households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour as a symbol for their commitment to the planet Making of a Movement Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia and was conceived by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). On the occasion, 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off … Continue reading →

Sustainability and Energy Efficiency: Key to Affordable Housing

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To be affordable, houses must be designed and built embracing strong principles of sustainability. Ensuring houses are energy-efficient may increase up-front construction costs a bit, including the costs of superior tools and equipment and professional architectural and mechanical engineers services, but the long-term benefits and future cost-efficiency are what matters. Non-believers think that it is an oxymoron to combine the idea of sustainability and affordability. But, the fact is that when homeowners are able to spend less on their energy bills they can budget better for repairs and maintenance, which intrinsically improves the durability and longevity of their houses. In … Continue reading →

Energy Efficiency in Arab World: Key Findings of Arab Future Energy Index 2017

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Energy efficiency is the most cost effective means of reducing the energy intensity of the economy and promoting a low-carbon future in the Arab world. Energy efficiency further helps Arab states meet their SDGs on combating climate change and its impacts (SDG13), as it cuts down on GHG emissions resulting from excessive and inefficient consumption of energy. Energy efficiency improvements can save governments, companies, and citizens billions of dollars in the Arab region from reduced energy bills, while at the same time quickly reducing carbon footprints – a win-win solution. Many countries in the region are now moving ahead with … Continue reading →

Everything You Should Know About Sustainable Software Development

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As climate change concerns continue to increase, it is becoming mandatory to minimize carbon emissions and adopt sustainable practices to save the planet. The Information Technology field has the potential to cut carbon emissions and contribute to alleviating the current climate crisis. Since software plays a significant role in energy consumption, software engineers are going green and adopting sustainable ways of developing technologies with minimal negative environmental impact using closed and open-source databases. Here is everything you need to know about sustainable software development and tips for building an efficient and eco-friendly software. What is Sustainable Software Development? Sustainable software … Continue reading →

Saudi Arabia’s Road to Fuel Economy

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Saudi Arabia is a private car-oriented society, and has one of the world’s highest per capita fuel consumption in the transportation sector. This is primarily due to lack of efficient public transportation and current fuel subsidy policy. The country is witnessing an escalating demand on its domestic energy needs and it is imperative on policymakers to devise policies for conservation of energy resources and reduction of GHGs emissions in the transportation sector. Adapting energy-efficient fuel standards will help Saudi Arabia country to bridge the gap with the developed countries. The enforcement mechanism for the establishment of Saudi fuel economy standards will … Continue reading →

Introduction to Trigeneration

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  Trigeneration refers to the simultaneous generation of electricity and useful heating and cooling from the combustion of a biomass fuel or a solar heat collector. Conventional coal or nuclear-powered power stations convert only about 33% of their input heat to electricity. The remaining 67% emerges from the turbines as low-grade waste heat with no significant local uses so it is usually rejected to the environment. What is Trigeneration In a trigeneration system, the supply of high-temperature heat first drives a gas or steam turbine powered generator and the resulting low-temperature waste heat is then used for water or space heating. Such systems can attain … Continue reading →

Renewable Energy in GCC: Need for a Holistic Approach

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The importance of renewable energy sources in the energy portfolio of any country is well known, especially in the context of energy security and impacts on climate change. The growing quest for renewable energy and energy efficiency in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries has been seen by many as both – a compulsion to complement the rising energy demand, and as an economic strength that helps them in carrying forward the clean energy initiatives from technology development to large scale deployment of projects from Abu Dhabi to Riyadh. Current Scenario The promotion of renewable energy (RE) is becoming an … Continue reading →

Energy Efficiency Perspectives for MENA

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MENA countries are facing an increasing challenge in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector. Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia figure among the world’s top-10 per capita carbon emitters. In case of business-as-usual scenario, GHGs emissions from the energy sector will continue to rise throughout the region. According to a recent report by International Energy Agency (IEA), energy intensity demand in MENA is mainly driven by population and economic growth and reliance of heavy industries on generous energy subsidy. It is projected that primary energy demand in the region will be doubled by 2030 and the region’s … Continue reading →

Energy Efficiency Implementation in GCC’s Residential Sector: Actions and Technical Requirements

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The huge existing stock of residential units in the GCC region, and the expected growth in residential construction projects, convey different challenges at the time of energy efficiency implementation. New developments require the definition and the enforcement of standards to be included at the design process; while owners and users of existing units require motivation and financial strategies to implement different levels of energy efficiency actions. A set of actions and requirements have been identified to improve energy efficiency in residential buildings, these include core management actions and specific technical requirements; and are defined for new developments and for already … Continue reading →