GE Opens Ecomagination Clean Tech Hub in Masdar City
There’s something so satisfying about watching the seed of an idea turn into something real – like GE’s Ecomagination Center unveiled at Masdar City outside of Abu Dhabi today.
Energy
Abu Dhabi energy pylons confuse perceptions of “land” use
An awe-inspiring sight, as one departs Abu Dhabi towards Saadiyat and Yas Islands, these pylons seems to disappear into the distant sea. But we are actually looking inland and they are delivering energy to, rather than from, the city center.
An Energy Insider for Nuclear Newcomers in the Middle East
Nuclear energy is a low carbon power source, but whether or not it should be considered a renewable energy source is long debated and fought over –- even in the Middle East where the industry is nascent.
Egypt Gets Testy Over Ethiopia’s Giant Renaissance Dam
As Ethiopia continues with its plans to build the Grand Renaissance Dam in order to meet the country’s burgeoning energy shortfall, Egypt is starting to worry that the hastily planned hydroelectric plant will put its own water supplies at considerable risk.
Running in Dubai: Sadomasochism for the Rich?
Earlier this year I got up before dawn one morning to photograph the Dubai marathon and 10k race. It was a foggy morning which added to the surreal spectacle of thousands of people putting themselves, voluntarily, through the trials of the long distance run.
Lebanon’s Capital Suffers Nine Hour Extreme Power Cuts
Imagine for a second that Washington D.C., London, Brussels or Denmark ran out of power for up to nine hours every single day for the last week or so. And then imagine (if it will stretch that far)that most of the country has been experiencing such cuts for the last eight years. This is Lebanon’s […]
Bahrain Radically Overhauls Energy Delivery and Billing Systems
Bahrain is looking to overhaul its energy management system and announced this week that it was to implement a new “radical” IT system that would help boost energy efficiency in the Gulf Kingdom.
Abu Dhabi Dump to Power 100 MW Green Energy Incinerator
About half of Abu Dhabi’s trash will ‘burn’ into green electricity in new $850 million power plant. Maybe you saw the wonderful movie, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. Or maybe you’d read stories on Green Prophet about Masdar, or Shams, the world’s largest CSP plant in Abu Dhabi. Arab nations and their economies are certainly […]
Green Deserts – The Saltwater Revolution (An Ode to Innovation)
We are not alone in our awe of the Sahara Forest Project (SFP), which has already built a pilot project in Qatar that produces energy, clean water and food in the middle of the desert – all without a single drop of fossil fuel. Owned by biomimicry architect Michael Pawlyn, structural engineer Bill Watts, and the Norwegian […]
Nanophotonic Building Panels Beam Sunlight and Heat into Cold Space
We've developed a new type of structure that reflects the vast majority of sunlight, while at the same time it sends heat into that coldness, which cools manmade structures even in the day time
Istanbul Municipality Knits Enormous Sweater for Energy Conservation
All over the Middle East and North Africa, governments are feeling the energy pinch, and each has a different solution. Morocco and Algeria are turning to solar energy, so are Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, while Jordan seems more intent on exploiting its oil shale reserves to bridge the soaring gap between supply and […]
Fake Wind Towers “Heat” Homes in Abu Dhabi
On a man-made Abu Dhabi island, fake wind towers heat homes instead of cooling them. I recently photographed a new housing development on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. You can see it on Google Earth. The wind tower design originates from Persia. The earliest examples of wind towers, used for cooling houses, in the United Arab Emirates can […]
Israel’s eVolution Networks Slashes Cell Phone Tower Energy Use
Israel’s eVolution Networks has recently announced that the pan-Caribbean mobile provider Digicel saved up to 23 percent of their cell phone tower energy consumption within three months of incorporating the start-up’s new Smart Energy Solutions (SES) system in Jamaica. One of those hidden energy gobblers that – like internet data centers – is felt less by consumers […]
Coursera’s Free and Green Harvard, Princeton and Stanford University Courses
Got internet access? Then you also have admission to university-level education, absolutely free and with fully flexible class times. Been itching to up your game in an area of science or energy? Want to be more confident when jumping into the climate change debate? Check out some of the excellent university courses offered free and […]
Masdar’s Winning Blog: Demystifying the Water-Energy Nexus
If you are among the 70 or more bloggers who submitted an entry to Masdar’s blogging competition, or simply want to know what it takes to impress the jury of one of the leading promoters of sustainable technology and renewable energy, then this post might appeal to you. Professor of public and environmental affairs at […]