Take, for instance, the humble light bulb.

Innovations in lighting technology are having a huge impact on the ability of a variety of industries to save power and slash carbon emissions – and will be a focus at the 2012 World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi starting January 16.

Light-emitting diode technology, better known as LED, is gaining wide acceptance as an energy-efficient lighting solution.

From remote controls and TV screens to traffic lights, buildings and airport runways, LED lights are present almost everywhere around us.

According to a recent Bloomberg report, most of the conventional light bulbs we use today may eventually be replaced by LED-based alternatives.

By 2013 the global LED lighting market is expected to reach US$13.7 billion, a growth of 49 percent compared with 2008. That makes LED arguably one of the fastest developing technologies in sustainability on the market.

There are various reasons why LED has taken off so quickly: it offers energy efficiency, longer life, and more convenience thanks to the smaller size of LED applications.

Advanced technology now makes it possible for a 6-watt LED to provide the same brightness as a 40-watt incandescent bulb.

And while a conventional 40-watt bulb generally lasts around 1,000 hours, LED-based solutions can last a staggering 50,000 hours, based on normal daily use.

LED lights also generate less heat, making them ideal for low-temperature environments, such as household refrigerators. Moreover, a typical building with LED lights has a carbon footprint that is up to 85 percent smaller than one with regular bulbs.

Cost remains an obstacle but with greater awareness of the potential benefits, the wider adoption of LED technology appears to be only a matter of time, especially in the Middle East where population growth and urban expansion are placing significant demands on the energy efficiency performance of existing and new infrastructure developments.

The fifth edition of the World Future Energy Summit will present a wide variety of energy efficient products and solutions, many of them brand new to the MENA market, and a host of exhibitors shining new light on the small- as well as large-scale solutions to our present and future energy challenges.

The prospects for the UAE becoming a regional carbon trading hub have also received a boost following the partial agreement at the UN climate negotiations earlier this month to extend the Kyoto Protocol and find a successor treaty by 2015.

Of the 5,000 projects worldwide registered to sell carbon credits, 111 are in the Middle East, and that number is set to increase significantly as the global carbon market reaches, according to World Bank estimates, US$1 trillion in value by 2025.

Four Middle East and global authorities on carbon capture and storage will examine future opportunities in the sector on day three of the World Future Energy Summit 2012, which takes place in Abu Dhabi from January 16-19.

John Barry, MENA Vice President for Technical and Production at Royal Dutch Shell, Bern Holling, Vice Director for Business Development at Germany’s Linde Group, Bader Al Lamki, Director of Masdar Carbon, and Liv Monica Bargem Stubholt, CEO of Aker Clean Carbon, will address future industry scenarios in a special session on January 18 titled ‘What next for Carbon Capture and Storage?’

CCS involves collecting carbon emissions from fossil fuel industries to prevent their release into the atmosphere, for example, by trapping them underground in depleted oil and gas reservoirs. Other techniques recycle CO2 for various industrial uses, such as re-injection into oilfields to enhance their output or the manufacture of various products, including fertilizers.

John Barry of Shell says that there are three key issues with carbon capture and storage: one is the need to drive down the cost of capture; the second is the need for an economic framework if we are going to see CCS deployed more widely, for example, policies that mandate its adoption and establish clear pricing on carbon dioxide; and the third is the need to build public confidence in the safety and importance of the technology.

The World Future Energy Summit will be a valuable opportunity to share the experiences of those companies developing real projects all over the world, such as our experiences in CCS in Canada, and to learn from both the industry’s successes and its ongoing challenges.

Other multinationals with an impressive track record in CCS exhibiting at WFES 2012 include the French oil major Total, which operates one of the world’s largest integrated CO2 capture and storage projects at a complex in southern France, and Norway’s Statoil, whose projects have to date stored more than 17 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Among CCS initiatives in the Middle East, Abu Dhabi is exploring an ambitious plan to capture carbon dioxide from power plants and heavy industry and then transport it via a national pipeline network for injection into the emirate’s oil and gas reservoirs.

Masdar, the emirate’s multi-faceted renewable energy company and host sponsor of WFES 2012, also has a joint venture with E.ON Carbon Sourcing to invest in carbon abatement projects in MENA and central and south-east Asia.

Investment in projects that reduce heavy industry emissions will be a major talking point at WFES 2012 in Abu Dhabi in January – and CCS is one area where the Middle East can potentially set the agenda.

The 2011 UNDP’s Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment report says that global investments in renewable energy stood at $US211 billion for 2010, an increase of 30 percent year-on-year – with investment by developing countries outstripping that of the developed world for the first time. Investment in renewable in the Middle East hit US$5 billion in 2010 – an increase of 104 percent from the year before. These trends illustrate the potential of the MENA region to emerge as a hub of renewable expansion.

Partnerships and collaboration are key to building the businesses that can help fuel the renewable energy market, and the idea of the Project Village at World Future Energy Summit stemmed from the need of a platform to facilitate such partnerships.

Launched in 2011 in association with Ernst & Young and Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the Project Village provides a platform to conduct business in the renewable energy and low carbon market by maximizing networking and business opportunities during the Summit.

At the Project Village, project developers from large multinational companies, rapid growth companies and start ups will be able to discuss their latest innovations and research and development projects with leading technology and finance solution providers. Developers will have dedicated booths to showcase their projects and a theatre room to conduct business presentations ensuring maximum exposure of budding projects during the exhibition.

The 2012 Project Village is hosting projects from the Middle East, India, Africa and beyond as part of this initiative.

If you are interested in being part of the Project Village for 2012, please have a look at the qualifying criteria and deadlines on the Summit website.

But these numbers don’t reveal the full picture.

The World Wind Energy Association says the rate of new development in wind could see as much as 600GW of global capacity installed by 2015, and 1,500GW by 2020.

Germany has been a model for wind power development in recent years, propelled by its traditional strengths in R&D and doubtless its blustery north European climate.

Today, the country is Europe’s biggest wind power producer, with 27.2GW of installed capacity generating 6.2 percent of its overall electricity demand, a figure that could reach 25 percent by 2020.

But as global industry and government leaders prepare to attend the fifth World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, attention is shifting towards the role of developing world energy producers in providing the next big gust of wind power growth.

China and India are now among the world’s top five countries for installed wind capacity, and total capacity in China now exceeds that of the US: 42.3GW against 40.2GW.

Last year, China breezed past Denmark, Germany, Spain and the US to become the world’s largest maker of wind turbines, a title to compliment its ranking as the world’s leading producer of solar panels.

The economic might of emerging Asian economies is clearly driving investment in renewables. However, innovation – in government policy, new technologies, as well as financing strategies – will remain as important as hard capital in order to widen the global deployment of clean technologies and maximize their commercial viability.

‘Powering Sustainable Innovation’ will be the overriding theme of WFES 2012 – and realizing innovation in the wind power sector will be a specific topic discussed by global delegates attending the summit’s four-day conference.

Representatives from the leading wind power heavyweights, including turbine makers General Electric of the US and Vestas of Denmark, are among the summit’s confirmed keynote speakers. Their attention, like that of the hundreds of delegates on the conference floor, will be as much on the opportunities in emerging markets as on the priorities for sustained growth in the developed world.

As the need for new energy sources rises, more and more companies as well as governments are taking clean technologies seriously.

Speaking at a recent Harvard Business School Energy conference, Tommy Iglesby, a principal at McKinsey & Company’s energy practice, said:  “We are in the early stages of a technology revolution that will fundamentally change energy economics.”

But with the bulk of spending still going on existing know-how, there is an increasing need for innovation in the sector, to ensure renewables become commercially viable.

With that line of thought, ‘Powering Sustainable Innovation’ will be the main theme of the 2012 edition of the World Future Energy Summit, taking place in Abu Dhabi from January 16-19.

Innovation is also the inspiration behind ‘Innovate @ WFES’, a new platform at the summit for start-up companies specializing in new clean technologies – everything from solar, wind, water and smart grids, to bio-fuels, lighting, transport and energy storage.

Currently, 35 companies are expected to participate from countries including the USA, UK, Germany, France, Spain, UAE, Korea, Japan, Switzerland and Brazil.

Startups showcased at Innovate @ WFES will have a unique opportunity to access business partnerships and capital, and to raise their profile on the global stage.

Applications to participate at Innovate @ WFES are still open. More information can be found here on the World Future Energy Summit 2012 website.

But those countries in the Middle East with sufficient wind capacity are making headway beyond solar. And Middle East wind developments are perhaps not as counterintuitive as they first appear – as visitors to the 2012 World Future Energy Summit will testify, not to mention last year’s winner of the Zayed Future Energy Prize: Danish wind turbine leader, Vestas.

Wind offers a solution to the growing power requirements of countries without significant oil and gas resources, and is one of the few renewable energy technologies that require very little water in order to operate, a critical consideration in the arid Middle East.

Egypt, which perhaps has the best wind profile in the region, has already installed capacity of 400 megawatts, a figure it hopes to increase to 7,200 megawatts by 2020.

In Lebanon, which currently imports all of its fuel needs, the government is researching a national wind atlas to pinpoint the best locations for development and encourage private investment.

Jordan wants 10 per cent of its electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020, including at least 600 megawatts from wind.

Even Iran is setting a positive example in the wind sector, with 100 megawatts of capacity installed to date.

Political will and capital are clearly needed to help diversify the Middle East’s renewable energy mix, challenges that will be addressed at both the exhibition and conference of next January’s World Future Energy Summit.

The fact that developing countries like China and India are ramping up capacity in wind power demonstrates the global opportunities in the sector, and offers encouragement to decision makers in the Middle East.

In the coming decades, wind power in the region may amount to a great deal more than hot air.

Industry experts believe that CCS is critical to fix global warming. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), CCS is the only technology that can reduce 90 per cent of the carbon dioxide emitted by industrial and energy sources.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) says that CCS can help reduce 20 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions between now and 2050, if the world manages to get 3,000 projects off the ground over the next four decades.

Last week in Abu Dhabi the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) hosted a workshop on how to include carbon capture and storage in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), the world’s premier tool for mobilizing carbon finance for developing countries. The UAE’s increased participation in the UNFCCC and support for the inclusion of CCS into CDM were factors behind the decision for Abu Dhabi to host the meeting.

So what’s the flip side of CCS? Some environmentalists believe that, since the idea of long term safe carbon capture is still in its infancy and costs are currently high, there could be unforeseen negative consequences of burying carbon dioxide in the earth over time. They also believe that the CCS process may delay the development of renewable energy. If people believe carbon can be removed from the atmosphere, will they try to reduce their carbon emissions?

Most major players in the industry believe in CCS. The IEA has targeted 100 projects to be completed by 2020, half of which are expected to be in developing countries.

To gain wide-spread acceptance of CCS more education is required, public and private stakeholders need to work together, and legislations need to be formalized in all countries.

Collaborative efforts are needed to combat climate change and optimists believe that science will find an answer to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Question is: how much time do we really have?

This urban transformation process will speed up tremendously within the next years. The increase of the population in Cities are also increasing the green house gas emissions and also new buildings, transport facilities etc. are needed. 

In China for example, according to a UNDP* report (in partnership with Renmin University of China) 350 million people are expected to move into Chinese cities by 2030. More than the entire population of the United States today.

The average energy consumption in cities is higher compared with rural areas. In 2007, everyday per capita energy use in urban areas in China was more than 2 times that of rural areas. 

These movements need housing and also transportation to be built. The report estimates that China will need to build 50,000 new high-rise buildings (according to Emporis, New York City has currently around 7.000) and 170 new mass transportation systems.

As living standards rise, the demand for larger living and working spaces will rise, too. New green buildings, or adopting existing ones (retrofit) and infrastructure is one solution, reducing energy consumption by each individual is another one. But might it be enough?

 Public transport would definitely reduce the green house gas emissions but on the other hand – during writing this article – Volkswagen (VW) announced that it has sold 1 million cars in China during the first seven month.

Since China is already a leading emitter of green house gases, the increase in the population of the major Chinese cities will also affect the world climate.

The Chinese government has already committed to develop a low carbon economy last year during the UN Climate Change Summit. So, the first step should be done. The question is, how this rapid development can be managed, financed and how a society on the way to more wealth fare can change?

What could be learned from other Cities? Chinese cities could cut private car use in favor of public transport systems as it has been the case for example in Tokyo. China could make the use of bicycles more attractive again like Copenhagen is doing.

Günter Theuermann

Managing Partner

www.save-more-energy.com

About save-more-energy.com – save-more-energy.com is an independent b2b platform for the Renewable Energy Industry, Real Estate Industry, Cities & Regions.

Save-more-energy.com is focusing on Europe, Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. Best practice, best solutions, to learn from each other – for Quality and Equity!

 The UAE is looking more and more into the concept of “green building”. The Emirates Green Building Council is playing its role by advocating the Leadership in Energy and Energy Design (LEED) rating system – a US rating system that encourages a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognising performance in the following areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. The Emirates Green Building Council is in process of finalising a document to push the eco-rating system that is region-specific.

 Companies that not only understand the importance of energy efficiency, but understand how to implement energy efficient practices are key to pushing forward the green building process; Schneider Electric is one such company. With over 30 years of experience, Schneider Electric serves the Gulf economy by providing complete, energy efficient solutions for all power and control needs that also deliver energy savings of up to 30 per cent.

 You can visit Schneider-Electric at their stand Hall 4, Booth #4405 from 18-21^st of January 2010 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center