A delegation from the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Road and Transport Authority (RTA) recently visited the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting in the US as part of mutual visits aimed at enhancing cooperation and getting acquainted with the best international practices followed by the American government.

The delegates included Faisal Ali Rashid, director of demand side management at the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and RTA officials Ibrahim Mohammed Ameen, manager of lighting and traffic systems maintenance, and Salim Al Rimawi, roads lighting and traffic signals manager.

The Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting has extensive experience in efficient streetlighting for greater savings on electricity and water. The activities of the bureau include surveys about the intensity of lighting and the colours used as well as the application of ‘smart city’ solutions for better efficiency and less consumption, maintenance, and costs.

Los Angeles is one of the leading cities in the world in the use of streetlighting integrating advanced technologies.  

“The visit forms part of our efforts to support Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the demand side management strategy that aims to reduce energy demand by 30 per cent by 2030 and involves nine programmes that are all connected to our daily life. These include green building regulations, retrofitting existing buildings, district cooling, wastewater reuse, laws and standards for raising efficiency, energy-efficient street-lighting, and the Shams Dubai initiative to regulate the generation of solar energy in buildings,” said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, vice-chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy.

Al Tayer affirmed the importance of cooperation between the council and the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting in different fields, including advanced streetlighting and ways to further develop such systems for the benefit of both sides.

“The RTA has made huge progress in increasing the efficiency of streetlighting with the launch of LED (light-emitting diode) lighting projects aimed at increasing energy-efficient measures such as fitting streetlights in some neighbourhoods with an automatic switch-off feature under the umbrella of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, as directly-supervised by Etihad ESCO,” added Al Tayer.

Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the board of executive directors of the RTA, said: “The RTA in collaboration with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy endeavours to bring the latest technologies to the emirate of Dubai. It seeks to realise this goal by reviewing the best practices and models across the globe in the field of energy and streetlighting, securing the power supply required for the emirate, and improving the efficiency of energy use.”

“The RTA also aims to convert all conventional streetlights to LED technology by 2030 and reduce the carbon footprint by more than 3,000 tonnes per annum as a result. Over the past three years, the RTA has accomplished 45 projects and initiatives related to energy and the green economy. It has also adopted the highest industry standards for green buildings,” added Mattar Al Tayer.

“Moreover, the RTA has also launched the trial run of buses powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), embarked on a project for measuring the carbon footprint of vehicles in Dubai, and overseen the successful operation of environment-friendly hybrid taxis starting in in 2008. The RTA plans to enhance the existing fleet of hybrid taxis by up to 50 per cent by 2021, as such vehicles are characterised by carbon emissions that are 34 per cent lower than that of their normal counterparts, as per research conducted by the RTA,” he said.

“The Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting is one of the leading government organisations in the world particularly in the use of streetlighting powered by LED technology and other advanced solutions related to solar energy and the smart city concept, among others,” said Ahmed Butti Al Muhairbi, secretary general of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy. - TradeArabia News Service