Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has signed an agreement with Green Business Certification Inc (GCBI) to collaborate in research and development, training, and promoting green buildings.

GBCI is an independent organisation that recognises excellence in green business industry performance and practice globally, working in 160 countries.

 According to the memorandum of understanding (MoU), the two organisations will apply the Platinum Rating for green buildings from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) of the US Green Building Council (USGBC).

GBCI will also support the Dubai Solar Show 2018 as a sponsor. Dewa organises the solar show in conjunction with the Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (Wetex) from 23 to 25 October 2018.

The MoU was signed by Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dewa, and Mahesh Ramanujam, CEO of USGBC and GBCI.

The MoU supports Dewa’s efforts to achieve the Demand Side Management Strategy to reduce electricity and water use by 30 per cent by 2030, and the Carbon Abatement Strategy to reduce carbon emissions by 16 per cent by 2021.

“The MoU with GBCI is part of our efforts to promote cooperation with international organisations and work together to establish the foundations of environmental sustainability. This supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, to provide 75 per cent of Dubai’s total power output from clean energy sources by 2050, and make Dubai the city with the lowest carbon footprint in the world,” said Al Tayer.

Al Tayer noted that Dewa has established Etihad ESCO to help retrofit around 30,000 existing buildings in Dubai.  This requires total investments of Dh30 billion ($8.17 billion) and is expected to achieve financial savings of Dh82 billion, with expected savings of Dh52 billion.

Dewa’s Sustainable Building in Al Quoz is the largest government building in the world to receive a Platinum Rating for green buildings from LEED. The building uses 66 per cent less energy and 48 per cent less water and features an on-site 660 kilowatt (kW) solar power plant.

Dewa is also building its new headquarters, named Al-Shera’a, which is Arabic for ‘sail.’ The new building will be the tallest, largest, and smartest Zero Energy Building in the world. It will be a sustainability landmark, not just in Dubai or the UAE, but around the world. – TradeArabia News Service