Dear Tunza Friends,

I would like to share with you about my visit to the  World  Future Energy Summit & Exhibition In Abu Dhabi on 22^nd Jan during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2014 (ADSW). This was hosted by Masdar(Abu Dhabi?s renewable energy company).

This had many sub events and side events like :

International Water Summit (IWS) -promoting water sustainability.

Ecowaste Exhibition

Sustainable Living expo

Sustainable Water Solutions Village

Blue Economy Summit ,

Event on development of Geothermal resources ,

Global Renewable Energy Atlas,

Renewable Energy Ministerial Round table ,

Linking Energy & Humanity (The Role of GCC countries in combating climate change)

World Energy Leaders Dialogue(WELD)

Global Sustainable Cities Network Conference

Scale & Scope of the Exhibition

More than 900 exhibiting companies from more than 40 countries took  part in WFES, IWS and the EcoWASTE. More than 30,000 people attended it. E xhibitors presented innovative solutions for a sustainable energy future . Variety of products , solutions and technologies to convert waste to energy , to manage carbon(footprint)  , to tap solar power ,to use wind energy / geothermal energy , energy efficient solutions , smart grids etc.

Host City

This Mega event was at ADNEC(Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre) in Abu Dhabi.

 Abu Dhabi is UAE?s capital city and remains at the forefront of the UAE's drive for green energy innovation. From it's living technology laboratory , Masday city , to it's commitment to the advancement of renewable energies , Abu Dhabi is at the heart of sustainable energy development . Abu Dhabi also is host to the global headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Masdar city is the single biggest investment in sustainability in the world. At the core of the project is a planned city built by Masdar , which will rely wholly on renewable energy with a ZERO waste ecology.

ECOWASTE

Local And International Companies  Showcased Waste Management Technologies And Solutions At EcoWASTE .  We were pleased to see innovate ways of Waste Management for sustainable development. Chairs , stools and sofas made of recycled tyres and rim.   Jewellery boxes made out of used plastic and soft drink bottles's lids . Rooftop made of used plastic bottles. Seats made of paper. Magazine stands , table made of used paper.

International Water Summit & Exhibition

In International Water Summit & Exhibition , I learnt about Resin based foam as solution to save water during irrigation .

In next few years water , would become more important than oil , especially in this part of the world . The population is increasing and so is the demand for irrigation. The question rises is what can be done to reduce the growing demand for water? Technoligical advancements have led to various new techniques that have helped reduce water consumption like Smart Farming , drip irrigation , desalination and purification.

Water retention is the other side of the coin , where run-off water used for irrigation is held in  special containers , large or small , for later use thus reducing the water wastage and allowing for more efficient utilization. Conventional ways of capturing runoff water as holding ponds and underground storage basins are quite expensive to maintain as they require mechanical sytems , open spaced and are prone to attract many diseases.

Resin based foam could provide the solution to this problem. The shredded foam provides the perfect medium for water to be captured into volumes upto 60 percent of that of the shredded foam. When mixed with soil as a substrate , or used on it's own in hydroponics , Resin based foam will slowly discharge it's' water content in amounts just enough to irrigate the plants with hardly any wastage.

They were also displaying use of copper for irrigation.  Copper tubing is made for an abundance of purposes, but for the irrigation industry, copper water tubing is the appropriate product  as it won't rust and quickly tarnishes, thus blending with the plant material. Also  it gives out uniform water pressure thus applying water evenly on all plants and shrubs.

Seminars and Tech-talks

Also  learnt in the seminar about water reuse and recycling technologies and applications in industrial sector.

Aluminium is such a sustainable metal which can be recycled over and over again.

Techtalk and Seminar discussed about Electric and Solar powered boats , renewable energy in rural areas , Energy-Efficient Technologies for sustainable energy of Future Kazakhistan , Mobile Toilet solutions with direct waste water treatment, sustainable bathroom solutions , natural tubular daylighting –it's contribution to sustainable living etc.

Cities today contain 50% of the world's populations , consume 75% of global energy and give off 80% of greenhouse gas emissions.  So there is an  immediate need for planning Urban Efficiency & sustainability.

Few other attractions /I Liked

I liked the Booth of Schneider Electric who were the Platinum sponsors of WFES.

We all know about energy in Watts and MegaWatts but do you know what is negawatt?

Negawatt is the energy you DID NOT use. Yes , the energy saved.  Energy saved is money saved. I liked this term "Negawatt".

Schneider were giving cute green puzzle(like Rubik cube) but this was flat , rectangular puzzle where everything was written about eco living , sustainability and we were supposed to put the right blocks together to make sense.  After solving the puzzle , we were supposed to give our details  and be around till 5pm to see if we won in the lucky draw(mini iPAD).

I could solve the puzzle but left around 4 pm so don't know I I won or not but solving such a puzzle was a unique experience.

 I also liked the Organic Garden built on the structure in the shape of Expo2020. We could see chillies, mango ,guava, grapes being grovwn organically. We got to taste fresh organic salad served in cute green mini bucket.

Then on one corner , there was a big display of all very beautiful stuff made out of waste . This corner was named as "Re-use factory".

In the end there was one big white wall with title ?Pledge for sustainability?. I wrote my pledge there "Think Green , Love Green and Live Green"

Overall , I found my visit worth . I would chat there are sustainable solutions to the problems in all spheres of life. We need to have willingness and attitude to be sustainable.