Abu Dhabi , UAE has declared that 7,500 solar hot water systems will be installed on villa roofs within the next 36 months, which will contribute to minimising the emirate?s high rate of carbon foot print.

Abu Dhabi?s Estidama (means sustainability in Arabic language) initiative encourages installing clean energy systems on new buildings, which minimises pollution from conventional energy generation, mainly from oil in the emirate.

So far, 1.4 per cent of total building energy load has been offered as renewable technology under the Estidama Pearl Design Rating. However with the installation of 7,500 solar hot water systems on villa roofs, the share of clean energy will go up.

Estidama projects have diverted over 200,000 (two hundred thousand) tons of construction and demolition waste from landfill.

This gain is relevant as Abu Dhabi has lost hundreds of thousands of hectares of land to landfill.

September 2010 marked a significant milestone towards a transition to a more sustainable built environment within Abu Dhabi as the Estidama Pearl Rating System (PRS) became a mandatory requirement for all new developments within the Emirate, officials of Urban Planning Council (UPC) said.

With Estidama, UAE?s objective is to support a new global urban development paradigm shift in Abu Dhabi to become a truly sustainable Emirate.

Estidama programme diverts huge amount of waste from landfill.