SmartCity Malta: An opportunity to go green
Mention SmartCity Malta and the first thing that springs to mind is the thousands of ICT-related jobs that will be created in the new township in Ricasoli. However SmartCity Malta should bring to Malta much more than just investment and jobs. It's an...
Mention SmartCity Malta and the first thing that springs to mind is the thousands of ICT-related jobs that will be created in the new township in Ricasoli. However SmartCity Malta should bring to Malta much more than just investment and jobs. It's an opportunity for Malta to adopt new environmentally-friendly technologies, according to Ali bin Towaih, the executive director of the sustainable energy and environment division of Tecom Investments, the mother company of SmartCity and SmartCity Malta,
"SmartCity Malta will have green technologies. This will bring distinction in the project and will make it different from other building projects in the country. Presently, there is the opportunity for Malta to adopt renewable energy," he explained in an interview in his Dubai office.
He added that SmartCity Malta will introduce greener technology to reduce CO2 emissions and this should have a ripple effect on the rest of the country.
"SmartCity Malta will bring about opportunities to explore new markets, even in green technologies. There's the opportunity for your country to save in production costs and update such systems. There is also the opportunity to start reducing from the consumption side."
Listening to a professional in the field of environmentally-friendly energy management working in an oil-producing country like the United Arab Emirates is no coincidence. According to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy, the world has enough proven oil reserves for 40 years of consumption at current rates. This could have very serious consequences for the UAE and this has spurred the country, especially Dubai, to invest in research and new technologies that provide renewable and environmental-friendly energy, or human-friendly energy as Mr bin Towaih likes to say.
"People are key factors because no matter how many regulations you have if people are not implementing them then they are not effective. People have to understand this, by switching off lights when not needed for example. It took us six months to gather information on energy consumption. In dealing with people you have to make them aware through educational programmes. People need to be part of the drive. We prefer to say "human friendly" rather than "environmentally friendly". We must think of humans first."
"The public today is aware that fossil fuels will not last long. Before only companies did. To make employees understand we have made sure they touch their daily lives, their daily decisions, whether business or personal - we calculate how much each employee produces CO2 - the carbon footprint. It's always a big challenge, but people need options to choose from too."
i-Tech could immediately grasp what he was talking about, as not a single light bulb was switched on during the interview, which was conducted in a small office with the source of light being the mid-day sunshine coming in from the large window. It was more than enough.
He explained that all environmental issues are energy-related issues at the end, directed towards green environmental technologies. There is also a very big relationship between the environment and the use of ICT, as energy management makes heavy use of ICT systems. Even biotechnology and ICT has evolved to become green technology.
"Green technologies have given ICT a better venue for innovation. These innovative things bring new challenges and new things to the market," he added.
TECOM seems to have been very successful in its drive to reduce power consumption without affecting levels of productivity. According to Mr bin Towaih, between January and September this year TECOM and its 700 employees has reduced energy consumption by 12,230 MWh, it has reduced its water consumption by 20,313 gallons, and has reduced its CO2 emissions by 10,924 tonnes. Furthermore it has trained 147 employees on sustainability and its target is to train 20 per cent of its employees every year. TECOM has also engaged 14 business partners including IBM, Microsoft, University of Wollongong in Dubai, HP, the British University in Dubai, CNBC Arabia, SUN, Microsystems, AXA, and Canon in its energy conservation programme and they have all joined this voluntarily.
These efforts have not gone unnoticed, for TECOM has won several accolades, including the Best Company Award in the Alternative Energy Award ceremony organised by Future Fuels magazine, a specialised publication on the global energy market and trends.
In July 2006 SmartCity announced plans to "go green" by adopting globally-benchmarked environmentally-friendly practices that will make its developments highly energy and resource efficient.
The company bound itself to design, construct and operate developments in each of its knowledge-based industry clusters according to the guidelines of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) - the world's premier certification programme for sustainable buildings. All the construction consultants for SmartCity's projects are directed to incorporate LEED guidelines in the design and construction of its buildings.
This also applies to SmartCity Malta, which has already explained the various energy saving measures that are being adopted to be more energy efficient and further reduce the energy demand. The measures include: rainwater re-harvesting; the control of heat loss, and gain, through the fabric of the building; the use of energy efficient fixtures and equipment; and where appropriate the equipment shall contain zero CFC-based refrigerants. These measures are over and above the generation of energy from renewable sources.
Apart from its SmartCity branded ICT-townships, TECOM Investments has also launched its Energy and Environment Park (ENPARK) in 2007, a fully comprehensive eco-friendly community for both commercial and residential use, as a role model for Dubai's commitment to sustainable development. Building will start in 2009.
"It was a very vital decision for TECOM, especially in the light of the United Nations global millennium goals of preserving energy," explained Mr bin Towaih, who is also the executive director of ENPARK. "Dubai is now one of the most dynamic hubs in the world. And this is the time to go green. Now is the time to build a green economy."
This is the fourth report following i-Tech's recent visit to Dubai Internet City and related parks forming part of Tecom Investments, which together with the Maltese government is developing SmartCity Malta in Ricasoli.
"SmartCity Malta will have green technologies. This will bring distinction in the project and will make it different from other building projects in the country. Presently, there is the opportunity for Malta to adopt renewable energy," he explained in an interview in his Dubai office.
He added that SmartCity Malta will introduce greener technology to reduce CO2 emissions and this should have a ripple effect on the rest of the country.
"SmartCity Malta will bring about opportunities to explore new markets, even in green technologies. There's the opportunity for your country to save in production costs and update such systems. There is also the opportunity to start reducing from the consumption side."
Listening to a professional in the field of environmentally-friendly energy management working in an oil-producing country like the United Arab Emirates is no coincidence. According to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy, the world has enough proven oil reserves for 40 years of consumption at current rates. This could have very serious consequences for the UAE and this has spurred the country, especially Dubai, to invest in research and new technologies that provide renewable and environmental-friendly energy, or human-friendly energy as Mr bin Towaih likes to say.
"People are key factors because no matter how many regulations you have if people are not implementing them then they are not effective. People have to understand this, by switching off lights when not needed for example. It took us six months to gather information on energy consumption. In dealing with people you have to make them aware through educational programmes. People need to be part of the drive. We prefer to say "human friendly" rather than "environmentally friendly". We must think of humans first."
"The public today is aware that fossil fuels will not last long. Before only companies did. To make employees understand we have made sure they touch their daily lives, their daily decisions, whether business or personal - we calculate how much each employee produces CO2 - the carbon footprint. It's always a big challenge, but people need options to choose from too."
i-Tech could immediately grasp what he was talking about, as not a single light bulb was switched on during the interview, which was conducted in a small office with the source of light being the mid-day sunshine coming in from the large window. It was more than enough.
He explained that all environmental issues are energy-related issues at the end, directed towards green environmental technologies. There is also a very big relationship between the environment and the use of ICT, as energy management makes heavy use of ICT systems. Even biotechnology and ICT has evolved to become green technology.
"Green technologies have given ICT a better venue for innovation. These innovative things bring new challenges and new things to the market," he added.
TECOM seems to have been very successful in its drive to reduce power consumption without affecting levels of productivity. According to Mr bin Towaih, between January and September this year TECOM and its 700 employees has reduced energy consumption by 12,230 MWh, it has reduced its water consumption by 20,313 gallons, and has reduced its CO2 emissions by 10,924 tonnes. Furthermore it has trained 147 employees on sustainability and its target is to train 20 per cent of its employees every year. TECOM has also engaged 14 business partners including IBM, Microsoft, University of Wollongong in Dubai, HP, the British University in Dubai, CNBC Arabia, SUN, Microsystems, AXA, and Canon in its energy conservation programme and they have all joined this voluntarily.
These efforts have not gone unnoticed, for TECOM has won several accolades, including the Best Company Award in the Alternative Energy Award ceremony organised by Future Fuels magazine, a specialised publication on the global energy market and trends.
In July 2006 SmartCity announced plans to "go green" by adopting globally-benchmarked environmentally-friendly practices that will make its developments highly energy and resource efficient.
The company bound itself to design, construct and operate developments in each of its knowledge-based industry clusters according to the guidelines of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) - the world's premier certification programme for sustainable buildings. All the construction consultants for SmartCity's projects are directed to incorporate LEED guidelines in the design and construction of its buildings.
This also applies to SmartCity Malta, which has already explained the various energy saving measures that are being adopted to be more energy efficient and further reduce the energy demand. The measures include: rainwater re-harvesting; the control of heat loss, and gain, through the fabric of the building; the use of energy efficient fixtures and equipment; and where appropriate the equipment shall contain zero CFC-based refrigerants. These measures are over and above the generation of energy from renewable sources.
Apart from its SmartCity branded ICT-townships, TECOM Investments has also launched its Energy and Environment Park (ENPARK) in 2007, a fully comprehensive eco-friendly community for both commercial and residential use, as a role model for Dubai's commitment to sustainable development. Building will start in 2009.
"It was a very vital decision for TECOM, especially in the light of the United Nations global millennium goals of preserving energy," explained Mr bin Towaih, who is also the executive director of ENPARK. "Dubai is now one of the most dynamic hubs in the world. And this is the time to go green. Now is the time to build a green economy."
This is the fourth report following i-Tech's recent visit to Dubai Internet City and related parks forming part of Tecom Investments, which together with the Maltese government is developing SmartCity Malta in Ricasoli.