Ras Al Khaimah Municipality reports significant progress in energy efficiency
Ras Al Khaimah Energy Efficiency and Renewables Strategy 2040 has completed its second year of implementation in 2019. Last week Ras Al Khaimah Municipality released the second edition of the annual report for the strategy. The report describes progress of the strategy, including achievements, new initiatives and expected developments in the coming years. Click here to download the report from the Reem website.
The annual report highlights concrete savings of 7 GWh of electricity, 109 MIG of water and 423 GWh thermal of direct fuel savings achieved in 2019. Apart from these energy and water savings, several key milestones have been achieved across all programs:
- Launch and completion of the voluntary phase of Barjeel, the Green Building Regulations of Ras Al Khaimah, and completion of preparations for its mandatory implementation, including IT enhancements, awareness, training and certification
- Completion of the first retrofit project in government buildings, for four buildings of Ras Al Khaimah Municipality with 31% guaranteed energy and water savings
- Contracting of two retrofit projects, for 24 buildings of RAKEZ and RAK Academy, and development of a pipeline of retrofit opportunities for the next two years of targets
- Set up of an ISO 50001-compliant energy management system at the Municipality to work as a pilot for extension to other government and private organisations
- Completion of the energy efficiency retrofit of 1,500 street lights in the Jazeera Al Hamra Free Zone by RAKEZ
- Contracting for initial solar PV rooftop projects, including the first government solar PV project for a 230kWp carport at Ras Al Khaimah Municipality
- Installation of 12 public electric vehicle charging stations in Ras Al Khaimah
Apart from the above achievements, several preparatory activities were initiated to support further development of the programs and activation of key strategy enablers for the long-term success of the strategy. The most notable of these activities are the following:
- Enhancing policy & regulation, including the ongoing development of new public landscaping standards, green procurement guidelines, electric vehicle charging station standards, and sustainable community guidelines. An extensive stakeholder consultation process has been set up to ensure each of these regulations remains in line with international benchmarks and is relevant to market conditions in Ras Al Khaimah.
- Raising awareness around energy and water conservation, including launch of an energy efficiency competition for schoolchildren across Ras Al Khaimah, preparation of a social media campaign targeting residents, and organisation of multiple industry events. Initial plans are being made for the first RAK Energy Summit, which will bring regional and international experts and businesses in the fields of energy efficiency and renewables to Ras Al Khaimah.
- Building capacity in the energy efficiency and renewables sector, including the launch of a supply market development strategy to attract leading businesses and entrepreneurs to Ras Al Khaimah (through planned outreach initiatives, start-up and SME competitions) and the activation of training programs, among which a Barjeel online training platform for engineers and consultants.
His Excellency Munther Mohammed bin Shekar, Director General of Ras Al Khaimah Municipality, said: “The current market situation elevates the importance of energy efficiency, for its contribution to energy competitiveness and resilience and also for economic stimulus. We see increased value in efficient buildings, efficient public service networks, renewable energy, better consumption practices and so on. Our commitment to the goals of the strategy remains strong and unchanged.”
The annual report of the strategy was released along with a new website for the Energy Efficiency and Renewables Office (Reem) of Ras Al Khaimah Municipality. The website for Reem will serve as a platform to provide information on available government services and updates on new and ongoing projects in the fields of energy efficiency and renewables in Ras Al Khaimah. Click here to visit the website.
