Abu Dhabi is under pressure to supply power to meet its growing economy. As a result, the rate of energy consumption has overtaken the rate of production. Thus, it must look for alternative sources of renewable energy. Wind energy is among the best solutions Abu Dhabi can exploit to meet its energy needs. The report covers energy crisis in Abu Dhabi, wind energy as a potential source of renewable energy for Abu Dhabi, and recommendations.
The survey showed that there was overwhelming support for wind energy as a source of clean and renewable energy in Abu Dhabi. Though there are few challenges, the overall impacts of wind energy in Abu Dhabi counter such challenges. Besides, Abu Dhabi can overcome most challenges through proper site selection, mapping, and continuous research in wind energy.
Introduction
Many people believe that the top would not focus on other sources of energy. However, wind energy is the next source of renewable energy that would ensure clean environment and sustainable use of natural resources for Abu Dhabi. Energy experts have projected that currently available sources of electricity and energy in Abu Dhabi would be insufficient, expensive, and cause harm to the environment in the future.
Abu Dhabi has the responsibility of providing clean and renewable energy to its citizens. Based on the pressure on the available electricity, Abu Dhabi needs wind energy power in order to balance some demands for electrical energy in its major cities. This would also reduce the level of carbon footprint in the region. Specifically, Abu Dhabi has installed some wind energy plant at Sir Bani Yas in the west coast. These projects have harnessed wind energy resources and eased the demand on the national grid by producing renewable energy.
Abu Dhabi aims to use some of the largest turbines to generate its wind energy. The plant would generate power that would be conveyed to the station by using underground conduits for the project. The project should target the entire Abu Dhabi. However, Abu Dhabi must focus on energy intensive desalination plants in order to reduce dependence on electric energy and then spread the project to other regions.
The need to identify areas with the potential to generate wind energy
Develop a database of renewable energy potential in the country
Identify project issues like quality of the wind, land use, city planning, and protection of natural resources, parks, fire hazards, and agricultural land use.
Potential impacts
This report has three important sections apart from introduction and background information. The report presents survey participants, methods of data collection, and the place of data collection. It also presents results of the survey, and conclusion, and recommendation based on the study results.
Wind is moving air. Wind energy comes from the harvested wind by using turbines that can generate electricity. The generated mechanical energy can provide power for running various tasks like desalination plants, water pumps, and even running conveyor belts. Still, it can generate electricity for domestic, industrial, and commercial uses.
Consequently, a number of nations have embarked on wind energy as a source of electricity. Wind is a renewable energy because it is present. On the same note, the has focused on renewable energy in order to establish a new chapter in energy production (Wang, 2011). However, developing wind energy has been a tough project than initially anticipated.
Lara El Saad noted that Abu Dhabi would face a major energy challenges in the future (Saad, 2011). The country would not be able to provide enough natural gas to meet the seven percent to ten percent yearly growth in electricity demand continuing up to 2020 (Saad, 2011). Figure 1 shows that the usage of natural gas has overtaken production in the region, and trend continues to rise.
Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Company (ADWEC) noted that Abu Dhabi generates its electricity from gas turbines and steam, turbines, and diesel engines. However, the use of diesel to generate electricity has decline in the past few years.
Consumption src= Production of Natural Gas in the UAE
Figure 1: Consumption & Production of Natural Gas in the UAE
There might be abundant oil reserve in the region. However, Abu Dhabi and other UAE countries have created an energy crisis by making natural gas as their main source of generating electricity.
Wind Energy Production in Abu Dhabi
Wind is responsible for a small amount of energy that Abu Dhabi utilises on a daily basis. In fact, Sir Bani Yas has developed a successful wind energy plant, but this shall improve as researchers and other stakeholders in the energy sector have turned their attention to renewable sources of energy in which wind energy has been on the focus (Lynn, 2008).
The major reasons why wind energy usages in Abu Dhabi are low are due to lack of research and sufficient investments in the sector. Wind can only be productive in places where it is optimum and blows at acceptable speed. As a result, there is a need to develop maps for potential areas with wind energy and create a database for renewable sources of energy in Abu Dhabi (Kader, 2010).
Wind energy has a number of impacts on the environment. People have raised concerns that turbines make noise, affect clear view of the landscape, kill moving birds, and affect land use (World Bank, 2007). However, wind energy is a clean source of energy that has no pollution to the environment. Moreover, it is free to use. Therefore, it offers a partial solution to energy challenges in Abu Dhabi.
Survey Information
Research participants
The researchers collected data from 40 respondents in Masdar City. This population was suitable for generalization, and researchers believed that their opinions reflected those of other who did not take part in the research. Researchers selected participants randomly to take part in the study.
Data collection method
The researchers used survey questionnaires to gather information. This was a of data collection. It was important because the researchers were able to get information directly from the respondents.
However, there were some possible challenges in this method. The method could have been subjective. Second, the respondents bias could have influenced the outcomes.
The researchers designed surveys with scales and multiple items for selection with aims of understanding opinions about wind energy.
Place of data collection
The researchers collected data from Masdar City in Abu Dhabi. Masdar City was of significance to this research because the developers based its design on a model of what a green urban development can be (Sievert, 2010) by thriving on sustainable, zero-waste, car-free, and carbon-neutral energy.
This survey on wind energy presents varied opinions of respondents. The results provide valuable data about wind energy in Abu Dhabi.
Wind Energy and other issues in Abu Dhabi
Researchers asked respondents about main sources of energy in Abu Dhabi. They noted that natural gas (60 percent) and oil (30 percent) were the major sources of energy in Abu Dhabi, and then hydro-electricity.
Energy production in Abu Dhabi pie chart.
Figure 2: Energy production in Abu Dhabi
The demand for electricity in Abu Dhabi has increased over the last few years. We have several methods of meeting the rising demand for electricity in which some choices include building coal plants, renewable sources, and gas. The researchers asked respondents if they would support or reject the following sources of energy. Most respondents (65 percent) supported the construction of wind farms in Abu Dhabi.
Building energy options diagram.
Figure 3: Support or oppose building the following energy plant
Respondents (53 percent) believed that the government should increase its support in developing new sources of renewable energy in Abu Dhabi (fig. 4). Many people cited effects of global warming as the main reason for developing sources of renewable energy to meet the rising demands.
Should the government increase support?
Figure 4: Government support
These results showed that the government of Abu Dhabi should increase its support for clean and renewable sources of energy in the future. Respondents expressed such views after a meeting in Abu Dhabi that aimed at urging world leaders to increase their spending on renewable energy sources (AFP, 2013). More than 80 percent of the worlds energy comes from fossil fuels.
The use of renewable energy has gained momentum to over 15 percent. However, energy experts warn that it would not be possible to achieve the 30 percent objective by the year 2030 if governments fail to invest in the sector (AFP, 2013).
In 2006, Ahmed A. Elewa reported that Abu Dhabi could build the first in order to counter the rising demand for energy in the country due to economic growth (Elewa, 2006). The researchers asked respondents to indicate to what extent they supported the use of coal to generate energy with regard to its environmental impacts. A number of respondents (88 percent) did not support the idea of using coal (fig. 5).
Support for coal plant to supplement power supply
Figure 5: Support for coal plant to supplement power supply
Fossil fuels are driving the rate of global warming
Figure 6: Fossil fuels are driving the rate of global warming
Abu Dhabi mainly relies on gas and oil to generate power. However, the current demand has put the reserve under pressure. The researchers asked the respondents if they believed that the share of wind energy in the country was adequate. Many (96 percent) noted that there were hardly any wind farms in the region.
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