More jobs open up in Dubai's green economy

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UAE - Green jobs have tripled over the past year as the country intensifies its efforts towards the use of renewable energy, a report revealed on Thursday.

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) launched the State of Green Economy Report 2018 that reviews the efforts of various organisations and sectors in the transition to green economy.

A key finding was the rapid growth of specific categories related to solar energy more than the country has witnessed over the past years. Ivano Lanelli, CEO of Dubai Carbon that collaborated on the report, said an overall growth in green jobs has been witnessed in specific areas like renewables, waste-related projects and green transport.

"Seeing job growth in specific renewable energy fields signals that we are moving in the right direction," Lanelli said.

He said that the green economy multiplier showed for $1 invested in renewable energy, there's a potential to grow the country's economy by $11.

"Based on Dewa projects in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, we noticed great green economy potential. It's a fast-growing sector, and a lot of financing and capital is invested in distributing solar energy and creating more jobs."

Under the theme "Youth, shaping the future", the State of Green Economy Report reveals the green projects and initiatives taken across the country, featuring the challenges facing the country in investing in renewable energy.

Through eight chapters, the report promotes sustainable development and green economy in the UAE, while presenting the country's success stories in the field to give other countries in the region to scale them up.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dewa, said Dubai recorded two milestones in renewable energy and green economy in 2017. "Dewa achieved the lowest Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE) of $7.3 cents per kilowatt hour (kW/h), for the 700MW Dh14.2 billion fourth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park."

He added: "Dewa also announced its collaboration with National Bonds to launch the Green Fund with an aggregate of Dh2.4 billion."

The report aims to encourage the UAE towards green transformation, and help citizens to contribute to achieving environmental sustainability.

Al Tayer added that this year's theme focused on the youth because they are the driving force and their role in shaping the green economy is crucial.

The enforcement of Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, he said, will be carried out essentially by the future generation.

Each chapter of the report starts with a comment by a thought leader and then focuses on the excellent contribution of individuals and organisations in knowledge sharing and building partnerships to give a brief on their main outcomes and recommendations.