November 1, 2020
As a battered planet takes stock of the havoc wrecked upon it by civilization, the need for a green sustainable future has never been more urgent. As a result, the conversation is increasingly shifting from creating to sustaining, from installed capacities to reduced consumption, from output to efficiency, and to not just constructing and creating facilities but evaluating the carbon footprint that we create with them.
The green revolution is here, some say as significant in impact as the industrial revolution or perhaps more, and this conversation, is driving and redefining how business is done.
Steadily but surely the world is moving towards exploring non-conventional fuel sources for servicing its needs, and of creating a green sustainable future. Organizations and equipment providers have begun to speak of not power outputs or throughputs, but of energy efficiency ratings that their products carry, of operational efficiencies and long-term cost savings and of diluted carbon (c4) emissions. Facility providers also talk of reducing carbon footprint, and green self-sustainable buildings that generate and recycle their own power are the buzz word.
Energy audits of existing facilities with a view to revamp are increasingly becoming popular and the quest for sustainable alternatives is a question being asked much more frequently by stakeholders. Turn-key solutions is the new mantra.
The Middle East and more specifically Qatar with a strong focus on proving cutting edge solutions and nurturing the future, has not remained immune to this silent revolution creeping up on the construction and facilities management industry.
Qatar had signaled its intentions and indicated its strategy and commitment to a green sustainable future as early as 2017.
The two-day Summit had kicked off in Doha on November 26 and was organized by the Gulf Organization for Research and Development (GORD) in association with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy. According to reports, published after and during the summit, Qatar government has set the target to have 10 GW of solar power capacity by 2030.
Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry, speaking at the Sustainability Summit 2017, had said, “The Ministry of Energy and Industry, Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) and other partners in the country are cooperating to adopt the first renewable energy strategy in Qatar to diversify energy sources and reduce harmful emissions.”
By 2017, in just one year, the conservation programme had managed to reduce 8.5mn tonnes of carbon emissions since its launch until 2016. This ambitious programme further aims to reduce the per capita consumption of water and electricity by 35% and 25% respectively by 2022. It is aimed to reduce about 6mn tonnes of harmful carbon emissions by 2022. It is abundantly clear that this cannot be achieved unless through a robust PPP (Public Private Partnership), and there are numerous incentives for private players who participate in making this vision a reality.
With regards to the construction and infrastructure sector, that there are several initiatives aiming to achieve sustainability in this sector, especially the formation of a new chapter in Qatar Construction Specification (QCS) by Qatar General Organization for Standardization entitled “Green Building” which includes quantitative standards relating to energy, water, materials and the internal environment.
Today, many government bodies in Qatar are cooperating to adopt the first renewable energy strategy to diversify energy sources and reduce harmful emissions. And to cut carbon emission and diversify energy sources, Qatar has increased its efforts to adopt the first renewable energy strategy, as outlined in the summit in 2017. While government bodies do this with a specific directive in place, the private sector is also looking for new ways of making this possible.
There is an increasing realization that the long-term costs of facilities created and the origins of fuel sources powering these facilities, whether commercial or residential cannot be ignored. The future is green and only organizations who are able to paint themselves green, will survive and win the race for longevity & sustained productivity.
Sources cited: Saur news bureau. <Nov 27,2017>
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Jahanzeb Mashhadi
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