The Renewable Energy Conference 2008 in Dubai took place last Sunday, the 26^th of October at the Dubai International Financial Centre. The audience included interested parties from banks, property developers, regulatory bodies, energy companies and business people who are all interested in learning more about the types of solution that renewable energy can bring to increasing worldwide demand for power.

The team from Sgurr Energy provided a high level of technical competence mixed with case studies and information, and the vast majority of the feedback from attendees felt that the balance was just about right. The lively question and answer sessions were also extremely useful as they added a lot of interesting information, and allowed attendees to get more specific on issues that directly impacted upon them. The liveliest discussions unsurprisingly were around solar power and built in renewable products.

The team also discussed the other forms of renewable energy, represented on the Sgurr website by unique icons to allow the reader to fast track to the issue most important to them. www.sgurrenergy.com

One of the most interesting points from the conference for me was the debate on wind farm locations, and the fact that Sgurr have developed a new piece of technology to make decisions more accurate. This new laser based technology has been branded “Galion” – more details on the Sgurr website.

The data from the conference will be available as a presentation download on the conference website shortly http://www.dubaienergyconference.com/Presentations/.  The Global Trees presentation is also there, with its core message of “reduce and plant”.

We are encouraging those who took part and all others to add their voice to the debate, and this website and blog will stay live, becoming a point of reference for The Native Agency Energy conferences which will build upon the success of this event. The issue of global warming and the focus on renewable energy as a way to change direction is one which we are committed to, and we look forward to meeting many more interested parties over the course of the next year in different cities worldwide, and of course to returning to Dubai next year for more ground breaking information and debate.

A few weeks ago I read these words, from Dr Sulaiman Al Fahim, the CEO of Hydra Properties and the man behind the purchase by Abu Dhabi interests of Manchester City Football Club. He was talking about how popular he had become with the worlds media almost overnight and was being bombarded by lots of requests for interviews:

 “So let me make all of you in the media an offer:  you can all come and see me in Abu Dhabi. Yes, you are all invited: but on one condition – before you see me, go and see Hydra Village. Go and see the golf course. Go and see Masdar City. Go and see for yourself what change really is about, and what the really important issues that we face today are. Rather than buying a DVD of the last FA Cup Final, first go and buy a DVD of Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth.” “

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/property/article/530573-green-is-the-real-goal

This article is hugely important – many see the enormous property boom in the Gulf and assume that the important yardsticks are speed and height, but this is only a part of the picture. Developers, contractors, financiers and buyers have all become increasingly aware of their role as environmental protectors. Just as in the energy business, the most high profile companies all have a large team working to develop alternative sources of energy; because they realise that fossil fuels are ultimately a finite resource.  And worldwide, Governments and politicians too have recognised that green issues matter at the ballot box.  In the midst of all this are the specialists – companies who are pioneering new technologies, new approaches and new working practices; these companies are amongst the most innovative and also most sought after by potential employees.  One such is Sgurr Energy (www.sgurrenergy.com), a longstanding client of The Native Agency, and we are really pleased to present them at the Renewable Energy Conference here in Dubai on the 26th October.

We would urge you to come along and listen to their presentations which will cover topics on construction, financing, wind and waves as alternative sources of power and a topic that will be of great interest in the region, solar power.

The event will close with a few words on behalf of another friend of Native, the Global Trees Initiative which is a UK registered charity (www.globaltrees.co.uk). The charity was set up following an inspirational speech by President Bill Clinton at the Clinton-Hunter foundation. The message was stark and simple – there is only one issue facing the world.

In the midst of the current global credit crunch affecting the world economy, many people are saying the same thing, that global problems demand global solutions.  At the Renewable Energy Conference in Dubai on the 26th October 2008, we hope that you will join us to learn a little more about some of the solutions on offer.

We will begin blogging soon.