ABU DHABI, 1 June 2022: Day 1 of the second edition of Retrofit Tech Abu Dhabi Summit hosted over 200 high-level decision makers from the energy efficiency, sustainability and retrofitting sectors, according to Advanced Conferences & Meetings (ACM), the organisers of the event.

The two-day summit, hosted by the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy and co-hosted by Abu Dhabi Energy Services (ADES), a subsidiary of TAQA Group, is taking place under the theme of unleashing Abu Dhabi’s sustainability potential through retrofitting existing buildings, implementing energy efficiency initiatives and renewable energy integration, in line with the UAE Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative, ACM said.

Day 1 of the conference

Proceedings opened with discussions on the theme of energy efficiency and retrofitting strategies for achieving Abu Dhabi’s energy goals. This included keynote speeches from Mohamed Al Hadhrami, Energy & Water Efficiency Accelerators Directorate, Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, and Khalid Al Qubaisi, Chief Executive Officer, ADES.

Al Hadhrami spoke about the Abu Dhabi Demand Side Management and Energy Rationalisation Strategy 2030, which targets a 22% reduction in electricity consumption and a 32% reduction in water consumption by 2030.  “The Retrofit Tech Abu Dhabi Summit returns for a 2nd edition, giving all entities involved an opportunity to look back at the milestones we have achieved and discuss the way forward,” he said. “Building Retrofits is one of the key programmes under the Abu Dhabi Demand Side Management and Energy Rationalisation Strategy 2030, where the goal is to activate the government Building Retrofit Programme and the private ESCO market to achieve an overall building consumption reduction of electricity (30%) and water (five per cent) through the adoption of energy/water conservation measures.

“With clear environmental and efficiency objectives in mind, the DoE is constantly looking to collaborate with partners from across the energy and water sectors, among others, to implement these goals, in line with the emirate’s vision and the UAE Net Zero by 2050 initiative. Such efforts, combined with strategic partnerships with key government entities and private-sector stakeholders, will help establish and grow a local market for energy efficiency services, allowing us to fulfil our mandate to spearhead the green transition in Abu Dhabi, and enhance the energy and water sector’s contribution to the emirate and the country’s sustainable economic development.”

Khalid Al Qubaisi

In his keynote presentation, Al Qubaisi highlighted the progress made by ADES in terms of active projects in the implementation phase. He said: “The increasing demand for efficient energy consumption in existing buildings has put us in the perfect spot – to connect building owners in the government and private sector with energy services companies (ESCOs) by funding and overseeing energy efficiency projects in Abu Dhabi.

“In alignment with the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, today we released the RFP for retrofitting over 30 government buildings – a key milestone aiming to improve consumption efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of these buildings. The project will increase the number of buildings to be retrofitted by ADES to more than 60, and further cement our position as the energy services market maker and a catalyst for the building retrofits program in the Emirate, in line with Abu Dhabi’s Demand Side Management and Energy Rationalisation Strategy 2030.”

Later in the morning, representatives from Abu Dhabi Quality & Conformity Council (ADQCC) and Provis joined key stakeholders from the DOE and ADES in an executive panel discussion, focused on making Abu Dhabi’s energy visions a reality.  The discussion gave insights into the role each stakeholder is playing in achieving Abu Dhabi’s energy efficiency goals and discussed avenues for collaboration and involvement of the private sector, ESCOs and consultants to ensure the goals are met.

Discussions on lighting and HVACR retrofits and net-zero-energy buildings rounded out the busy first day of the conference programme. Day 2 will see sessions looking at large-scale and infrastructure retrofits and financing and incentivising retrofit projects. According to ACM, the Summit’s Lead Sponsors are Teknoware and Netix, with other technology and solution providers – including Siemens, Knauf, Farnek, Green Optima, Belimo, Nashwan, DC Serve, Zoho IoT, Ledvance, Daikin, Facilio, Johnson Controls, Enova, KEO and Engie – supporting the initiative.