Dubai now has a vertical axis wind turbine, a first for the emirate, installed on the campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology’s branch in the emirate.
The installation of the 10-kilowatt turbine is the result of a collaboration between RIT Dubai and Italy-based Ecolibri, a renewables company with a focus on wind energy.
Vertical axis wind turbines, unlike the conventional horizontal axis wind turbines, have the ability to capture wind from any direction.
The turbines, which depending on the design can sometimes resemble a giant egg-beater, are also known as Darrieus model turbines, a reference to the French aeronautical engineer and inventor Georges Jean Marie Darrieus, who pioneered the idea in the 1930s.
Because they're generally quieter and don't require high wind speeds, vertical axis wind turbines are quickly gaining popularity in cities where larger, horizontal axis versions aren’t as practical.
"We did some research over the course of a year and found the wind in the area was good enough to power the wind turbine," said Prof Ghalib Kahwaji, director of RIT Dubai’s Sustainability and Energy Centre.
He emphasised that although the turbine was not connected to the overall power grid, it will be used to power RIT Dubai's sustainability park.
"It's equipped with a smart microgrid," he said. "It will be a small community integrating the wind turbine and solar power systems."
As part of the collaboration with Ecolibri, the sustainability park also contains a geodesic dome that can be used as a meeting area or classroom complete with electricity.
Installation of RIT Dubai's vertical wind turbine in December came only months after the UAE announced plans to launch its first wind programme in an effort to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
The UAE's wind farm programme, announced in October, is expected to power more than 23,000 homes a year, displacing 120,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, Abu Dhabi clean energy company Masdar said.
Innovations in climate technology have made wind energy more feasible in the UAE, where wind speeds were previously deemed inadequate to generate enough power.
Mr Kahwaji said RIT Dubai's wind and sustainability research started two years ago.
"It feels good," he said. "Our efforts complement each other and we're pioneering research in this area."
The vision of RIT Dubai's Sustainability Centre, according to Mr Kahwaji, is for the programme to be a leading enabler of smart sustainability research in the UAE.
"That's what we're doing with wind and geothermal research and applications," he said. "We don't want to keep our work entrapped by research, we want to go out into society and apply our ideas."
The wind turbine is the latest addition to RIT Dubai's campus in the Silicon Oasis district. In 2022, Newsweek magazine rated the futuristic innovation centre, which resembles the core of a quantum microchip, as one of the 10 quirkiest college campus designs in the world.
RIT Dubai was established in 2008 and is a satellite campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, which was founded in 1829.
All the Money in the World
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Charlie Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer
Four stars
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
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RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Palestine and Israel - live updates
Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
