DUBAI // While Abhinav Das’s classmates were letting their imaginations run wild for a school project, he knuckled down to solve a conundrum: why doesn’t the UAE make more use of solar power?
Abhinav, 15, a pupil at Jumeira Baccalaureate School in Dubai, asked himself that question for years.
So while his friends were choreographing dances, building engines and testing sea water, he was determined to find out.
The project took him on a journey of discovery, meeting solar entrepreneurs and engineers, utility authorities and policymakers along the way.
About 90 pages of research later, Abhinav’s project won praise from leading figures in the industry, who invited him to take part in a summer internship with the Emirates Solar Industry Association.
“This is probably the biggest and best piece of work I have ever done and it is nice to feel I can do it,” said the pupil.
He admitted he knew very little about the topic before starting his research in August last year.
Abhinav’s report, Solar Energy in the UAE, is an impressive effort considering its author’s age, said association president Vahid Fotuhi.
“We are very impressed with the quality and the professionalism of his work,” Mr Fotuhi said.
Abhinav said there were many times he had almost given up his quest for answers. “At the beginning it seemed I was really getting nowhere,” he said.
“I chose the topic in August and I had to finish in December. Until September, I hadn’t managed to get through to anyone.”
His mother Sujata, a former journalist, and father Amitabh, a banker, taught him it was important “not to be too polite, but not to be a pest at the same time”.
Abhinav also had to persuade busy industry professionals that he was more than “just a kid who needed help with some homework”.
“When I was first making my phone calls to contacts I was practising what I was going to say for maybe two or three hours before picking up the phone.”
By late September, Abhinav was starting to get positive replies from people in the industry.
With more information came more questions, and he found himself going beyond the initial goals he had set for the project.
Besides looking into what use the UAE is making of solar power and the laws governing it, Abhinav investigated different technologies and performed a cost analysis of how they could be implemented.
“I had no idea back then how big this would become,” he said. “Every time I discovered something I had more and more questions.
“When I first started out I had a very naive perspective. I though if we get the sunlight … solar energy will work very easily.”
Abhinav discovered there were many other factors to consider such as the cost of solar plants, the low prices of conventional power and the role government support has played in encouraging solar energy in other countries.
“It really is all about incentive. People need a reason to do this,” he said.
With the right government support, the UAE could “really be counted in the ranks of the top solar markets within a decade or so”.
Abhinav was given full marks for his project. The solar industry also took notice and he was asked to present his work at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi in January.
The Emirates Solar Industry Association is helping him to rework his report into an educational kit on solar power for school pupils.
“We will make it available freely on our website so that students can download it and learn more about solar power,” Mr Fotuhi said.
vtodorova@thenational.ae
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
What is double taxation?
- Americans living abroad file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, which can cost hundreds of dollars to complete even though about 60 per cent do not owe taxes, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
- Those obligations apply to millions of Americans residing overseas – estimates range from 3.9 million to 5.5 million – including so-called "accidental Americans" who are unaware they hold dual citizenship
- The double taxation policy has been a contentious issue for decades, with many overseas Americans feeling that it punishes them for pursuing opportunities abroad
- Unlike most countries, the US follows a citizenship-based taxation system, meaning that Americans must file taxes annually, even if they do not earn any income in the US.
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 390bhp
Torque: 400Nm
Price: Dh340,000 ($92,579
