Arabic Gulf countries search for water desalination by solar energy

Flash of June 2010 from ENWIS (Euro-Mediterranean Information System on the know-how in the Water Sector)-EMWIS is a program of the Union for the Mediterranean- informs the following:
“Realising that achieving water security in the future is not an option but a necessity, oil-rich Gulf countries are striving to find new environment-friendly and more economical ways of producing freshwater. Rapid modernisation, combined with other factors, has led fresh groundwater sources to dwindle and fossil fuel-supported desalination to become more expensive in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). ''The water situation in the (Gulf) region is worsening because of several factors, including population increase, industrialisation, growth of tourism and wastage,'' said Dr Mohammed Raouf, programme manager of environment research at the Gulf Research Centre, a Dubai-based think tank. In the UAE, the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) has launched two pilot projects to produce desalinated water from brackish and saline groundwater using solar energy. According to the EAD, the real challenge is to increase the efficiency of solar energy collection system and reduce environmental impact. Efforts are also under way to install 30 small-scale solar-powered desalination plants, scheduled to be functional next year. The Gulf region has one of the fastest growing populations in the world. Its combined population is tipped to grow by 33 percent in little over a decade - from nearly 40 million people in 2008 to 53 million in 2020.” Further information on EMWIS website.

Great green wall for Africa to halt desertification

Read more information at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/10344622.stm

Solar and wind power Spanish firms build plants in the Arabic World

Se dieron a conocer la semana pasada dos importantes noticias en pro de las energías renovables de España y la lucha contra el cambio climático. La empresa española Abengoa Solar, junto con la petrolera francesa Total y Masdar, la firma de energías renovables estatal de Abu Dhabi, van a construir la mayor planta térmica solar del mundo ( Shams I), de 100 Megawatios (MW) de electricidad, en los Emiratos Árabes Unidos. Por otra parte, la empresa navarra MTorres de España ha comenzado a construir su primer parque eólico en Libia de 60 MW. Estas energías renovables se instalan en dos países árabes con grandes reservas de petróleo.
La planta solar Shams I que significa en árabe Sol I, con coste de 600 millones de dólares, es del tipo de energía solar térmica o concentrada que utiliza espejos (768 colectores parabólicos) y una torre de reflejo para concentrar los rayos solares y calentar un líquido- en este caso un aceite- para después calentar agua, generando vapor que haga funcionar una turbina que produzca electricidad. El lugar, Madinat Zayed, a 120 Km. de Abu Dhabi capital, es de los más soleados y cálidos del mundo. Además el funcionamiento de la planta no será intermitente ya que si no hay sol se puede utilizar gas natural o si se quiere derivados del petróleo para generar vapor utilizando la misma caldera.
La construcción de esta planta que comenzará a finales de este año y durará dos años para terminar con una vida media de 25 años, supondrá no emitir 170.000 toneladas de CO2 anualmente, lo equivalente a plantar 1,5 millones de árboles o lo mismo que no dejar circular a 150.000 coches por Abu Dhabi.

Por su parte el parque eólico en Libia está localizado en la localidad de Dernah y tiene un presupuesto de 82 millones de euros e incluye 37 aerogeneradores TWT 1.65. La empresa MTorres se encargará del montaje, además del mantenimiento durante el periodo de garantía., con suministro y almacén de piezas de recambio, y un programa de formación integral dirigido al futuro equipo de operadores en Libia. Las obras que se prevé duren 20 meses comenzaron el pasado 2 de mayo.

Europe: To acheive water sustainable use

European Environment Agency informs in a recent published article (http://www.eea.europa.eu/articles/the-water-we-eat):

"Irrigated agriculture is central to local and national economies in parts of Europe. In some areas, ceasing irrigation could lead to land abandonment and severe economic hardship. Agricultural water use must therefore be made more efficient not only to ensure enough water for irrigation but also for local people, a healthy environment and other economic sectors.
Water pricing represents the core mechanism to incentivise levels of water use that balance society's economic, environmental and social goals. Research demonstrates that if prices reflect true costs, illegal extraction is effectively policed, and water is paid for by volume then farmers will reduce irrigation or adopt measures to improve water efficiency. National and EU subsidies can provide additional inducements to adopt water saving techniques.
Once the incentives are in place, farmers can choose from a variety of technologies, practices and crops to reduce water use. Governments again have a crucial role to play here, providing information, advice and education to ensure that farmers are aware of the options, and supporting further research. Particular focus should go on ensuring that the introduction of energy crops to meet biofuels targets serves to reduce agricultural water demand, rather than increasing it.
Finally, after efforts to reduce demand have been exploited, farms can also take advantage of opportunities to draw on alternative supplies. In Cyprus and Spain, for example, treated wastewater has been used to irrigate crops with encouraging results.

WATER: Thirsty Arabic World

Flash of April 2010 from ENWIS (Euro-Mediterranean Information System on the know-how in the Water Sector)-EMWIS is a program of the Union for the Mediterranean- informs the following:

“People in the Arab world need fuller and freer information about shrinking water supplies but their governments are withholding it for fear of fuelling unrest, a United Nations expert said last 1st April. Arable land makes up just 4.2 percent of the Middle East and North Africa and is expected to shrink due to climate change -- a potential source of political instability, analysts say, in a region where economic privation has sometimes sparked conflict. Moreover, Arab countries do not disclose enough information on their water out of concern that transparency could fuel unnecessary public concern and unrest. People in the Middle East and North Africa have access to an average of just 1,000 cubic meters of water a year, seven times lower than the worldwide rate, according to the UNDP's Arab Human Development Report. As climate change takes its toll and the region's populations grow at nearly twice the global average, that figure is projected to shrink to just 460 cubic meters by 2025. Coordinated water policy will be a challenge in a region where water politics is often seen as a zero-sum game and can be used as a lever in larger political feuds. Experts urged immediate action to confront the dire issue. Further information on EMWIS website”.