Latest / DEWA Podcasts / DEWA’s Sustainability and Innovation Centre supports sustainability through an integrated multi-layered approach

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DEWA’s Sustainability and Innovation Centre supports sustainability through an integrated multi-layered approach · DEWA Podcasts

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  We talk a lot about global climate targets, but,
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  you know, the real work is on the ground. It's
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  in the education and the innovation you need
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  to actually hit those targets. Exactly. And that's
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  what we're looking at today. Our mission is to
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  do a deep dive into the strategy of a really
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  key regional hub, the Dubai Electricity and Water
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  Authority's Sustainability and Innovation Center.
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  And they have a pretty clear mission statement,
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  right? They do, and it's important. The center
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  supports sustainability through an integrated,
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  multilayered approach, aligning with Dubai's
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  2050 Clean Energy and Net Zero goals. OK, that
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  integrated, multilayered approach is what I want
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  to unpack, because the sources show they serve
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  pretty much everyone, students, professionals,
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  the public. How does that work in practice? Well,
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  they're essentially building a whole ecosystem
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  of knowledge, starting with the people already
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  in the workforce. So industry professionals first.
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  Right. The main engine for that is something
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  called the Clean Tech Alliance Initiative. It's
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  designed to help companies, local and international,
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  boost their contributions to the energy transition.
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  So it's a platform for them to show off new solutions,
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  network, connect with investors. Precisely. But,
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  and this is the key, it's not just about networking.
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  It's tied directly... to internationally accredited
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  programs. We're talking certifications in really
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  high demand areas. Like clean energy and ESG,
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  I saw. Exactly. Environmental, social, and governance
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  standards. They've already certified over 320
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  people through these programs. What I found fascinating
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  is how forward -looking the curriculum is. The
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  courses for 2025 are incredibly specific. Oh,
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  absolutely. They're teaching things like BIPV,
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  that's building integrated photovoltaics and
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  solar architecture. Plus... The Global Reporting
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  Initiative, or GRI, which is a huge deal for
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  sustainability reporting. And they're partnering
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  with Tove Rhineland Academy for some very specialized
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  roles. Yes, things like sustainability manager,
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  solar PV system designer, and this one is crucial,
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  greenhouse gas accountants. These are the people
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  who will standardize and report corporate emissions.
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  These are the jobs of the next decade. Okay,
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  so that covers today's industry. But if those
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  are the jobs of the future... Who are they training
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  to actually do them? Where's the pipeline? And
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  that's the second layer, the focus on youth.
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  Their Cleantech Youth Program has already graduated
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  117 young UAE nationals from five different batches.
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  And it's not just classroom learning, is it?
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  No, not at all. It's a mix of expert -led sessions
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  and really important field visits to see projects
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  in the real world. And this youth focus seems
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  to connect back to the wider professional network.
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  It does. They run Clean Tech Connect events.
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  They've held 50 of them with over 2 ,500 people
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  attending. And they have a Clean Tech Innovators
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  exhibition. The last one featured 30 entrepreneurs
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  showing their solutions to the big industry players.
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  And it seems like competition is a big part of
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  it. driving that engagement? A huge part. Their
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  third clean tech hackathon pulled in 193 participants
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  from seven countries. And for the younger kids,
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  grades four through 12, the Young Inspires contest
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  has had over 200 students working on solar energy
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  ideas. It's a very comprehensive approach. But
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  it's not all just training and networking. There's
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  a third layer public immersion. The center itself
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  is an experience. You mean it's not just a bunch
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  of classrooms? Not at all. The first floor has
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  over 35 interactive displays. all about renewable
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  energy. Right. I saw they used some really high
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  -tech stuff to make it relatable. Drone and hologram
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  shows, an autonomous bus ride. And even a metaverse
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  tour of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar
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  Park. So you can explore this massive infrastructure
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  project without leaving the building. That's
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  a powerful way to make complex ideas feel tangible.
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  It's about demystifying the technology for everyone.
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  And they make it accessible, too. It's open most
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  of the week with discounts or free entry for
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  kids, students, and people of determination.
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  So when you pull it all together, what's the
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  big picture here? The key takeaway for me is
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  that the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority's
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  hub sees sustainability as more than a target
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  to hit. It's an economic, educational, and public
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  challenge all at once. It really is. They're
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  combining training, networking, competition,
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  and this immersive public experience all under
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  one roof. An incredibly integrated strategy.
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  Which leads to a final thought for you, our listener.
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  Considering the kind of innovation we've just
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  discussed, how quickly do you think specialized
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  roles like solar architecture or greenhouse gas
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  accountant will stop being niche specializations
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  and become standard mandatory roles across all
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  major global industries? It's worth thinking
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  about how that knowledge might apply in your
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  own field.