As organisers of the Zayed Future Energy Prize sort through the contenders for next year’s US$4 million (Dh14.7m) funding, previous winners say they are already reaping the benefits.
The prize was launched in 2008 by Abu Dhabi’s clean energy company, Masdar, to recognise people and organisations working in renewable energy and sustainability.
Many of those rewarded say the funding and recognition helped to boost the impact of their work.
For Damian Miller, the chief executive of Orb Energy, an Indian provider of solar electricity and hot-water systems, the award was a catalyst for implementing significant, and at the time risky, changes.
To achieve greater growth, he had been considering asking customers to pay up front, as well as turning more of the company’s branches into franchises. “When you take those risks, your business goes into some turmoil,” he said.
The company was awarded $1m in January last year as the first runner-up in the small-to-medium enterprise or non-governmental organisation category. The cash, said Mr Miller, “was really a bit of security for us”.
When the company received the award, it had 11 franchises and 100 branches. It now has 125 franchises and 20 branches. It aims to reach 500 franchises in the next three years and expand into South-east Asia and Africa.
“The Zayed Prize helped us take some important risks,” he said. “We streamlined our operations. We really created a model that is much more scaleable.”
As the second runner-up in the same category, the Environmental Defence Fund (EDF), a US-based non-governmental organisation that works on climate-change issues, was awarded $500,000.
It used the funding to boost its smart grids programme. A smart grid is an electrical grid able to deal with a higher than normal level of volatility in electricity supply.
“The Zayed Future Energy Prize has enabled EDF to strengthen our international standing as an organisation, deepen our EDF Smart Power efforts – including our work on energy efficiency, smart grid and renewable energy – and heighten the effectiveness of our work to reduce harmful greenhouse-gas emissions,” said the organisation’s president, Fred Krupp.
“The prize helped EDF expand its work to ensure that the smart electric grid will also be a green grid, one that provides environmental and consumer benefits.”
In November, Mr Krupp was on a panel of experts tasked with providing the Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, with ways to make energy systems more resilient in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
“This may well not have happened but for the fact we were able to get more resources and enjoy increased visibility through the award,” said Mr Krupp.
The winner of the small-to-medium enterprises category last year was the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), an international non-profit organisation that provides a global system for companies to disclose their environmental impact.
The $1.5m prize “was extremely important” in helping it to develop, said its executive chairman, Paul Dickinson. “We were able to expand in all areas of activity in 2012 because of the prize,” he added.
The funds enabled CDP to increase the number of companies that report climate change impact. More than 4,000 companies share their data. A total of 75 cities around the world also participate. The organisation has also expanded to include water and forest footprint reporting.
Another success was advising the British government on becoming the first in the world to require publicly traded businesses on the London Stock Exchange to report their greenhouse emissions. The regulation comes into force this year.
Among this year’s winners was d.light Design, a for-profit US-based social enterprise that sells solar lanterns to the developing world. The company was awarded $1.5m as the winner in the small-to-medium enterprise category.
It will use the money to start “a major new education initiative” in Africa, said Donn Tice, the chief executive and chairman.
The programme aims to give solar lights to children in poor regions with little access to energy. They will also be taught about renewable energy in school.
“The prize money enables us to seed it and start it,” he said, adding that the programme aims to reach 10 million children in the next five years. “It allows us to reach millions more people than we would be able to reach ourselves.”
Submissions for the 2014 Zayed Future Energy Prize opened last Thursday and close on August 5.
The winners will be announced during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January next year.
vtodorova@thenational.ae
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Company%20profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
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ABU DHABI T10: DAY TWO
Bangla Tigers v Deccan Gladiators (3.30pm)
Delhi Bulls v Karnataka Tuskers (5.45pm)
Northern Warriors v Qalandars (8.00pm)
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.
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Our House, Louise Candlish,
Simon & Schuster
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Juliet, Naked
Dir: Jesse Peretz
Starring: Chris O'Dowd, Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke
Two stars
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Race%20card
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The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo and dual electric motors
Power: 300hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,500-3,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.0L/100km
Price: from Dh199,900
On sale: now
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
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20CarbonSifr%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202022%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Onur%20Elgun%2C%20Mustafa%20Bosca%20and%20Muhammed%20Yildirim%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Climate%20tech%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%241%20million%20raised%20in%20seed%20funding%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Get Out
Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
Four stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES
September 30
South Africa v Australia
Argentina v New Zealand
October 7
South Africa v New Zealand
Argentina v Australia
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday
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The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
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Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.