WETEX 2018 documents the UAE's drive towards green energy reliance, in line with the growing global trend

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is keen to promote all forms of green energy as a clean alternative to conventional energy derived from environmentally friendly fossil fuels, in line with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda; and with DEWA’s vision to be a sustainable, innovative, world-class utility. DEWA believes that renewables such as solar, wind and water power are keys to achieving sustainable economic, social and environmental development, as they help to avoid several negative consequences resulting from irrational human behaviour.

In this context, DEWA is organising the 20^th Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX 2018) under the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of DEWA, from 23 - 25 October at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event’s activities will focus on promoting community awareness of environmental citizenship and its importance in achieving sustainable development. It will also focus on its beneficial impact on maintaining health, improving living standards and reducing poverty, securing new jobs, and on protecting the environment through the conservation of natural resources, as well as on reducing the causes of climate change, the number and severity of natural disasters resulting from global warming, and the toxic effect of acid rain and the accumulation of harmful waste. Environmental citizenship will also protect endangered species, fish, and water from pollution, contributing to food security and increasing the productivity of agricultural crops as a result of the elimination of chemical and gas contaminants.

A growing global trend towards reliance on renewable energy

WETEX 2018 comes in line with the vision of the UAE’s wise leadership to accommodate global trends that are shifting towards green energy, reinforcing the transformation towards a green economy. According to the annual report of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) for 2018, the increase in the proportion of direct and indirect jobs in the renewable energy sector worldwide is 5.3% in 2017 compared to 1.1% in 2016. In addition, the number of employees in the field of renewable energy, including in the hydropower sector, reached 10.3 million for the first time in 2017, compared with 9.8 million in the previous year.

With the 22.3% global solar capacity increase to 94 gigawatts (GW) in 2017 compared to 73 GW in 2016, the solar photovoltaic (PV) sector accounted for the strongest expansion in renewable energy jobs in 2017, with a total of about 3.4 million jobs, a 9% increase compared to 2016, followed by biofuel at about 2 million jobs, wind energy at around 1.1 million jobs, and the solar heating/cooling sector at more than 800,000 jobs. The report predicts that the number of jobs in the renewable energy sector will increase from 10.3 million in 2017 to 23.6 million by 2030 and to 28.8 million by 2050, while the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix is expected to double.

These figures, and other related statistics, reveal the same fact: the future is in renewable energy and the transformation towards green energy solutions. This is because the extensive damage caused to the environment from excessive traditional energy sources such as fossil fuels, produce most of the carbon emissions that are polluting the environment and are harmful to all life forms; leading to climate change.

The largest edition in the history of the exhibition

“In line with our pivotal role of advancing sustainability and sustainable development in Dubai and the UAE, and in accordance with the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, we are working towards strengthening national efforts in the field of green energy. This is accomplished by organising WETEX 2018 on an estimated area over 78,000 square meters at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, with the participation of about 2,100 exhibitors from 53 countries, under the theme ‘At the forefront of sustainability’. Green energy solutions and techniques will attract the attention of exhibitors and visitors during the exhibition, thus confirming Dubai's leading role in highlighting the importance of green energy around the world. WETEX 2018, the largest edition since its inception 20 years ago, will be held under the umbrella of the Green Week, in conjunction with the third Dubai Solar Show, and the fifth World Green Economy Summit (WGES). It will feature leading international experts and speakers in the green economy, smart, innovation, and sustainable development fields,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

Dubai Solar Show

Al Tayer stressed that the third Dubai Solar Show, the region's largest solar energy exhibition, held in conjunction with WETEX 2018 covers over an area of 14,000 square metres and follows the success of the previous edition. The Solar Show confirms the UAE’s leadership on the reliance of clean energy, green economy, and green energy, as well as on the adoption of sustainability concepts in the environmental, social, and economic aspects across the region.