The
firm hopes to fully supply all residential units on the man-made island
with solar energy in the next five years as part of its goals under the
umbrella of its sustainable development initiative Blue Communities,
Abdulrahman Kalantar, managing director of Design and Development at
Nakheel
, told Emirates Business.
Speaking
on the sidelines of the 2008 World Summit on Innovation and
Entrepreneurship (WSIE) in Dubai, Kalantar said: "We're currently
studying a lot of options, one of them being how to maximise the use of
solar energy. Solar has been a proven technology all around the world,
but the applications and uses are very limited in Dubai. We have plenty
of sun and we have to know how to use that energy.
"The idea
is still under study and we have to make sure it's feasible before we
put in on the market. It's very difficult to give a deadline but we
have a very ambitious plan," he said.
Kalantar added the
company plans to meet the goal of supplying completely solar-powered
homes within the five-year timeframe set for Blue Communities' Dh500
million fund. He did not disclose the costs of implementing the project
as plans are still under study.
Nakheel
in January more than doubled the initial Dh200 million budget marked
for the development initiative, to be used during the next five years.
The
funding is set to support research on sustainable development,
construction, management and governance of coastal communities around
the world.
Blue Communities was first launched under the
direction of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, with
the aim of resulting in the formation of new standards for coastal
developments.
Under the scheme, international and local experts will establish a set of standards for developers working on coastal projects.
Nakheel
is building a number of coastal and offshore developments in Dubai,
including the three Palm projects, The World, Dubai Waterfront, and the
recently announced Universe project.
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