Gulf Construction Online - Show aims to power sustainable solutions

Expo News

Show aims to power sustainable solutions

01 September 2010

NEXT year’s Middle East Electricity will highlight cost-effective and sustainable lighting solutions for commercial concerns, which have seen their utility bills rise exorbitantly.

The exhibition takes place at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, UAE, from February 8 to 10, 2011.
With utility bills for commercial buildings throughout the UAE rising by over 50 per cent in the last two years, many companies are installing energy-saving bulbs, timers and sensors that can cut electricity costs by up to 80 per cent and reduce carbon emissions.
Furthermore designers and developers throughout the region are now including cost-effective and sustainable lighting solutions in many of the estimated $2.8 trillion worth of construction projects under way in the GCC to comply with Leed (green building) standards and to position developments favourably in a crowded and highly competitive commercial and office real estate market.
Anita Mathews, exhibition director of Middle East Electricity, says it is the financial as well as environmental issues that are driving energy-efficient lighting solutions.
“Energy-saving light bulbs use up to 80 per cent less electricity than conventional bulbs as well as saving an average of 9 kg of CO2 per year per fitting,” she says. “LED lighting, meanwhile, can save up to 70 per cent in electricity costs. In addition, timers and movement sensors are increasingly being installed in commercial buildings to save electricity when rooms are unoccupied and corridors are empty. The potential savings for industry from lighting alone is colossal.”
Manufacturers are also investing heavily in research and development to produce smart technology to primarily help reduce running costs of lighting in all areas both inside and outside. They also reduce carbon emissions, so it has universal appeal to governments and organisations which are environmentally aware and take responsibility for their carbon footprint.
“Just imagine the potential savings for a manufacturing facility,” says Mathews. “This is a relatively untapped but growing market in the Middle East, as governments and business look for sustainable alternatives.”
Middle East Electricity, the region’s largest trade show for the power and energy sector is now in its 36th year. Rated by both visitors and exhibitors as the leading energy event of its kind in the world, Middle East Electricity is the only proven trade show to attract 6,500 unique key decision-makers from all over the world, making it an integral part of the exhibition.
Overall, Middle East Electricity is recognised as the region’s international meeting place for the power industry with the 2010 show featuring almost 1,000 exhibitors with an attendance of 49,000 visitors from 105 countries. The key sectors of the show include power generation, transmission and distribution; commercial, industrial and residential lighting; water; new and renewable; and nuclear energy. Almost 70 per cent of exhibition space has already been sold for next year’s event.
Middle East Electricity is organised by IIR Middle East, the largest trade and consumer event business in the region with a portfolio of more than 40 events across a variety of industries. IIR Middle East is part of Informa, the largest publicly-owned organiser of conferences and courses in the world with more than 10,000 events annually.