The new tool aims to ensure ‘no one is left behind’ during the transition to a future powered by renewable and clean energy

The Abu Dhabi Department of Energy’s (DoE) commitment to leave no one behind as it works to support the transition of the UAE capital’s energy sector is one of the key elements the DoE is highlighting as it takes part in GITEX Technology Week 2021, currently underway in Dubai, under the umbrella of Abu Dhabi Digital Authority.

The DoE is showcasing the Abu Dhabi Socioeconomic Module – part of the Integrated Energy Model or ‘Energy Cube’ and one of several modules within the Model. The Module creates a structure for assessing the impact of energy sector policies on various socioeconomic factors, enabling DoE to find the policies that deliver the most beneficial results for the community.

“The Socioeconomic Module allows the Energy Cube to generate a range of socioeconomic outputs, such as Gross Domestic Product, including energy sector GDP and non-energy sector GDP, employment levels, and inflation among many others. It develops the DoE’s capacity to assess the socioeconomic impact of alternative energy policies and supports alignment and coordination of the socioeconomic outputs with the sector stakeholders,” said DoE Undersecretary His Excellency Eng. Mohammad Juma bin Jarsh Al Falasi.

“The Socioeconomic Module is a tool that will help support and inform the policy planning process in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and will be both based on and informed by global economic modelling”, H.E. continued, noting that the Module will be used internally by DoE personnel, who have received extensive training in incorporating socioeconomic metrics into policymaking.

“The Socioeconomic Module will play a vital role in the DoE’s mission to transition to a future marked by renewables and clean energy, supporting the Emirate’s position in the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, which in turn aims to increase the contribution of clean energy in the total energy mix to help reduce the carbon footprint of power generation. The Module’s ability to measure the social and economic impact of various energy scenarios could be part of this journey and will help in the formulation of policies that ensure holistic impact assessment and steer the government agenda towards the benefit of the community, economy, and environment” added His Excellency.

DoE is participating at GITEX Technology Week 2021 under the umbrella of the Abu Dhabi Digital Authority, where it will be showcasing a number of its initiatives to ration energy and water consumption, including the Integrated Water Management Module, which is another newly developed module from the Energy Cube. This Module enhances the techno-economic modeling of the Emirate’s water system, covering desalinated water, recycled water, and groundwater.

Furthermore, DoE showcased its Energy and Water Consumption Heat Map Dashboard – a tool that provides a geospatial overview of energy and water consumption in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.