Smart lab to help UAE go solar, monitor pollution
The lab aims to protect the environment by monitoring and analysing information accurately.” Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment
dubai — The Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment (MoCCAE) has launched an ‘Artificial Intelligence Laboratory’ at its headquarters in Dubai. The lab utilises artificial intelligence techniques to identify concentrated solar energy locations, and monitor and analyse levels and sources of air pollutants in the country.
The lab was built in collaboration with the Khalifa University of Science and Technology and International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).
Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “The laboratory aims to protect the local environment by monitoring and analysing the available information accurately and using it in making the right decisions.”
The laboratory includes three main systems: Real-time maps of solar photovoltaic locations in the UAE and a solar simulation system; an environmental monitoring system, which includes realtime monitoring and forecasting and a marine environment monitoring system.
Solar photovoltaic maps and the solar simulation system contribute to optimal location planning for the use of solar panels for power generation, contributing to the mapping of an integrated system of the best locations for solar power plants.
The environmental monitoring system, which includes real-time monitoring and forecasting, provides satellite data on the concentrations of air pollutants and air quality index data. It also includes mapping images showing hourly concentrations of air pollutants and their direction in the UAE.
The marine environment monitoring system has been developed to predict the quality of marine water in coastal areas of the UAE. This tool utilises data provided daily by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) satellites to produce a daily assessment of water quality conditions of the country’s coast.