United Development Company (UDC), the master developer of The Pearl Island and Gewan Island, has received the ‘Sustainable Energy Management Award’ during the recently held Tarsheed Energy Efficiency Forum 2023.
The Tarsheed awards recognise local companies and institutions in Qatar that excel in achieving optimal water and electricity consumption targets. UDC was honoured for its commitment to sustainable operations and energy-efficient building management, which focused on enhancing energy efficiency, optimal system utilisation, reducing reactive maintenance, use of intelligence systems, intelligence sensors, and sustainability through its district cooling system powered by Qatar Cool, a subsidiary of UDC.
This recognition underscores UDC’s unwavering commitment to creating a more sustainable and energy-efficient future, being at the forefront of adopting reliable, flexible, and sustainable district cooling systems, in alignment with Qatar’s National Climate Change Action Plan.
As part of its ambitious goals, UDC aims to cut nearly 12% of carbon emissions by 2026, transitioning its owned buildings to renewable energy and highly energy-efficient solutions. This includes demonstrated reductions in embodied carbon emissions.
The winning project showcased by UDC, the ‘Qanat Quartier Building Management System, and Building Retrofitting’ project, focuses on providing an energy management system for electricity and water and cooling systems. The project’s key performance indicators prioritised building comfort, indoor air quality, equipment availability, and energy optimisation.
Results from the project demonstrate significant improvements in building comfort, with a 4% increase, maintaining it at an impressive 99.4%. Equipment availability saw a remarkable 7% improvement, reaching 96.2%. Reactive alerts in the field experienced a notable 58% reduction, and the response time for critical faults improved by 75%. The project achieved a quarterly QR200,000-avoided energy cost from the connected buildings.
UDC’s success in the Tarsheed Energy Efficiency Forum 2023 reaffirms its commitment to pioneering sustainable practices and setting new benchmarks in energy efficiency within the real estate sector.
Among the most prominent initiatives launched by UDC last year was to plant trees for every new employee who joins the company and successively for every five years spent at UDC. The initiative aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the air and maximise the island’s green spaces, which currently house 7,700 trees compensating for almost 197 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Recently, UDC implemented an award-winning smart LED lighting system that operates solely on solar power for both public and private beaches. The system is made up of almost 80% recycled materials, ensuring sustainable procurement. UDC converted all communal area lighting to smart LED technology, resulting in a 35% decrease in energy consumption and efficient energy management.
UDC’s commitment extends to sustainable commuting options. The company offers a hybrid plug-in limousine service that reduces urban heating and greenhouse gas emissions by an impressive 65%, providing a luxurious and sustainable transportation experience. UDC aims to lead Qatar’s modern transportation by transitioning 50% of its fleet from gasoline to electric vehicles. The promotion of micro-mobility is evident in the region’s first fully electric water taxi on The Pearl Island, minimising underwater noise and preserving marine ecosystems.
In support of sustainable commuting, UDC encourages the use of e-scooters and bikes through dedicated lanes. The company has installed four electric vehicle chargers to facilitate the use of electric vehicles and reduce urban heating. Additionally, UDC has established climatised metrolink bus stops, in collaboration with Mowasalat Qatar, enhancing public transportation experiences in line with sustainable practices.
UDC proudly operates the world’s largest District Cooling plant at The Pearl Island, delivering eco-friendly cooling to the community while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Powered by UDC subsidiary Qatar Cool, this plant has been a key contributor to environmental conservation.
Since 2010, the plant has saved an impressive 1.7bn KWH in energy, resulting in the removal of over 950mn kg of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. To put this impact into perspective, it’s equivalent to eliminating over 182,000 cars from our roads or planting more than 11mn mature trees enough to cover 32,000 football grounds.
There is no doubt that green spaces are crucial to UDC’s carbon reduction efforts, as well as the nation's mission in combating climate change, and supporting the Ministry of Municipality efforts means increasing the total number of integrated parks. In doing so, UDC has increased its park and green spaces from just five parks in 2020 to nine parks in 2022.
UDC’s range of green spaces allows visitors and residents to enjoy clean air quality, and engage in a healthy lifestyle, with the dedicated routes for walking, jogging, and cycling, such as The Pearl Island Community Garden and Duck Lake, among others.
UDC was honoured for its commitment to sustainable operations and energy-efficient building management.
