Abu Dhabi: Founded in honour of the principles held by the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Zayed Future Energy Prize has helped to support several environmental initiatives around the world — benefiting more than 202 million people — with the winners of the prize voicing their gratitude for the occasion of Zayed Humanitarian Day.
Zayed Humanitarian Day, which falls on the 19th day of Ramadan — the day Shaikh Zayed passed away — is to honour the memory of Shaikh Zayed and the humanitarian work and policies he made during his lifetime.
Key among those policies was the protection of the environment. As such, the Zayed Future Energy Prize was announced in 2008 to uphold and preserve that legacy of Shaikh Zayed.
“The UAE leadership wanted to create an international prize that would continue the legacy of the late Shaikh Zayed. And, through its five categories, the prize reflects Shaikh Zayed’s belief that all sections of society must be involved if we are to achieve a sustainable future for all,” said Dr Nawal Al Hosany, Director of the Zayed Future Energy Prize.
“One of the things that stands out about the Zayed Future Energy Prize is the transformative platform that it offers the winners. Not a week goes by without one of our former winners gaining more recognition for the work they are doing, and this says a lot about the positive impact of the prize,” she added.
Al Hosany noted that the Zayed Future Energy Prize was playing a critical role for the future when it comes to clean and sustainable energy.
“The prize is the UAE’s international award for pioneers of a sustainable energy future and it really is unique in that it requires impact, innovation, leadership and long-term vision from its winners. This uniqueness is, in part, driven by the UAE’s commitment to achieving sustainable global development — a commitment that is driven at its core by a desire to take action now for a more prosperous tomorrow.
“Through the prize, the UAE is rewarding demonstrated solutions that address energy security, energy access and environmental sustainability, while fostering a community that encourages sustainable energy innovation among current and future generations,” she added.
Al Hosany also mentioned that the organisation was looking to expand its reach and impact.
“We want the prize to continue to inspire the next generation of thought leaders and entrepreneurs through its Global High Schools category. Already, young people are responsible for leading the change towards a sustainable future. So, supporting them and aiding their development is very important and reinforces another critical component of the legacy of Shaikh Zayed,” she said.
How the winners of the Zayed Future Prize are transforming lives
Ewa Wojkowska — Founder and Managing Director
Kopernik (Indonesia): 2016 Non-profit Organisation Winner of the Zayed Future Energy Prize
“Since winning the Zayed Future Energy Prize in January, Kopernik has expanded its Wonder Women technology distribution programme into five new locations, making more clean energy technologies available to people living in remote parts of Indonesia.
“Our Wonder Women programme actually places women at the centre of that mission. We recognised that women were in a perfect position to distribute these technologies to a larger network of communities. Women are the main users and advocates for the technologies — mainly household products like solar lights, water filters and biomass cookstoves — so they are invaluable in sharing the benefits of the technologies. So, the Wonder Women programme provides the technologies and necessary training such as account keeping, marketing and sales to the women so they are empowered to run their own businesses selling the products to their peer, family and community networks.
“We have also expanded our technology offering to include clean energy agricultural processing tools to serve smallholder farmers who currently lack access to technology. The farmers currently sell raw produce at a very low price. The clean energy agricultural processing technology will enable the farmers to add value to their produce and sell it at a much higher price.”
Dikirani Thaulo — Student
Nkhata Bay School Authority (Malawi) — Global High Schools Winner 2014 (Africa Region)
“Winning the Zayed Future Energy Prize and the establishment of the Zayed Solar Academy have given me the opportunity to be trained as a solar technician and as a solar teacher and to interact and learn from experts in the renewable energy field both in Malawi and internationally.
“The Zayed Future Energy Prize has enabled me to travel and speak at the United Nations SE4ALL (Sustainable Energy for All) conference in New York, the COP21 (Conference of Parties or the Paris Climate Conference in 2015) and the Abu Dhabi Sustainable Energy Week in Abu Dhabi.
“The prize has given me opportunities I could never have had, has given me a means to support myself and my mother. The Zayed Future Energy Prize has changed my life and the possibilities for Malawians forever.
“My aim for the future is to go further with my education on renewable energy so that I can have an impact throughout Africa. Shaikh Zayed is an inspiration to me and to the whole of Malawi, his vision of changing the world and his good leadership and promoting renewable energy is a model of what is possible for Malawi and for all developing countries.”
Graham Smith, Vice-President of Business Development
Off Grid Electric, Tanzania, 2016 SME Winner
“The award has been transformative in our growth as a company — helping to drive us forward and highlighting our work in an entirely new way. It will allow us to continue creating new jobs for Tanzanians, to continue training our staff to better serve our customers, and to continue expanding our reach towards every corner of the country.
“In January, alongside winning the Zayed Future Energy Prize, we officially launched commercial operations in Rwanda. In addition to our continued growth in Tanzania, the entry into a new market is an incredible milestone for Off Grid Electric. After completing a pilot towards the end of 2015, this became our first expansion and (it is a) concrete proof that the model can be translated and transported from Tanzania to other countries.
“The Zayed Future Energy Prize has given us a global platform to share our vision of bringing modern energy to those most in need.”
Mike Doyle, Teacher
Waterford Kamhlaba — 2015 Global High Schools Africa Region Winner (Swaziland)
“We are able to demonstrate energy efficiency, energy reduction, solar thermal and PV, wind power and biomass. While all of the projects are small scale, they are highly visible and have a created excellent awareness among the student body and wider Waterford community. We have also been able to establish a community service group that educates other learners on climate change and renewable energy.
“Going forward, we have tabled a proposal to our Governing Council for a full carbon neutrality project. This is part of the Global 1,000 Schools Project which I developed last year, by which we aim to make 1,000 schools carbon neutral, without any expense to the schools. Understanding that the primary focus of a school is education and not business means, surplus funds are generally invested into education of learners.
“Winning the Zayed Future Energy prize has also allowed us to interact with bodies such as the European Union and the UNDP. Currently, we are looking at developing scale-up programmes with them for other schools in Swaziland.”
The biggest standout things on Shaikh Zayed are that he had the long-term vision and that his family has continued the legacy, Doyle said.
