The Emirati Housing development in Yas Island, a key project under the Abu Dhabi Government’s Housing Programmes for the UAE Nationals, is gaining momentum for its solar street lighting system with an advanced green technology that proved to be 100 per cent sustainable and didn’t require maintenance during operation of the system for two years continuously.

The Scotia vertical solar poles and dimming control system in the Yas Island housing development is the-first-of-its-kind in the Middle East region in terms of achieving self-sufficient status in energy consumption and zero maintenance. This system ensures reduction of 80 per cent CO2 emission and reduction of infrastructure and cabling cost, in addition to its dimming capabilities. The project was commissioned in 2014 and now runs for two years with unfailing performance, zero-maintenance and non-cleaning requirement in an environment of constant climatic changes with sandstorms and humidity.

Bahri & Mazroei Trading Company (BMTC) implemented the solution meeting the Abu Dhabi Government’s concept of sustainability, flexibility and prevention of factors that contribute to climate change. The community consists of 488 villas based on the traditional ‘Fareej’ neighbourhood concept and corresponding infrastructure as per world-class quality standards.

Commenting on the project, Esam R Al Mazroei, Vice Chairman of Bahri & Mazroei Group, said, “We are proud to be associated with the Yas Island’s Emirati Housing development, one of the region’s largest sustainable projects that is developed in line with the strategies of the Abu Dhabi government. We started installing system for the project two years ago. Since we installed it, the solar vertical poles didn’t require any kind of maintenance or cleaning service. This is a real achievement as it happened in a city with constantly changing climatic conditions. The Scotia solar poles set new benchmark in modern, environment-friendly solar lighting solutions.”

Casper Slumstrup, CEO of Scotia, said, “The system delivers 100 per cent innovative lighting with green technology and solar power solutions. The batteries are fully charged by midday, allowing minimum activity in the hottest part of the day. These masts have not been cleaned since the initial installation two years ago, and showing no fall-off in yield – demonstrating the dramatic advantages of vertical solar in maintenance cycles, when compared to the older ‘flat-top’ designs.”

“The Scotia vertical Monopole System is a range of solar powered street masts with high yield, low maintenance and vertically integrated photovoltaic energy generation system for lighting and smart infrastructure. The system with powerful control and efficient energy management mechanism has extensive capabilities for diverse applications and smart city technologies,” he added.

BMTC has also provided the Abu Dhabi Government with sustainable lighting solutions and expertise for various projects like Yas Island infrastructure development, South Shamkha Development, Saadiyat Island Infrastructure Development, Yas Island Emirati neighbourhood and Sheikh Zayed Road-Abu Dhabi.