Abstract
The green building rating system within the sustainability framework of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Pearl Rating System (PRS), similar to most international rating systems such as LEED, considers several strategies, regulations, and policies to improve the energy and water performance in buildings. However, the applicability of considering water as part of energy or the fact that the utilization of energy mandates the usage of water seems unexplored and is not yet included in any of the existing building rating systems. A unified approach of water and energy resources is thus vital for future considerations in energy policy, planning, and the inclusion of the same in the sustainability rating systems. This paper investigated, as a case study, the prospects of water–energy nexus in the prevailing UAE green building rating system—PRS—to uncover whether any water conservation strategy has an adverse effect on energy and vice versa. The review revealed that the major shortcomings of the PRS in terms of water–energy nexus strategy are the usage of reference codes that are not suitable for the UAE’s climate and geographical conditions, inexistent synergy between some credit categories, the oversight of rebound effects, and a need for credit reassessment. The paper also recommends that any proposed strategy to realign credit categories in terms of the water–energy nexus with the potential risk to also have a hidden negative rebound effect that researchers and practitioners should identify lest the water–energy tradeoff brings unprecedented repercussions. The theoretical analysis establishes that the bifurcating management of water and energy in the sustainability rating system and energy policy needs to be revisited in order to reap more sustainable and optimum results that are environmentally, ecologically, and financially consistent.
Highlights
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), similar to many fast-growing economies, has been indexed as one of the countries producing the highest carbon footprints in the world [1,2]
This paper examined how the integrated approach of the nexus in the Pearl Rating System (PRS) can serve its purpose to align with the global need for energy conservation, the mitigation of climate change, and the reduction of CO2 emissions
Theoretical analysis revealed four major shortcomings within the Pearl Rating System. They can be generally categorized as the usage of reference codes that are non-compliant with the UAE’s geography and climate conditions, non-synergy between few categories, oversight of certain rebound effects, and, the need for credit reassessment
Summary
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), similar to many fast-growing economies, has been indexed as one of the countries producing the highest carbon footprints in the world [1,2]. Researchers have revealed that electricity consumption has doubled in the last ten years, and the main contributing factor to this surge is attributed to rapid urbanization, population, and economic growth in the country [3]. Statistics have revealed that the country’s domestic electricity consumption is in the range of. The UAE, whose climate conditions are harsher than other desert regions in the world, has an insignificant amount of fresh water—97% of its water needs are produced through desalination, Energies 2020, 13, 5284; doi:10.3390/en13205284 www.mdpi.com/journal/energies
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