Dark sky accreditation: Red Sea Project uses smart light systems

    03 Jun 2021

    All Red Sea Project assets, including resorts, hotels and facilities, run through smart control systems that allow enough light as needed while being careful to save energy consumption and reduce waste, said for Arab News Myriam Yaniz, director of lighting management at the company.

    Red Sea Project is using the technology as it looks to be certified as an International Dark Sky Place by the International Dark Sky Association.

    The company reviews different scenarios to know the adequate amount of lighting required during different times of the day and during the different seasons, Yaniz told Al Eqtisadiyah paper, during the World’s Earth Day celebration on Thursday.

    “At the design stage and during the first meeting of any destination project, our night vision is conveyed to our team of consultants and provided with our list of criteria to ensure that the work is carried out accordingly,” she said.

    About the project

    Red Sea Project is a land and property development on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast announced by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in July 2017.

    It’s planned to be established on the Saudi Arabian Red Sea coast. The project is focused on tourism, hoping to attract tourists to visit and explore the Saudi western coast.

    The mega project is expected to increase the Saudi GDP by $5.86 billion per year upon completion, when it will cover 28,000 km2 of islands, beaches, desert, mountains and volcanic areas.

    The first phase is expected to be completed by 2022 when 3,000 hotel rooms will be constructed along with an airport, marina and recreation centers.

    The project is led by the Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC). It’s expected to attract one million people every year. Upon completion, the project will create 70,000 new jobs.

    Ecological considerations

    The project is planned in a way that considers the natural ecosystem of the area. Thus, a number of policies have been developed in this regards as follows:

    ·        No waste-to-landfill

    ·        No discharges to the sea

    ·        No use of single use plastic

    ·        Achieving a 100% carbon neutrality.However, the project raises new challenges about water consumption, as Saudi Arabia consumes each year four times the water that is naturally renewed, while the resorts will use more than 56,000 cubic meters of water per day. Power is to be supplied by 210 MW of solar and wind power, with fluctuations balanced by a 1000 MWh battery.

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