Satellite-based precipitation products are becoming available at very high temporal and spatial resolutions, which has accelerated their use in various hydro-meteorological and hydro-climatological applications. Because the quantitative accuracy of such products is affected by numerous factors related to atmospheric and terrain properties, validating them over different regions and environments is needed. This study investigated the performance of two high-resolution global satellite-based precipitation products: the climate prediction center MORPHing technique (CMORPH) and the latest version of the Integrated Multi-SatellitE Retrievals for the Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) algorithm (IMERG), V06, over the United Arab Emirates from 2010 through 2018. The estimates of the products and that of 71 in situ rain gauges distributed across the country were compared by employing several common quantitative, categorical, and graphical statistical measures at daily, event-duration, and annual temporal scales, and at the station and study area spatial scales. Both products perform quite well in rainfall detection (above 70%), but report rainfall not observed by the rain gauges at an alarming rate (more than 30%), especially for light rain (lower quartile). However, for moderate and intense (upper quartiles) rainfall rates, performance is much better. Because both products are highly correlated with rain gauge observations (mostly above 0.7), the satellite rainfall estimates can probably be significantly improved by removing the bias. Overall, the CMORPH and IMERG estimates demonstrate great potential for filling spatial gaps in rainfall observations, in addition to improving the temporal resolution. However, further improvement is required, regarding the overestimation and underestimation of small and large rainfall amounts, respectively.

Meeting electricity demand in remote communities and non-electrified regions in the poor developing world is a challenge. Power generation is in shortage compared to electricity demand. Electric utilities either would enforce grid's zonal load curtailment or not electrify regions. Controlling electricity demand can play a vital role in enabling electricity access; however, weather uncertainty drives electricity demand variability. This paper provides an overview of current demand side management research, identify research gaps and propose a more promising approach to enable electricity access. Also, it proposes manipulating appliances models to fit their operation in applications where power supply shortage is an issue such. The proposed work considers the effect of the probabilistic nature of weather and meeting AC grid codes of operation.

Planning photovoltaic (PV) power systems integration into the grid necessitates accurate modelling of renewable power generation. Global solar irradiance, weather temperature and PV power losses due to overheating specifically in hot regimes are major factors contributing to PV power generation uncertainty. This study targets demonstrating the effectiveness of deploying advanced five parameter probabilistic distribution 'Wakeby' for modelling PV uncertain power generation, measured as a function of such factors, in power system planning applications. The impact of different approaches for incorporating weather temperature on PV energy estimation is studied. Wakeby-Monte Carlo Simulation for PV power data training with an emphasis on MCS stopping criteria for such advanced distribution is presented. The model is tested and verified in 31-bus distribution system to demonstrate its effectiveness over other literature uncertainty modelling approaches when planning integration of PV systems' integration into the grid to minimise the grid losses cost. Real PV power measurements are utilised as benchmark verifying the accuracy and suitability of the presented uncertainty modelling approach. Simulation results demonstrate a small error of $4.7 in the expected annual cost of grid losses when deploying Wakeby model compared to the benchmark case and that error can vary significantly when deploying other PV models. Γ ω Gamma function of ω α, , , δ, ɛ five parameters of Wakeby distribution K, µ, σ three parameters of general extreme value distribution voltage angle

In this study, indoor water use at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) was assessed for three years (2016, 2017, and 2018). A geographic information system (GIS) was employed to determine where water use is high within the university, when and why water is used, who uses it, and how to minimize its usage. Diverse data were employed to elucidate the broad patterns of university water use. It was assumed that water use is directly proportional to the number of students and is lower during winter. The relationship between water use and number of students in academic buildings was modeled using least squares regression. The results indicate a low correlation between water use and the number of students, possibly due to the centralized usage of academic buildings and movement of students between them. The hypothesis of activity-driven consumption indicated that most water use occurred in residential buildings (47.5%), averaging 81.7 L per person per day (LPD). This value is lower than the metrics for dormitories in the United States (121 LPD) and Europe (143 LPD). A survey of 412 students revealed that half the respondents were not aware of water issues. Most of them (87%) preferred to drink bottled water and were not willing to use gray water for flushing (56%) or urinals (60%). The findings of this study will improve the understanding of university water use which will facilitate the development of effective water conservation policies and the establishment of such practices among the next generation.

Current water demands are adequately satisfied in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the available water resources. However, the changing climate and growing water demand pose a great challenge for water resources managers in the country. Hence, there is a great need for management strategies and policies to use the most accurate information regarding water availability. Understanding the frequency and the short- and long-term trends of the precipitation by employing high-resolution data in both the spatial and temporal domains can provide invaluable information. This study examines the long-term precipitation trends over the UAE using 17 years of data from three of the most highly cited satellite-based precipitation products and rain gauge data observed at 18 stations. The UAE received, on average, 42, 51, and 120 wet hours in a year in the 21st century as recorded by CMORPH, PERSIANN, and IMERG, respectively. The results show that the areal average annual precipitation of the UAE is significantly lower in the early 21st century than that of the late 20th century, even though it shows an increasing trend by all the products. The Mann–Kendall trend test showed positive trends in six rain gauge stations and negative trends in two stations out of 18 stations, all of which are located in the wetter eastern part of the UAE. Results indicate that satellite products have great potential for improving the spatial aspects of rainfall frequency analysis and can complement rain gauge data to develop rainfall intensity–duration–frequency curves in a very dry region, where the installation of dense rain gauge networks is not feasible.