Dewa seeks to extend success of Shams Dubai initiative

Project aims to support transformation of Dubai into a green economy

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has again invited Dubai’s citizens and residents to benefit from the Shams Dubai smart initiative, following the outstanding success and the great adoption rate the initiative has achieved since its launch.

Shams Dubai encourages Dewa customers to instal photovoltaic panels on the roofs of their premises to generate solar energy and pass on any excess to the power grid.

This is part of Dewa’s effort to promote Dubai’s sustainable and comprehensive development, and to support national efforts to increase reliance on clean energy, protect the environment and natural resources sustainably, and to support further transformation towards a green economy.

Shams Dubai gives Dubai’s residents the opportunity to transform their buildings into sustainable ones, reduce the Emirate’s carbon footprint, and increase the proportion of solar power in Dubai’s environmentallyfriendly energy mix. Through this initiative, community members will promote sustainable development in Dubai and transform the Emirate into a global hub for clean energy and green economy, and support the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 launched by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VicePresident and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which targets a 7 per cent share for clean energy in Dubai’s total power output by 2020, 25 per cent by 2030, and 75 per cent by 2050. This will also support the Smart Dubai initiative launched by Shaikh Mohammad “to make Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world”, said Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dewa.

Direct benefits

“Shams Dubai allows customers to avoid using very expensive power storage systems by connecting the photovoltaic panels to the network. Furthermore, the surplus power will be exported to Dewa’s grid, which will be deducted from the customers’ future bill,” he said

Apart from providing those direct benefits to electricity customers, and increasing the value of buildings where solar photovoltaic systems are installed, Shams Dubai has been instrumental to the development of the flourishing solar industry in Dubai, and supports the longterm Green Economy for Sustainable Development initiative to build a green economy in the UAE. “Moreover, Shams Dubai contributes to the UAE Vision 2021, to make the UAE one of the best countries in the world by 2021, and namely to its sustainable environment and infrastructure objectives, through the improvement of air quality and increasing the share of clean energy,” added Al Tayer.

Al Tayer praised the efforts of institutions and individuals who have participated in Shams Dubai and have already installed photovoltaic panels on 435 buildings with a total capacity of 15.6 megawatts (MW). This will increase in the future to eventually cover all buildings in the emirate by 2030.

The pioneers

“The customers’ solar photovoltaic systems connected to Dewa’s grid so far include, among others, the rooftop of the employees’ building at Dubai World Central — Al Maktoum International Airport, which was the first Shams Dubai project with a capacity of 30 kilowatts at peak load [kWp], the 1 megawatt at peak load [MWp] carport installation at Emirates Engine Maintenance Centre in Warsan, a number of Dubai Municipality buildings, including the 260kWp carport at Al Ghusais Park, the 1,210kWp installation at the Engineer’s Office’s water pumping station at Al Qudra, the 126kWp canopy at Enoc petrol station near Dubai Internet City, and a number of villas at the Sustainable City,” said Al Tayer.