Published: 18:19 October 6, 2017 
Dubai: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) launched a new project, as part of the Shams Dubai initiative, to install solar carports at authority’s headquarters and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment building.
The project is part of Dewa’s efforts to increase reliance on clean energy, and support Dubai’s smart transformation, in line with its vision to become a sustainable, innovative world-class utility.
Dewa is currently working on this project, which aims to generate electricity, using photovoltaic (PV) panels, connected to Dewa’s network, in the parking lots at the two sites, with a total of 902 parking spaces.
The Dewa parking lot will have a capacity of 1,780 kilowatts (kW), and that of ministry’s building will generate 220KW, together generating around 2,750 MWp (megawatt peak), equivalent to reducing about 1,500 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dewa, said: “The Solar Carports project, in Dewa’s headquarters and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment is part of our efforts to encourage the public to benefit from Shams Dubai. This supports the Smart Dubai initiative, launched by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world, and achieve the objectives of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to make Dubai a global hub for clean energy and green economy by providing 7 per cent of its total energy from clean energy sources by 2020, 25 per cent by 2030 and 75 per cent by 2050.”
“The reduction of the carbon footprint in Dubai and the UAE is a national duty, and we must cooperate to protect the environment, and preserve our natural resources,” added Al Tayer.
Al Tayer stressed that Dewa has completed linking its network with 450 residential and commercial buildings, with a total capacity of about 17.7MW, through Shams Dubai. Dewa is also working to link all buildings in the emirate by 2030.
“The Solar Carports and other such projects under Shams Dubai highlight Dewa’s commitment to provide ease for all stakeholders, and encourage government buildings to use clean energy and transform them into sustainable buildings. We aim to spread the experience to a large number of people and private buildings in Dubai, supporting national efforts to reduce carbon footprint and increase the proportion of solar energy in the environment-friendly energy mix in Dubai,” said Waleed Salman, executive vice-president of Business Development and Excellence at Dewa.
