Consumers provide solar power to Dubai electricity grid

Dubai - Dewa is also collaborating with 18 government entities to connect 37 projects with a total capacity of 279kW which can produce about 445MWh annually.

Consumers who installed solar panels on their rooftops are now exporting electricity to the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) grid.
According to Dewa, a total of 30 photovoltaic systems have been installed and six of them are connected to Dubai's electricity network. The electricity is used onsite and the surplus is exported to Dewa's grid.
The programme is part of the Shams Dubai Initiative (Shams is Arabic for "sun") that was launched March last year to encourage Dubai residents to utilise solar energy to augment their energy sources.
One of the key projects completed and connected to Dewa's grid is a 1.5 megawatt direct current (MWdc) photovoltaic generation project at Jebel Ali Power Station. It is one of the largest single-rooftop arrays in the Middle East and North Africa. The Dewa installed 5,240 photovoltaic panels on the 23,000 square-metre roof of the water reservoir and the project helps reduce 1,600 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
Dewa also connected a 1MW project at Emirates Engine Maintenance Centre in Warsan. The installed system includes 2,990 photovoltaic panels on the rooftop of the centre's car park, which spans over 8,000 square metres. The system generates about 1,900 MWh of electricity annually.
Dewa has also connected a photovoltaic system at Premier Composite Technologies in Dubai Investment Park, with a capacity of 200 kilowatts (kW), which equals over 320MWh of electricity production every year. Photovoltaic systems were also installed on the rooftop of Jumeirah World Trade Centre Residence with a capacity of 31.1kW, which equals 46MWh of electricity every year, using 102 photovoltaic panels over 247 square metres.
Moreover, Dewa connected a photovoltaic system to Dubai Municipality's building in Al Kifaf with a capacity of 12kW, which equals 17MWh of electricity every year. One of the first projects implemented as part of Shams Dubai was the installation of 30kW capacity on the rooftop of the Employee Gate at Al Maktoum International Airport.
Dewa also finished installing 20 solar energy systems in five government schools, 10 villas within the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation's housing project, Dubai Media Incorporated Building, Al Bayan and Emarat Alyoum's building, Dubai Land Department, the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex, and the Community Development Authority. The total capacity of these projects is 146kW and they produce a total of about 235MWh a year.
Dewa is also collaborating with 18 government entities to connect 37 projects with a total capacity of 279kW which can produce about 445MWh annually.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dewa said: "Under the leadership of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the UAE takes priority in the diversification of the country's energy mix.
"Shams Dubai supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, to make Dubai a global centre of clean energy and green economy. It aims to increase Dubai's total power output from clean energy sources to 75 per cent by 2050," he said.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com

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