Know how Dubai resident cut his power bill in half

Dubai - In a move to reduce carbon emissions and save energy, CEO of Dubai Carbon Ivano Iannelli was among the first residents to install solar rooftop panels as part of Shams Dubai initiative by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA).

Through different initiatives that target various society segments, authorities have been aiming to transform Dubai into a smart and sustainably city within the next five years.
In a move to reduce carbon emissions and save energy, CEO of Dubai Carbon Ivano Iannelli was among the first residents to install solar rooftop panels as part of Shams Dubai initiative by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA).
"I installed the panels just over a year ago with the sole purpose of testing activities yet to be rolled out to identify the slowdowns of the process," said Iannelli as he led Khaleej Times to the rooftop of his villa in Arabian Ranches.
The Shams Dubai initiative encourages building and house owners to place solar panels on roofs and connect them to DEWA's power grid in efforts to achieve the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to provide 75 per cent of Dubai's total power output from clean energy sources by 2050.
Iannelli said half of his electricity bill is now slashed as his 5.27Kwh solar panels produce approximately 30Kwh per day, equivalent to energy needed to run 1,000 light bulbs.
"The panels have cut off my entire non-AC loads, with a little portion of my AC charges," the Italian expat said.
An inverter installed right below the panels featured a screen that displayed energy produced on the day and the energy produced since the panel's inception. By midday, the panel had produced 8 Kwh, with the rate expected to rapidly escalate during the afternoon.
"The shade coming from the panels have also increased the efficiency of the chillers by 17 per cent, which had a role on decreasing my bills too," he said. Iannelli noted that installing the solar panels on his home's rooftop helped test what a regular consumer has to go through to implement Shams Dubai. "The installation was ahead of the initiative's public launch, but being one of the first homes to install the panels allowed DEWA to test their policy and understand the issues that may occur to consumers."
He said seeking permission from developers and putting procedure in practice for solar projects were among issues faced. "I had to be introduced to terms that were foreign to me as a resident. I had to learn how to operate the panels for the maximum energy efficiency," said Iannelli.
Cost concerns
With cost of solar panels being major concern to some residents, Iannelli said the Return of Investment (ROI) of the panels is approximately four years. According to Iannelli, solar power costs roughly $1.5 per watt. Going by his structure, it would cost $7,500 (Dh25,000) to install 5.27Kwh solar panel.
"Cost of solar power is decreasing rapidly. Using up solar energy increases the value of your property and it is recuperated through energy savings." He added that with expected energy rates over the coming years, solar energy will be of an economic value. Iannelli noted that initiatives such as The Green Deal Dubai leverage crowdsourcing to provide end users with cost effective and value proposition towards installing solar rooftops.
"Renewable energy is the future and is bound to grow in leaps in the coming few years, but as with any new technology, people who are interested in installing solar power for their homes may not know where to start," said Iannelli.
He urged residents to calculate their energy demand through numerous home energy auditing apps that can be used to assess where and how much power is used and identify ways to reduce consumption where it is due. "It is not how much power we can produce by solar rooftop, it is about how much power we demand. We often don't imagine how much power we utilize until we make an inventory of it."
"It is also important to be aware that not the entire demand can be necessarily met by the solar power supply. Air conditioning and water heating usually use much more energy than any other appliances, the surplus energy demand can be acquired from the grid connected supply," he said.

• Dubai