Sunday, Aug 30, 2015

Dubai: An invitation by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) for building owners to install solar panels on their premises has resulted in 16 applications since the Shams Dubai smart initiative project was launched.

The idea is to encourage owners to use solar power as needed for their building and any surplus is then exported to Dewa’s power grid.

On Sunday, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dewa, issued the invitation to other building owners to help join in the push to make Dubai one of the smartest cities in the world.

“Dewa supports the vision of our wise leadership, which outlines the road map for our work and initiatives to enhance the competitiveness of the UAE and Dubai. We are fully prepared to effectively and positively contribute to building Smart Dubai and add to the happiness of citizens and residents,” Al Tayer said in a statement.

The solar panel invitation is one of three smart initiatives being offered as part of the Smart Dubai project launched by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

“These initiatives are Shams Dubai, which encourages households and building owners to install PV solar panels to generate electricity, Smart Applications and Meters, and the Green Charger to establish the infrastructure to build electric vehicle charging stations. The strategic objectives of these initiatives support the Dubai Plan 2021 and the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030, to support the development and establishment of sustainable energy projects in Dubai,” said Al Tayer.

Dewa announced the first project under Shams Dubai initiative, in collaboration with Dubai Airports, to supply Dubai World Central — Al Maktoum International Airport in Jebel Ali with solar energy. The first step in implementing the initiative was installing photovoltaic panels to produce 30kW of electricity there.

Staff Report

Gulf News 2015. All rights reserved.