DEWA has received Sheikh Majed Al Sabah, CEO of 360 and founder of The Fragrance Kitchen (TFK). He is one of the most influential Arabs and one of the most influential people in the world on social media. It was his first visit to the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Seih Al Dahal, which is the largest single-site solar park in the world, which is based on the Independent Power Producer model (IPP).
It has a planned capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030 at a total investment of AED 50 billion (USD 13.6 billion) and will eventually save approximately 6.5 million tonnes per annum in emissions.
Sheikh Majed Al Sabah was welcomed by Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, Khawla Al Mehairi, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications, Jamal Al Hammadi, Vice President of Special Projects, Mohammed Abdulkareem Al Shamsi, Acting Executive Director of UAE Water Aid (Suqia), and a number of DEWA staff.
“We are pleased to receive Sheikh Majed Al Sabah at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which we launched in adherence to the directives of the wise leadership to increase the use of clean and renewable energy.
The UAE, under the leadership of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, gives great importance to the diversification of the UAE’s energy mix and increasing the share of renewable and clean energy.
DEWA is committed to enhancing collaboration with all local, regional and international organisations to achieve sustainable development and the UAE Vision2021’s goal to make the UAE one of the best countries in the world by 2021,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.
“The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park will help achieve the objectives of Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which aims to diversify the energy mix so that clean energy will generate 7% of Dubai’s total power output by 2020, 25% by 2030, and 75% by 2050,” added Al Tayer.
Sheikh Majed Al Sabah documented his visit to the solar park on Snapchat and toured the various projects of the Park. The first phase started on 22 October 2013 with a capacity of 13MW, while the second will generate 200MW by April 2017.
Work is now in progress on the 800MW third phase of the Solar Park. DEWA intends to build the largest IPP-based Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project in the world. The initial 200MW project of the CSP plant will be operational by April 2021. DEWA will generate 1,000MW using this technology by 2030.
Work is also ongoing in the Research and Development Centre, which is conducting studies on industrial and social requirements.
The centre is doing scientific research, providing a common platform for researchers, academics and developers, and devising strategies for innovative and productive ideas. DEWA has two testing facilities, one for photovoltaic solar power and the other for concentrated solar power.
The first centre will test 30 types of photovoltaic panels from international manufacturers.
The panels are studied, evaluated and tested for long-term reliability under local weather conditions. Researchers will cooperate with international organisations to study the impact of dust on photovoltaic equipment. The tests are currently being performed to set a baseline for the development of specifications, tests and standards for photovoltaic equipment.
Sheikh Majed Al Sabah was also briefed on the Green Charger initiative launched by DEWA as part of its efforts to help achieve the goal of the Smart Dubai initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed 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. Through the Green Charger initiative, DEWA aims to install and manage the infrastructure to provide electric vehicles with power to reduce air pollution and protect the environment from the effects of the transportation sector in the Emirate.
The Green Charger initiative supports the Carbon Abatement Strategy in Dubai to reduce carbon emissions by 16% by 2021.
The Green Charger consists of 3 phases. In the first phase, 100 chargers were installed in different areas in Dubai, including shopping centres, airports, office buildings, housing complexes, and petrol stations.
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