In the presence of HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, and HE Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DP World, announced the launch of the largest projects of the Shams Dubai initiative launched by DEWA. Construction of the largest distributed solar rooftop project in the Middle East is underway after DP World commissioned the installation of 88,000 rooftop solar panels on its Dubai facilities in Jebel Ali Free Zone and Mina Rashid.
The announcement was made during a press conference led by Al Tayer and bin Sulayem, and attended by HE Hussain Nasser Lootah, director general of Dubai Municipality, HE Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower), and HE Mohammad Abdulla Ahli, Director General of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA). The conference was hosted by DEWA’s Conservation Stand at the 18th Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (WETEX), which is organized by DEWA in adherence with the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance, and President of DEWA, from 4 to 6 October 2016 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
“We are glad to announce the launch of the largest projects by our customers, as part of the Shams Dubai initiative, in cooperation with DP World. This will enhance our efforts towards achieving the Smart Dubai initiative, launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to transform Dubai into the happiest and smartest city in the world. We are determined to continue building and developing a greener economy, to achieve the UAE Vision 2021 and Dubai Plan 2021. We will continue to strive to achieve the Dubai Plan 2021 to establish Dubai as a smart and sustainable city, whose environmental elements are clean, healthy, and sustainable,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.
Al Tayer stated that DEWA is keen on cooperating with all public and private sectors corporations, to promote Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050.
“This landmark initiative will have major environmental benefits, and we are pleased to contribute to Dubai’s Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 as well as the UAE vision 2021 for a sustainable environment. We aim to ensure that everything we do has a long-lasting positive impact on economies and society. By raising awareness of renewable energy, we are helping work towards a carbon neutral future for the UAE. This project demonstrates the scale of DP World’s ambition to be a world leader in sustainability and we look forward to sharing the learnings across our business and also with our stakeholders,” said Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, DP World Group Chairman and CEO.
Upon the completion of phase one in 2017, the project will provide enough clean power for 3,000 homes a year. It will result in 22,000 tonnes of carbon being saved annually, equivalent to taking 4,500 cars off the road. The solar panels will provide 40% of the total energy consumption of Jafza, one of the world’s largest free trade zones.
The DP World Solar Programme will contribute to energy diversification in the region as part of Dubai’s Integrated Energy Strategy 2030, which seeks to reduce energy demand by 30% by 2030. It also supports the UAE vision 2021 for a sustainable environment, the national initiative for building a green economy launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The solar scheme is one of the largest initiatives to be implemented under the recently launched Shams Dubai programme by Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA).
Phases two and three will follow phase one (which is planned to produce a total of 22 megawatts at peak), with further solar installations due in JAFZA and Mina Rashid. With 77 marine and inland terminals in over 40 countries, there is significant scope for DP World to implement the learnings from this project across its operations.
Shams Dubai initiative allows customers to install PV panels on their rooftops to generate electricity from solar power, and connect the systems to DEWA’s grid. The electricity is used onsite and the surplus is exported to DEWA’s grid. An offset between exported and imported electricity units is conducted and the customer account is settled based on this difference.
WETEX 2016 is held under the umbrella of Green Week, the pioneering initiative led by DEWA to implement green practices. It also coincides with the third World Green Economy Summit (WGES), and the first Dubai Solar Show, a key platform for solar energy solutions including building, operation, distribution, storage, and solar energy management technologies.
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