Arabian Business: Dubai’s share of clean energy has increased to around nine percent, according to Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA).
The figure exceeds the target set in the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, which aimed to provide seven percent of Dubai’s total power output from clean energy sources by 2020 and 75 percent by 2050.
Al Tayer revealed that DEWA’s total installed capacity is 11,700MW of electricity. This includes 1,013MW from photovoltaic solar panels at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest solar park in the world.
While total capacity of projects under construction at the solar park is 1,850MW from photovoltaic and concentrated solar power (CSP), with future phases to reach 5,000MW by 2030.
“The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is one of DEWA’s prominent projects to achieve this vision. Since its launch, the solar park’s projects have received considerable interest from global developers, which reflects the confidence of investors from around the world in DEWA’s major projects,” said Al Tayer.
DEWA recently signed a power purchase agreement for the 900MW fifth phase of the solar park with a consortium led by ACWA Power and Gulf Investment Corporation. Total investments of the project exceed AED 2 billion.
The 13MW first phase of the solar park became operational in 2013 using photovoltaic solar panels. It contributes to reducing over 15,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. The 200MW photovoltaic second phase, which was commissioned in 2017, provides clean energy to 50,000 residences in Dubai and reduces 214,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
The third phase has a capacity of 800MW, and is the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa to use an advanced single-axis solar tracking system to increase energy production.
The fourth phase of the solar park is the world’s largest single-site investment project that combines CSP and photovoltaic technology with a capacity of 950MW using an IPP model. It will use 700MW of CSP; 600MW from a parabolic basin complex and 100MW from a solar tower; and 250MW from photovoltaic solar panels.
The project will feature the tallest solar tower in the world at 260 metres. It will also have the biggest global thermal storage capacity of 15 hours; allowing for energy availability around the clock.
The fifth phase will have a capacity of 900MW using photovoltaic solar panels, to provide clean energy to 270,000 residences in Dubai, reducing 1.18 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually. The project will be commissioned in stages starting from Q3 of 2021.
https://www.arabianbusiness.com/energy/447520-dubai-boasts-9-clean-energy-dewa-ceo
