Dubai: Rooftop solar power capacity hits 17.7MW
DEWA installs further 2MW on carports at government buildings.
Dubai is generating 17.7 megawatts (MW) of electricity from solar panels mounted on 450 of the city’s buildings, according to Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA).
The number of rooftop power projects has risen rapidly since 2015 when the government utility launched the Shams Dubai initiative allowing building owners to install solar panels on rooftops or carports and supply power to Dubai’s electricity grid.
Under the programme’s net metering tariff system, for every unit of power that owners supply to the power grid, a unit will be deducted from their electricity bill.
The latest installation is for carports at the headquarters of DEWA and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment building. The DEWA parking lot will have a capacity of 1,780 kilowatts (KW) and 220KW in the Ministry building, the utility said.
“The Solar Carports project, in DEWA’s headquarters and at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, is part of our efforts to encourage the public to benefit from Shams Dubai,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.
DEWA is working to increase this number to reach all buildings, in the Emirate, by 2030.
“We aim to spread the experience to a large number of public and private buildings in Dubai, supporting national efforts to reduce carbon footprint and increase the proportion of solar energy in the environment-friendly energy mix in Dubai,” said Waleed Salman, executive vice president of business development & excellence at DEWA.
Source: thebig5hub
