DUBAI 24 August 2017: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has again invited Dubai’s citizens and residents to benefit from the Shams Dubai smart initiative to install solar photovoltaic panels on roofs of their premises to generate electricity from solar power and export any excess to the power grid.
“Shams Dubai gives Dubai’s residents the opportunity to transform their buildings into sustainable ones, reduce the Emirate’s carbon footprint, and increase the proportion of solar power in Dubai’s environmentally-friendly energy mix. Through this initiative, community members will promote sustainable development in Dubai and transform the Emirate into a global hub for clean energy and green economy,” said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dewa.
Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 aims to generate 7 per cent of Dubai’s total power output from clean energy by 2020, 25 per cent by 2030 and 75 per cent by 2050.
“Shams Dubai allows customers to avoid using very expensive power storage systems by connecting the photovoltaic panels to the network. Furthermore, the surplus power will be exported to Dewa’s grid, which will be deducted from the customers’ future bill.
Apart from providing those direct benefits to electricity customers, it increases the value of buildings where solar photovoltaic systems are installed.
Shams Dubai has been instrumental to the development of the flourishing solar industry in Dubai, and supports the long-term Green Economy for Sustainable Development initiative, to build a green economy in the UAE.
Al Tayer praised the efforts of institutions and individuals who have participated in the Shams Dubai initiative and have already installed photovoltaic panels on 435 buildings with a total capacity of 15.6 megawatts (MW). This will increase in the future to eventually cover all buildings in the Emirate by 2030.
“The customers’ solar photovoltaic systems connected to Dewa’s grid so far include, among others, the rooftop of the employees’ building at Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport, which was the first Shams Dubai project with a capacity of 30 kilowatts at peak load (kWp), the 1 megawatt at peak load (MWp) carport installation at Emirates Engine Maintenance Centre in Warsan, a number of Dubai Municipality buildings, including the 260kWp carport at Al Qusais Park, the 1,210kWp installation at the Engineer’s Office’s water pumping station at Al Qudra, the 126kWp canopy at Enoc petrol station near Dubai Internet City, and a number of villas at the Sustainable City,” said Al Tayer.
Dewa also connected a number of distributed solar projects at its own premises, including the 1.5 MWp at Jebel Ali Power Station. This installation covers the roof of Jebel Ali’s M Station, which is one of the largest rooftop projects in the Middle East and North Africa. Dewa partnered with 19 government organisations in Dubai, sponsoring 37 projects under the Shams Dubai initiative, with a total capacity of 258kWp. These projects include schools, mosques, and villas under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Housing Establishment.
How To Do It
- Dewa has outlined easy steps to install photovoltaic systems on buildings to generate solar power as part of the Shams Dubai initiative. The installation process starts with the customer contacting one of the solar consultants or contractors accredited by Dewa to study the possibility of installing the solar power system and suggesting the best solution.
- The consultant or contractor then obtains the necessary approvals from Dewa. These include an NOC for installing solar power and connecting it to the power network, and approval that its design meets all requirements.
- After obtaining the necessary approvals, site works are undertaken, and once the installation is complete the contractor or consultant submits a notification to Dewa to conduct the technical inspection of the site and install the required smart meters to complete the connection process.
“In addition, Shams Dubai Calculator was launched on Dewa’s website to support customers who want to install solar panels on rooftops, by providing detailed comparisons and additional information with ease, using innovative tools.
Once customers have entered their registered account numbers, they can identify the location of the building and determine its surface through an interactive map. They can also determine the number of solar panels absorbed by this area, and the capacity of these panels on a monthly or annual basis, using innovative interactive tools. The client can draw the space that he or she wants to benefit from, subject to the total actual surface area of the building. The interactive map allows the client to know other information as well, such as the locations of the Green Charger stations, solar panel sites installed by DEWA’s operators under the Shams Dubai initiative, and the possibility of sharing results through social media.
To date, Dewa has certified over 300 solar photovoltaic experts, and a total of 63 companies are currently enrolled with DEWA for Shams Dubai: 54 contractors and 9 consultants. The equipment eligibility scheme has attracted interest from 85 manufacturers who have registered so far, and 700 pieces of equipment have been made eligible for use by Shams Dubai, such as panels, inverters, and interface protections.
By Angel Chan