Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has begun encouraging city residents to install photovoltaic (PV) panels on their rooftops, so they can benefit from the Shams Dubai initiative. Shams Dubai allows residents to benefit from solar power, and transfer excess power back into the city grid.
Shams Dubai is part of DEWA’s effort to promote the city’s sustainable development. It also supports the country’s broader effort to protect the environment, enhance the sustainability of natural resources, and increase reliance on clean energy.
“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, managing director and CEO of DEWA.
DEWA says that Shams Dubai has been instrumental in developing Dubai’s solar industry, while also supporting the long-term ambitions for a green economy in the UAE. Al Tayer says that individuals and institutions have already joined the sustainability initiative, which has led to the installation of PV panels on 435 buildings in Dubai, with a total capacity of 15.6MW. The initiative aims to cover all buildings in the emirate by 2030.
“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 also increases the value of buildings where solar photovoltaic systems are installed,” he said.
DEWA presently has over 300 solar photovoltaic experts, and a total of 63 companies are currently enrolled with the authority for Shams Dubai, including 54 contractors and nine consultants.