1,354 solar PV-fitted buildings connected by DEWA
DEWA has also partnered with 19 Dubai government organisations, sponsoring 37 projects under the Shams Dubai initiative
As part of its Shams Dubai initiative, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has announced that it has connected 1,354 photovoltaic (PV) installations on residential, commercial and industrial buildings across Dubai. The total capacity of the installations is said to be 125MW.
Shams Dubai encourage customers to install solar PV panels on their premises to generate electricity from solar power and export any excess to the power grid.
“The Shams Dubai initiative’s first customer to connect solar photovoltaic systems to DEWA’s grid, was the rooftop of the employees’ building at Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport, with a capacity of 30 kilowatts at peak load (kWp). After that, a number of ambitious projects were completed, including the one 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 the Khawaneej park, the 1,210kWp plant at the Engineer’s Office’s water pumping station at Al Qudra, the 126kWp canopy at ENOC petrol station near Dubai Internet City, and 426 villas at the Sustainable City,” said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.
DEWA states that it has also connected several distributed solar projects at its own premises, including the 1.5MWp plant at Jebel Ali Power Station. The 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, the utility firm said in its statement.
“In addition, DEWA’s Shams Dubai Calculator was launched on the firm’s website to support and educate customers who want to install solar panels on rooftops, by providing estimated comparisons and additional information with ease,” Al Tayer explained.