Thanks to the futuristic vision of the UAE’s wise leadership, the UAE has become one of the biggest countries investing in renewable energy and has made significant achievements in reducing emissions from the energy sector. The Statistical Review of World Energy issued last year by the UK-based Energy Institute revealed that the UAE is one of the top countries using solar energy in the world. According to the report, the UAE is the 6th highest per capita consumer of solar energy globally.

On the occasion of World Environment Day, held under the slogan, “Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration,” HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), emphasised that the UAE is one of the leading countries in climate action and has major projects to increase the share of clean and renewable energy sources and enhance energy efficiency to reduce emissions and protect the environment and natural resources. Al Tayer highlighted that DEWA continues to implement pioneering projects to increase the share of renewable and clean energy in Dubai’s energy mix, in line with the UAE Net Zero 2050 Strategy, the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050, to provide 100% of the energy production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.

“As a globally leading sustainable innovative corporation committed to achieving Net-Zero by 2050, we adopt sustainability across all our operations. We have major renewable and clean energy projects through which we contribute to supporting a green economy and keep pace with the pioneering role of the UAE and Dubai in climate action. Our key projects include the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world, using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, a hydroelectric power plant in Hatta, which is the first of its kind in the Gulf region, and a pilot project to produce green hydrogen, which is the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa to produce green hydrogen using solar energy,” said Al Tayer.

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park will have a production capacity of more than 5,000MW by 2030, using photovoltaic solar panels and concentrated solar power (CSP). The current production capacity at the solar park is 2,860MW, and the total capacity under construction is 2033 MW. DEWA aims to have around 27% of the generation mix sourced from clean energy sources by 2030. When completed, the solar park will reduce more than 6.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually. The solar park achieved two new records for ‘The Tallest Concentrated Solar Power Tower’ at 263.126 metres and ‘the largest thermal energy storage plant’ at 5,907 megawatt-hours using Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) based on the parabolic basin complex with Molten Salt technology. The records were achieved in the 950MW 4th phase of the solar park using CSP and photovoltaic solar panel technologies.

Green Hydrogen Project

DEWA implemented a green hydrogen project at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. The project supports the UAE’s efforts to achieve global competitiveness in the green hydrogen market and contributes to attaining competitive prices in the production of green hydrogen, primarily done by electrolysis of water using renewable energy. Built over an area of 10,000 square meters, the project will accommodate future applications and testing platforms for various uses of hydrogen, including energy production and mobility.

Hydroelectric Power Plant in Hatta

The hydroelectric power plant DEWA is building in Hatta is the first of its kind in the GCC region. The 250MW station will generate electricity by making use of the water stored in Hatta Dam. It will have a storage capacity of 1,500 MWh and a lifespan of 80 years. The hydroelectric power station will use water in the Hatta Dam and an upper reservoir built in the mountain. During off-peak hours, advanced turbines will use clean energy to pump water from the dam to the upper reservoir. Turbines operated by the speed of the waterfall from the upper reservoir will be used to generate electricity through a 1.2-kilometre subterranean water canal, with high efficiency in power generation and storage of up to 78.9% and with a 90-second response to the demand for electricity.

Water desalination using SWRO technology

DEWA is building a water desalination project in Hassyan using Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) technology. The 180 Million Imperial Gallon per Day (MIGD) project, based on the Independent Water Producer (IWP) model, is the largest of its kind in the world for water production based on SWRO technology using solar energy. DEWA is building SWRO desalination plants that require less energy than Multi-Stage Flash distillation (MSF) plants, making them a more sustainable choice for water desalination. By 2030, DEWA aims to produce 100% of desalinated water using clean energy and waste heat.

EV Green Charger Initiative

In 2014, DEWA launched the Green Charger Initiative for electric vehicles to create an infrastructure for electric vehicle charging stations to enhance green mobility and contribute to making Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world. The initiative played a significant role in expediting the development of electric charging station infrastructure across the Emirate, resulting in a network of over 700 charging stations in collaboration with stakeholders. This includes around 400 Green Charging Stations operated by DEWA. DEWA allows all customers, including unregistered one, to use the Guest mode to charge their EVs.

Annual Sustainability Report

DEWA has been issuing its sustainability report annually since 2013 based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards. DEWA is a member of GRI Gold Community and part of the Standards Pioneers Programme, being one of the first 100 organisations in the world. DEWA’s annual Sustainability Report is a useful, transparent, and reliable reference for all its achievements and efforts over the year.