Gulf Construction Online - Solar Park ushers in new energy era

UAE Focus

HH Sheikh Mohammed at the project’s launch.

Solar Park ushers in new energy era

01 February 2012

THE Supreme Council of Energy (SCE) for Dubai has launched the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, a key project that will be managed and operated by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa).

This is the first utility-scale production capacity park of its kind in the region and a prelude to the introduction of projects using renewable energy in electricity production in Dubai, the SCE said.

This project will use solar energy that is available all year-round to produce electricity using the latest technology available in international markets.

The park is also in line with the vision of the UAE President HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who has urged the country to develop its expertise in the international energy markets and “enhance its role as a world centre for renewable energy research and development”.

HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-president and prime minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said: “We recognise that preserving our energy resources will be one of the greatest challenges in our drive towards sustainable development.”

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, vice-chairman of the Supreme Council of Energy and MD and CEO of Dewa, explained that the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 has included a plan for diversifying the energy sources in Dubai so that solar energy contributes one per cent to the overall energy production for Dubai by 2020 and this will increase to five per cent by 2030. This is in addition to generating 12 per cent from nuclear power and 12 per cent from clean coal. The remainder will come from gas.

“The first project of the park will witness the production of power using photovoltaic cell technology, with a production capacity of 10 MW by 2013. By 2030, the park will produce 1,000 MW,” Al Tayer concluded.