The United Arab Emirates is one of the leading countries in developing the renewable and clean energy sector, and is a pioneer in innovating modern ways and methods to enhance the efficiency of the energy sector, preserve natural resources, and find alternative solutions to traditional energy in a way that supports sustainable development in the country. It launched the UAE Energy Strategy – 2050 in 2017. It is considered the first unified energy strategy in the country that balances production, consumption, and global environmental obligations while ensuring the provision of a comfortable economic environment for growth in all sectors, and as a result of the major changes that the energy sector has witnessed with regard to global energy security and in the field of climate change, and to the decline in prices and the maturity of energy technology. With low and new emissions, and the country’s commitments towards achieving the Paris Agreement, as the UAE takes the lead in climate action by establishing ambitious projects to produce environmentally friendly energy, as it aims to reach three times the installed capacity of renewable energy in 2030 compared to 2022, and this is what It makes the UAE one of the first countries in the world to respond to the COP 28 call to double the production capacity of solar energy, and reach the percentage of clean energy contribution to 100% by 2050.
Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050
Upon its launch, the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 aimed to diversify energy sources in the emirate, as Dubai is the only city in the region to launch such a promising strategy with specific targets and a time frame that outlines the features of the future of energy until the year 2050. This strategy has developed and now aims to achieve 100% savings. of energy production capacity from clean energy sources by the year 2050, and within the framework of DEWA’s keenness to keep pace with government plans and strategies that aim to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, and the efforts of the United Arab Emirates to promote the circular economy, it announced the update of its strategic plan, adding the achievement of Carbon Neutrality by 2050 to its vision to become: “A leading sustainable and innovative global organization committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.” The authority also updated its mission to become, “We are committed to providing leading global services and innovative solutions in the field of energy and drinking water in line with the Eight Principles of Dubai, the 50th Charter, and the strategic goals of the United Arab Emirates, in a way that enriches people’s lives and ensures the happiness of those concerned, towards sustainable carbon neutrality by 2050.”
Steps and projects that support the transition to renewable energy and achieve the goals of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050:
In order to achieve the goals of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy, the Authority has, for several years, stopped launching any new projects to produce energy from fossil fuels. It has also worked to limit new water desalination projects based on high-efficiency reverse osmosis technology using clean energy, in addition to raising the efficiency of fuel consumption in… The main production units reached about 90% within the best international levels.
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is being implemented by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, is considered the largest project to produce solar energy in one location in the world, according to the independent producer system, and its production capacity will reach 5,000 megawatts by 2030, with total investments amounting to 50 billion dirhams. . The complex’s current production capacity is 2,627 megawatts.
The Authority has also launched a number of promising projects that it is implementing at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, including: the “Green Hydrogen Project,” which was implemented by the Authority and is the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa region to produce hydrogen using solar energy. The experimental station was designed and built to be able to accommodate future applications and testing platforms for different uses of hydrogen. Including electricity production and mobility, green hydrogen is produced through electrolysis using renewable energy sources. Among the awards won by the Authority during the year 2023 is the Green Hydrogen Project Award for the “Green Hydrogen” project that it implemented at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Energy Complex. Solar. The Authority is also implementing a hydroelectric station in Hatta using stored water energy technology, which is the first of its kind in the Arabian Gulf region, with investments amounting to one billion and 421 million dirhams. The production capacity of the station will reach 250 megawatts with a storage capacity of 1,500 megawatt hours and a lifespan of up to 80 years. Cycles the electricity production and storage process to 78.9% with an immediate response to power demand within 90 seconds.
Green hydrogen station
• Dubai Electricity and Water Authority built a green hydrogen pilot station to produce hydrogen using solar energy, as a new source of clean energy in the future.
• The station produces about 400 kilograms of green hydrogen per day.
• The station uses hydrogen through a combined heat and power unit with a capacity of about 300 kilowatts of electrical energy.
Hatta hydroelectric station project with pumping and storage technology
• Dubai Electricity and Water Authority is building the Hatta Hydropower Station with pumped-storage technology, the first of its kind in the GCC region, with a capacity of 250 megawatts, with an immediate response to energy demand within 90 seconds, and its expected lifespan reaches 80 years.
• It is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025.
Benefit from advanced technologies
The role of research, development and innovation
• The Authority established the Innovation Center and Research and Development Center at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park to conduct applied research and find innovative, clean and energy-efficient solutions using disruptive technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
• Since its establishment, the Research and Development Center has published more than 170 research papers in international conferences, peer-reviewed journals and publications. So far, the Center has applied for 27 patents and has already obtained 6 patents.
Improving photovoltaic energy efficiency
By taking advantage of advanced solar energy technologies, the Authority was able to double the efficiency of solar photovoltaic power plants (from 11.1% in 2013 to about 24% currently).
Reduce land use
Over the past decade, the Authority has been able, by using the latest solar energy technologies, to reduce the land area needed for the same capacity by 50%.
Initiative: Shams Dubai
The Authority’s efforts support diversifying the energy mix and encouraging the use of clean and renewable energy sources to build a sustainable future in the emirate. Therefore, it launched the “Shams Dubai” initiative with the aim of connecting solar energy to buildings as part of the renewable energy production program connected to the distribution network in the Emirate of Dubai, which would put this The emirate is famous among the environmentally friendly cities through the use of photovoltaic panels to generate electrical energy, and by the end of 2023 the total installed capacity of the initiative reached more than 620 megawatts. In addition, the initiative supports efforts related to the Dubai Urban Plan 2040 to improve the quality of life, as the use of solar panels contributes to maintaining In reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions because it does not require fuel to produce electricity, in addition to positive effects such as creating job opportunities in the field of solar energy in the Emirates.
Supporting green mobility by enhancing electric vehicle infrastructure:
Through its “Green Charger” initiative for electric vehicles, which it launched in 2014, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority played an effective role in supporting green mobility. When it was launched, the “Green Charger” initiative provided the first public infrastructure for charging electric vehicles in the region. The Authority currently provides more than 390 charging stations throughout the Emirate of Dubai, with a capacity of more than 700 charging points, as most charging stations can charge two vehicles at the same time. The Authority is working to increase the number of charging stations to reach 1,000 stations by 2025, in The framework of its plans to keep pace with the steady increase in the use of electric cars.
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