Dubai launches Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park

Under the guidance and patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Supreme Council of Energy (SCE) for Dubai has launched the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. This is a leading project implemented by the SCE and 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 promising projects to use renewable energy in electricity production in Dubai. This project will use solar radiations that are available all year-round to produce electricity using the latest technology available in international markets. This will, in turn, play an important role in supporting sustainable development plans and preserve natural resources while protecting the environment from pollution.

Diversification of the energy mix is one of the UAE’s top priorities as stressed by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who said: “The UAE is striving to develop and boost its rich resources and expertise in the international energy markets and enhance its leading role as a world center for renewable energy research and development”.

Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has always stressed the importance of preserving environmental and energy resources. He said:”We recognize that preserving our energy resources will be one of the greatest challenges in our drive towards sustainable development. This, however, will not materialize unless the different facets of our society adopt energy conservation principles in their core values. The future generations will be the chief beneficiary of our achievements and the best judge of what we accomplish in this field”

At the launching ceremony Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer Vice Chairman of the Supreme Council of Energy and MD & CEO of DEWA delivered a speech on behalf of HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum Chairman of the Supreme Council of Energy highlighting the advanced position achieved by the UAE in its continuous quest to achieve sustainable development and build a competitive economy in a future that depends less on fossil fuel energy through a range of sustainable energy sources.

“Dubai has made great and unprecedented achievements, which has made it one of the world’s most competitive countries. This prominent position is the culmination of the efforts of our leadership to create a stimulating business environment, characterized by a cutting-edge and robust infrastructure and world-class, efficient and reliable services. These services have greatly contributed to establishing Dubai’s reputation as a globally-preferred hub for finance, business and tourism,” said Sheikh Ahmed.

“In line with the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to promote Dubai’s sustainable development, Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 has been developed in alignment with the strategy of The Government Of Dubai. This energy strategy puts security of supply amongst its key objectives; to achieve sustainable development, meet the needs of both present and future generations and to create an urban infrastructure with sustainable resources for the Emirate of Dubai,” added Sheikh Ahmed.

“Therefore, the Supreme Council of Energy is meeting its responsibility to continue our relentless pursuit to provide clean-energy solutions to efficiently meet our future requirements and develop a reduced carbon-footprint economy. This is why we are investigating the utilization of renewable energy; especially solar energy, which is both sustainable and eco-friendly”.

After the announcement of launching, Sheikh Mohammed and the officials watched a visual presentation about the future vision of the colossal project. It also shed light on Dubai’s development, which made it inevitable to search for new sources of energy which are environmentally friendly and less expensive as reflected in the pilot project.

Sheikh Mohammed then viewed a detailed model of the Solar Park project and its various stages of implementation.

Expressing satisfaction over seeing his dream being translated into reality with the help from God, Sheikh Mohammed graced the project and wished the officials every success.

Shining more light on the importance of the project Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer said: “The importance of this step, which comes within a global movement to source new sources of energy using renewable energy resources, and among them solar energy, to preserve the natural resources and curb CO2 emissions will contribute to establishing a clean and healthy environment to live in, according to a scientific study we have undertaken to research the opportunities for using solar energy in electricity generation” .

Al Tayer explained that the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 has included a plan for diversifying the energy sources in Dubai so that solar energy contributes 1% to the overall energy production for Dubai by 2020 and this will increase to 5% by 2030. This is in addition to generating 12% from nuclear power and 12% from clean coal. The remainder will come from gas.

“The Supreme Council of Energy shares with the world the challenges in the production and management of energy in an efficient and reliable manner. The Dubai Global Energy Forum, which had its inaugural session in April 2011, focused its deliberations over three days on the challenges affecting energy in all their forms, as well as sustainable development and climate change”.

“The first project of the park will witness the production of power using photovoltaic cell technology, with a production capacity of 10MW by 2013. By 2030, the park will produce 1,000MW on the completion of all its phases,” he added.