Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | US Consul General in Dubai commends the Emirate’s efforts in organising Solar Decathlon Middle East 2018

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), received Philip Frayne, US Consul General in Dubai. Khawla Al Mehairi, Executive Vice President of Strategy & Government Communications at DEWA, was also present. This is one of a series of meetings where DEWA builds closer ties with diplomatic and consular missions.

At the start of the meeting, Al Tayer welcomed the US Consul General in Dubai, praising the strong relations between DEWA, American companies, and institutions working in energy and water.

Al Tayer talked about DEWA’s projects, initiatives, and plans that support the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. These projects show DEWA’s work to develop renewable and alternative energy, and rationalise the use of natural resources to promote sustainable development in Dubai.

Al Tayer explained that DEWA has a clear vision to achieve the objectives of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, and is securing its supply by diversifying the energy mix to include clean energy to provide 75% of Dubai’s total power output from clean energy by 2050. DEWA launched several projects and initiatives to achieve this goal, most notably the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which will have a capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030, of which 4,000MW will be generated by photovoltaic panels, and 1,000MW by concentrated solar power (CSP).

His Excellency explained that the 950MW fourth phase will use three technologies: a 600MW parabolic basin complex, a 100MW solar power tower, and 250MW photovoltaic solar panels with investments up to AED 16 billion. This CSP phase is the world's largest single-site concentrated solar power project based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model. The project features the world’s tallest solar power tower, at 260 metres, with the world’s largest thermal energy storage capacity of 15 hours, allowing the production of power around the clock.

Al Tayer also highlighted DEWA’s project in Hatta to construct a pumped-storage hydroelectric power station in the mountains next to the Hatta dam with a capacity of 250MW. Solar power, the cheapest form of energy, will be used to power water turbines to pump water from the current lower reservoir to the upper reservoir that will be built; the speed of the water being pumped from the upper reservoir will be used to generate electricity and connect it to DEWA’s grid. The efficiency of the power station will reach 90% with a response to demands for energy being resolved within 90 seconds.

DEWA is working to strengthen cooperation with US universities and research centres to review latest developments and research in the renewable energy, water, and automation sectors, as well as in artificial intelligence, blockchain, and large data. DEWA recently signed memorandums of understanding with several American universities, most recently the University of California, Berkeley that grants DEWA’s distinguished employees the opportunity to obtain a Master’s degree in Future Energy Systems and Technologies.

The meeting also covered the Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME) 2018, the international university competition organised by DEWA from 14–29 November 2018 as a partnership between the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, and the US Department of Energy. The participating teams must rely on their creativity and innovation to design, build, and operate cost-effective, energy-efficient, and sustainable solar-powered homes.

At the end of the visit, the US Consul General thanked Al Tayer for welcoming him and praised the facilities provided by DEWA to American companies operating in the Emirate.