MD & CEO of DEWA showcases efforts to transform Dubai into the smartest city in the world at the Design Summit - The Big 5 Show

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), gave a keynote speech at The Design Summit, organised as part of The Big 5 Show, which was held in Dubai from 23 to 26 November. The Big 5 Show is one of the biggest regional platforms for sustainability, energy efficiency, sustainable construction planning, and architectural design.


“I am pleased to join you at this summit, held as part of The Big 5, which has cemented its position in the region. It is my pleasure to welcome you to Dubai, the city that does not accept any limits to ambition and aims to become the smartest city in the world. Diversification and sustainability of its energy sources are key to Dubai transforming into a smart and sustainable city. Smart cities use their available resources optimally, to provide a happy living experience, and become the favourite place to live, work, invest, and visit. DEWA has launched three smart initiatives that contribute to making Dubai the smartest city in the world. These are Shams Dubai, which encourages building owners to install photovoltaic panels to generate electricity, Smart applications through smart meters and grids, which provides many benefits for customers and reduces energy use, and the Green Charger to build the infrastructure for electric vehicle charging stations,” said Al Tayer.

“Last September, the United Nations approved the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Over 150 world leaders approved 17 goals for sustainable development, to be achieved within the next 15 years, including access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Energy plays a key role in most of the challenges that face the world today, with demand expected to increase by 60% by 2050. According to the UN, one in five people still lacks access to modern electricity, and three billion people rely on wood, coal, or animal waste for cooking and heating. That’s why it is so important to invest in renewable and clean resources to provide energy,” added Al Tayer.

Al Tayer noted that the UAE, under the leadership of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, attaches great importance to the diversification of the energy mix and increasing the share of renewable and clean energy. The UAE continues to build mega renewable-energy projects that will contribute, in the long-term, to the protection of the environment and our precious natural resources. The UAE Vision 2021 aims to ensure a sustainable environment in the UAE. Dubai Plan 2021 intends to make the Emirate sustainable with its resources and its environmental resources clean, healthy, and sustainable.

“The sun is the oldest energy source. Every hour, it beams onto Earth more than enough energy to satisfy global energy needs for an entire year. But solar electric power, also called photovoltaic or PV, got its start in the 1950s. Since then, the technology has advanced and the cost reduced significantly, which makes solar power so attractive today, in addition to the fact that it is natural, clean, and inexhaustible. God has granted us in the UAE a region that is sunny every day. That’s why, taking advantage of this is a strategic necessity. Solar power is connected to DEWA’s grid in two forms. The first is DEWA’s solar power plants. One of DEWA’s biggest projects, in cooperation with the private sector, is the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is the largest single-site solar energy project in the world, which will have a capacity of 3,000MW by 2030. The project will help achieve a reduction of approximately 2.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions, and support the green initiatives and programmes implemented by the Government of Dubai to reduce carbon emissions. The second form is electricity produced by small and medium-sized PV panels on rooftops of buildings and connected to the grid, as part of the Shams Dubai initiative launched by DEWA. This initiative encourages building owners to install PV panels on their rooftops, to produce electricity. The electricity produced is used in the premises and the surplus is exported to DEWA’s grid. An offset between exported and imported electricity units is conducted and the account is settled based on this offset,” said Al Tayer.

Al Tayer noted that the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 launched by the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy diversifies the Emirate’s energy mix to include 71% from natural gas, 15% from solar energy, 7% from clean coal, and 7% from nuclear power. The Supreme Council of Energy also launched the Demand Side Management Strategy in June 2013. It has 8 main programmes to manage energy demand. These include: green building regulations, retrofitting of existing buildings, district cooling, wastewater reuse, laws and standards to raise efficiency, and energy-efficient street lighting. DEWA has established Etihad Energy Service Company (Super Esco) to encourage energy service companies in the market and to promote energy efficiency business. Over 30,000 existing buildings in Dubai will be retrofitted by 2030.

DEWA’s efforts in energy efficiency have contributed to achieving several milestones globally, surpassing major European and American companies in different areas. For example, losses in power transmission and distribution networks was reduced to 3.26%, compared to 6-7% in Europe and the USA. Water network losses decreased to 9.1%, compared to 15% in North America. DEWA’s results are among the best internationally for customer minutes lost per year. DEWA’s figures reached 4.9 minutes, compared to 15 minutes recorded by leading utilities in the European Union. The UAE, represented by DEWA, has been ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa and fourth globally for the third consecutive year for getting electricity as per the World Bank’s Doing Business 2016 report.

“According to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, a smart city is a city that makes people happy, makes their lives easier, and improves living standards. It is efficient in using its resources and provides seamless and integrated services. At DEWA, we work to achieve this vision, which supports the Dubai Plan 2021, to make Dubai the preferred place to live, work, and visit,” concluded Al Tayer.