Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | Green Charger initiative contributes to sustainable development, building a competitive green economy

The UAE has launched a group of initiatives and strategies to enhance sustainability locally and regionally, by creating mechanisms for sustainable development. The UAE has become a role model for this, by building an economy to facilitate a future that is less dependent on fossil fuels, and adopting a strategy to diversify energy resources. The UAE 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, characterised by a cutting-edge and robust infrastructure and world-class, efficient and reliable services. The UAE has made it a priority to diversify its energy mix, based on the long-term Green Economy for Sustainable Development initiative, launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to establish the UAE as one of the global leaders in this area, and a global hub for exporting and re-exporting green products and technologies, while maintaining a sustainable environment that supports economic growth in the long term.

The initiative includes a range of programmes and policies in energy, agriculture, investment, and sustainable transport, in addition to new environmental and construction policies to raise standards of living in the UAE. HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum emphasises that the UAE seeks to become a global hub and a successful model of the new green economy, to enhance the country’s competitiveness, sustainable development, and preserve its environment for future generations, under the leadership of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority supports all efforts to transform Dubai into a green economy, and all efforts in preparation for the World Expo 2020, being held under the 3 themes of Opportunity, Mobility, and Sustainability, by enhancing infrastructure and services, according to the highest international standards, while meeting the needs of residences and businesses

DEWA will increase its use of electric cars in the near future to support the transition towards green transportation and the move towards green solutions in Dubai. Furthermore, DEWA always keeps abreast of the latest updates in this field and conducts research and development to make Dubai a leader in electric vehicles. DEWA aims to implement the Dubai Green Transport initiative and encourage the use of sustainable transportation with hybrid and electric vehicles, which will cut total carbon emissions in Dubai by up to 19%.

Through the Green Charger initiative, DEWA aims to install and manage the required infrastructure to supply cars with electric power, to decrease air pollution and preserve the environment. The Green Charger initiative supports the Smart Dubai initiative, launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to make Dubai the smartest city in the world. DEWA also launched 2 other promising initiatives, which are the Shams Dubai initiative, to connect solar energy, and Smart Applications through smart meters and grids.

These initiatives will effectively contribute towards achieving the UAE Vision 2021 and the Dubai Plan 2021, which aims to make Dubai a smart, integrated and connected city, sustainable with its resources and where environmental components are clean, healthy and sustainable. DEWA’s smart initiatives help to create a smarter and better future for all residents of Dubai. The Green Charger supports the strategy to reduce carbon emissions in Dubai by 16% by 2020.

“Our objective in the transition to become the smartest city in the world is to achieve the happiness of society and provide instant and seamless smart services, anytime, anywhere, supporting total sustainable transformation and the sustainability of energy resources. Dubai has all the elements to reach top positions globally and has become a leading global hub for competiveness, green economy and sustainability. The Green Charger initiative will substantially contribute to introducing electric vehicles to Dubai, boosting the use of energy resources and reducing the Emirate’s carbon footprint. DEWA is making steady progress towards achieving sustainability as envisioned by the wise leadership of Dubai and the UAE,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

DEWA Opens First Charging Station

DEWA has already completed its first phase with the opening of the first charging station in February 2015, building 12 Green Charger stations that can charge 24 cars at once, at DEWA offices. Four charging stations have been installed at the Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubai Design District (D3). Electric cars is based on the use of electricity as an alternative to petrol, so this will achieve an important goal: to preserve the environment by using less energy and water.

Stages of Green Charger Initiative

Green Charger initiative features 3 stages, the first includes the installation of 100 charging stations in various areas of Dubai, such as malls, airports, commercial buildings, residential complexes, and petrol stations. This stage began during Q2 of 2014, and was successfully completed by the end of 2015, in coordination with the relevant parties. The second stage will include installing more electric vehicle charging stations depending on customer intake, usage, and driving patterns. Completion of this stage will be determined at a later time. The third stage includes adding final touches to the infrastructure and vehicle charging stations in several locations in Dubai. The timeframe for this stage will also be determined later.

DEWA recognises that more and more people are attracted to the concept of using a cost-efficient, clean-energy car that preserves the environment. DEWA installs and manages the required infrastructure to supply cars with electric power, to decrease air pollution and preserve the environment.

DEWA has added 8 electric cars to its fleet, becoming the first government organisation in Dubai to use electric cars. DEWA aims to implement the Dubai Green Transport initiative and encourage the use of sustainable transportation with hybrid and electric vehicles, which will cut total carbon emissions in Dubai. “In line with the strategy to reduce carbon emissions in Dubai by 16% by 2020, we take pride in being the first government organisation to add high-performance electric cars to its fleet. This move supports Dubai's ambition to achieve a 10% increase in the total number of hybrid and electric cars in use by 2030. DEWA is the first public utility to make this ambition a reality,” said Al Tayer.

Types of charging stations

DEWA has invested in the latest technologies to stay up-to-date with global trends based on the development of electric car batteries, the reduction of the time to charge cars from hours to minutes, and the decrease in weight and cost. DEWA has also established a strong foundation to accelerate the use of electric cars across the Emirate, powered by a world-class advanced infrastructure. DEWA is setting up different types of charging stations, including fast-charging stations that take 20-40 minutes, and are installed at petrol stations.

These stations have 3 different plugs, one with a capacity of 48 kilowatts (kW) for Alternating Current (AC), CHAdeMO plugs, and Combo plugs with a capacity of 50kW of Direct Current (DC). Medium-charging stations take 2-4 hours and will be installed at shopping malls, parks, and Dubai Government customer service centres. The stations feature two plugs, each with a capacity of 22kW. Wall charging stations will also be installed with a capacity of 22kW, and will take 2-4 hours to charge.

Partnerships to achieve Green Charger initiative

DEWA collaborates with its key stakeholders and signs Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with pioneering organisations to support the Green Charger initiative. These include car dealers, national airports, shopping malls, petrol stations, Dubai Municipality, RTA, hotels, and owners and operators of parking lots in Dubai. Electric vehicle owners can visit any of DEWA’s customer service centres to register and get the Green Charger card. The documents required for registration are the user’s Emirates ID card, driver's licence and vehicle registration. Customers receive the Green Charger bills by email, which they can settle using any of DEWA’s payment channels.

Charging stations have been installed at DEWA’s centres, including DEWA’s head office, the Sustainable Building, Al Wasl, Hudaiba, Burj Nahar, Umm Ramool, and Jebel Ali. These stations have been installed and are ready for use.

DEWA is also working with the largest real estate developers and government organisations to provide charging stations, and to identify the most appropriate places to install these stations across the Emirate.

The rate per kilowatt hour (kW/h) for charging an electric vehicle in public charging points is 29 fils per kW/h. If the vehicle is charged at home, the standard residential electricity rate will be applied. DEWA has registered the first individual user for the Green Charger stations.

DEWA has installed many different kinds of charging stations with the help of its engineering staff, contributing to the initiative’s implementation by using the latest techniques from the international electric car industry.

International Awards

DEWA won three awards at the Smart Cities Summit and Awards 2016 during the World CSR Day activities in Mumbai, India. DEWA won the Best Smart City Initiative category for the Green Charger Initiative, in addition to winning the Configuration and Deployment of Smart City Infrastructure 2016 category for its Dubai Smart Soil Initiative.

This award serves as proof that Dubai is on the right track to raise the quality of its services to international levels, and that it supports the vision of the Government of Dubai to achieve sustainable development, while reducing the Emirate’s carbon footprint.