CHAT WITH RAMMASDEWA highlights its efforts to achieve net zero by 2050 at Arab Media Forum 2024
DEWA is the Sustai100% of the energy production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. One of DEWA’s most notable projects to increase the share of clean and renewable energy is the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park globally with a planned production capacity of 5,000MW by 2030 using solar photovoltaic panels and concentrated solar power. Once completed, the solar park will annually reduce 6.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions.
The participants also discussed DEWA’s Research and Development (R&D) Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. The Centre’s research areas encompass solar power, smart grid integration, energy efficiency, and water, supported by three enablers: The Fourth Industrial Revolution (including AI, IoT, Robotics & Drones, 3D Printing & Advanced Materials), Energy System Analyses, and Space technologies.
Moreover, the participants highlighted the Green Hydrogen project implemented by DEWA at the R&D Centre. It is the first project of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa to produce hydrogen using solar energy, storing it, and converting it back into electrical energy, among other uses. Collaboratively undertaken by DEWA, Expo 2020 Dubai, and Siemens Energy, the project produces 20 kilogrammes per hour of hydrogen, with the hydrogen gas storage tank capable of storing up to 240 kilogrammes of hydrogen. The plant utilises hydrogen through a hydrogen gas motor of about 300 kilowatts of electrical energy capacity. The project has been designed and built to accommodate future applications and test platforms for various uses of hydrogen.
The participants also talked about DEWA’s Space-D programme which contributes to enhancing the development, maintenance and planning of electricity and water networks. It improves the efficiency of DEWA’s generation, transmission, and distribution divisions by monitoring solar power plants and enhancing the accuracy of generation predictions. This is achieved through forecasting weather patterns, seawater temperature and salinity, and monitoring electricity transmission lines. Additionally, it aids in detecting water leaks and identifying any changes in the infrastructure, further optimising DEWA’s operations. As part of its Space-D programme, DEWA launched two nanosatellites DEWA-SAT1 in January 2022, and DEWA-SAT2 in April 2023. DEWA is the first utility in the world to launch nanosatellites to improve its operations.