Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) continues to drive sustainability and innovation by leveraging cutting-edge technologies from the Fourth Industrial Revolution to enhance its operations. These initiatives are critical to achieving the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050, which aim for 100% clean energy production by 2050.
At the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, DEWA has significantly increased the efficiency of photovoltaic solar panels, doubling their production efficiency from 11% to 22% through the latest advancements. Innovations include cleaning robots for photovoltaic panels and solar photovoltaic bifacial technologies with Single Axis Tracking, maximizing electricity output per area.
The Solar Park’s fourth phase integrates Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technologies, utilizing three hybrid technologies: 600MW from parabolic basin complexes, 100MW from the world’s tallest solar power tower (based on Molten Salt technology), and 250MW from photovoltaic solar panels. This phase incorporates 70,000 heliostats and a Molten Salt Receiver (MSR) that converts solar radiation into thermal energy.
DEWA’s Research and Development (R&D) Centre at the Solar Park cements Dubai’s position as a global leader in solar power, smart grids, and energy efficiency research. The Centre published 71 Scopus-indexed scientific papers in 2023, contributing to a total of 218 papers. Additionally, 36 patent applications have been filed, covering diverse topics from solar energy to Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies. The R&D Centre employs 29 PhD and master’s degree holders, with an Emiratisation rate of 73.5%.
The R&D Centre boasts various labs supporting different research areas, including solar indoor testing, an accelerated aging lab, outdoor test facilities, and a cleaning test field for robotic solutions. Other labs focus on robotics, drones, 3D printing, energy storage, smart grid real-time simulation, green hydrogen pilot projects, IoT, and a satellite ground station for DEWA’s space programme, Space-D.
The R&D Centre develops solutions to improve DEWA’s operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness. These include automating overhead line inspections, creating low-cost IoT terminals for remote substation monitoring, detecting early water leakage, advanced grid analytics for asset management, and high-resolution solar irradiance forecasting to reduce operating reserve costs.
DEWA’s commitment to sustainability and innovation positions it as a key player in the global shift towards clean energy. By harnessing advanced technologies, DEWA not only enhances its operations but also supports Dubai’s ambitious clean energy and net-zero carbon goals.
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