The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has announced that the share of clean energy in the emirate’s energy mix has increased to around nine per cent.

These figures exceed the target set in the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, which aimed to provide seven percent of Dubai’s total power output from clean energy sources by 2020 and 75 percent by 2050, according to a statement issued by Dewa.

Dewa Managing Director and CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer explained that the total installed capacity is 11,700MW of electricity. This includes 1,013MW from photovoltaic solar panels at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest solar park in the world.

He also noted that the total capacity of the projects under construction at the solar park is 1,850MW from photovoltaic and Concentrated Solar Power, CSP, with future phases to reach 5,000MW by 2030.

"The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is one of DEWA’s prominent projects. Since its launch, the solar park’s projects have received considerable interest from global developers, which reflects the confidence of investors from around the world in DEWA’s major projects," he added.

"We recently signed the power purchase agreement for the 900MW 5th phase of the solar park with a consortium led by Acwa Power and Gulf Investment Corporation.

The total investments of the project exceed Dh2 billion. The project achieved a new record by receiving the lowest international bid of $1.6953 cents per kilowatt hour using photovoltaic solar panels based on the Independent Power Producer model," Al Tayer continued.

The 13MW first phase of the solar park became operational in 2013 using photovoltaic solar panels. It contributes to reducing over 15,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. The 200MW photovoltaic 2nd phase was commissioned in 2017. It provides clean energy to 50,000 residences in Dubai and reduces 214,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

The third phase has a capacity of 800MW, and is the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa to use an advanced single-axis solar tracking system to increase energy production.-TradeArabia News service