Dubai plans to invest billions of dollars on generating clean energy. The Dubai Government has announced its plan to install solar panels on the roof tops of all buildings by 2030.
This fast-growing city is one of the hottest regions of the world, which uses huge amount of energy to air-condition its skyscraper and to offer water supplies through desalination.
Now, the building owners would be encouraged by the Dubai government to place solar panels on their roofs and link them to a network of local power utility. The Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum has announced that all buildings in Dubai would have solar cells by 2030.
Dubai serves as business and technology centre for oil production states across the GCC region, and hence, plans to leave an impact on energy policy well beyond its borders.
The authorities are on their way to establish Dh.100bn fund to provide low-cost loans for investors in Dubai’s energy sector. Dubai also plans Dh.500mn worth investment into research in areas like integration of smart power grids and energy efficiency.
It plans to create a tax-free business zone to attract clean energy companies from around the world. Earlier, it has used similar zones to draw foreign investments into banking, commodities, trading and other sectors.
A solar park is being built in Dubai, worth total investment of Dh.50bn, to have a generating capacity of 800MW in April 2017 and 5000MW by 2030, which marks a quarter of emirate’s energy production in that year.
Dubai aims to obtain seven percent of its energy from comparatively clean sources by 2020, constituting 25 percent in 2030 and 75 percent in 2050, Sheikh Mohammed said. The energy sources will include solar, natural gas, clean coal and nuclear, and the UAE plans to begin its first nuclear plant in 2017.
