By HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority
In his book ‘Reflections on Happiness and Positivity’, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, tells a story about the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan who had a vision to plant trees to make Abu Dhabi and other surrounding areas greener. Experts told him that it was impossible due to factors such as salinity of the soil and the climate. However, these obstacles did not deter Sheikh Zayed’s ambitions and vision to create innovative solutions and plant trees and forests in Abu Dhabi. Sheikh Zayed was recognised with numerous awards and accolades for his environmental work and his efforts to find a balance between development and the environment, ensuring the rights of future generations to live in a clean, healthy, and safe environment.
Today, our wise leadership continues in the footsteps of the founding fathers. The UAE has become a pioneer in environmental work, under the leadership of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE; HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. The UAE has skipped hundreds of years by fast-tracking its systems and organisations, while developing its people, whom it regards as its most valuable resource, thanks to the wise vision of our leadership that foresees the future and believes in the ability of Emiratis to achieve the impossible.
Even though the UAE is home to one of the largest oil reserves in the world, the wise leadership considers the diversification of energy resources as a major priority, in adherence with its vision to achieve a balance between development and the environment. The UAE is implementing major renewable energy projects to benefit future generations. The next generation will appreciate these efforts as we appreciate the efforts of our ancestors who paid great attention to conserving the environment while fostering development. The UAE is investing in building major clean and renewable energy projects, especially in solar energy, leveraging on Allah’s blessings that our country gets sunshine throughout the year.
According to the World Bank’s Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy Report, which focuses on sustainable energy planning in 111 countries, the UAE ranked first regionally and 28th globally, alongside some of the leading nations in clean energy development. The report also noted that the UAE achieved the lowest bids globally for the cost of photovoltaic solar projects.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is operated and managed by DEWA, is the largest single-site solar energy project in the world, with a planned production capacity of 1000 megawatts (MW) by 2020, and 5000MW by 2030. The project supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to provide 7% of Dubai’s total power output from clean sources by 2020, 25% by 2030, and 75% by 2050. Upon completion, the solar park will reduce over 6.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually, supporting Dubai’s green initiatives and programmes.
Thanks to the unlimited support of our wise leadership, DEWA today is launching the 200MW second phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. This is the first and largest solar energy project in the region based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model. We will continue to launch clean and renewable energy projects, to contribute to our people’s happiness, and enhance the leading position of the UAE. Our goal is to make the UAE one of the best countries in the world by the time we celebrate our Golden Jubilee in 2021.
المصدر : https://wp.me/p70vFa-iHs
