Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced its cooperation with Stanford University in a number of research and development fields involving researchers at its Research and Development (R&D) Centre through its membership in the university’s Energy 3.0 Programme, in line with DEWA’s vision to be a leading sustainable innovative global corporation. The fields of research include radiation cooling to improve the efficiency and performance of solar panels, utilisation of autonomous robots in monitoring and maintaining solar power plants, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to forecast the performance and production of photovoltaic solar plants in the short term.
“At DEWA, we strive to achieve the vision of our wise leadership to anticipate the future and develop long-term, pre-emptive plans to keep pace with the Fourth Industrial Revolution as well as use disruptive technologies that contribute to providing world-class services that enhance the quality of life in Dubai. DEWA attaches great importance to research and development, and its strategies and initiatives are aligned with the UAE’s leading national strategies, including UAE Centennial 2071, a long-term government plan to prepare the UAE and young Emiratis for the future; the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031, to position the UAE as a global leader in AI by 2031; the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to diversify the energy mix and provide 75% of Dubai’s total power output from clean sources by 2050; and the Dubai 10X Initiative, which mandates the Government of Dubai to be a global leader that is 10 years ahead of all other cities through government innovation and reformulation of traditional work mechanisms,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.
“Joining the Energy 3.0 Programme provides DEWA’s researchers with an important opportunity to take advantage of the global expertise and the environment for advanced research at Stanford University by ensuring they have access to the most successful experiences and best practices in electricity, water, artificial intelligence, and smart networks,” added Al Tayer.
Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence at DEWA, underpinned the cooperation programme between DEWA and Stanford University that includes research and development in the fields of renewable energy, smart networks, energy efficiency and storage, and data analysis among others. The programme aims to exchange knowledge and expertise to develop solutions for the world’s most pressing energy problems as well as accelerate innovation and expand research and studies on advanced energy technologies.
DEWA’s R&D Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park highlights four major operational areas: electricity generation from solar energy, integration of smart grids, energy efficiency, and water. The R&D Centre’s projects and programmes comprise internal labs to study and test system reliability, and external field testing of new technologies and equipment, including performance and reliability of solar photovoltaic panels and removing dust. The Centre cooperates with many entities, including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the US Department of Energy, the Spanish National Renewable Energy Centre, as well as the United Arab Emirates University and Khalifa University on joint research and studies in renewable and alternative energy.