DUBAI // The door has opened to cash-saving and environmentally friendly solar panels on the roofs of residential buildings in Dubai.
Residents and landlords who install the panels will not only cut greenhouse gas emissions and save money on their fuel bills, but they will also be able to feed any excess power back into the emirate’s electricity grid.
Eleven applications by companies and individuals for solar rooftops with a total capacity of 8.5 megawatts have already been filed through the Shams Dubai Smart Initiative.
Should all projects be successfully installed, the reductions in harmful greenhouse gases every year would be equivalent to the removal of more than 1,000 cars from the road.
Last week, a 30-kilowatt solar array at the Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport became the first installation to be connected to the grid under the scheme.
Among the 11 projects to be connected is a solar system with a capacity of around 2MW at Dubai International Humanitarian City. The projects will rely on solar photovoltaic technology, capturing sunlight and turning it into power.
Saeed Al Tayer, managing director of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, said anyone could now apply to take part in the scheme, which allows for excess power to be fed into the grid.
This will then be offset against the amount of conventional energy purchased from Dewa.
After applying for the relevant documents on Dewa’s website, applicants will be required to hire a company from a list of authorised consultants and contractors and apply for a no-objection certificate.
The utility will also have to approve design plans and inspect facilities before they can connect to the grid.
An application fee of Dh1,500 will be levied on each project to cover the cost of installing a smart meter so that the amounts of power taken from the grid and fed back into it can be measured accurately. The application process is expected to last on average four weeks, Dewa has said.
“Anyone can apply and connect through the procedure we explained,” said Mr Al Tayer.
Dewa is not placing any restrictions on the number of solar roofs that can join the scheme, saying Dubai’s electricity grid can currently accommodate the addition of large amounts of power.
“There is no constraint in the network, it can withstand an addition of up to 2,600MW,” said Mr Al Tayer.
Waleed Salman, chairman of the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence, said while a solar roof would not be able to provide enough electricity to meet all the needs of a building, it could help reduce energy costs.
“The roof will give you 20 per cent, to a maximum of 50 per cent of your needs, with today’s technology,” he said.
Daniel Zywietz, co-founder and chief executive of Dubai-based energy company, Enerwhere, said: “I believe that the first people to install large amounts of solar under this new framework will be the large commercial users.”
This was because they were charged more than individual users, and stayed in one place for longer.
Floris Schulze, managing director of CESI Middle East, said the distributed solar generation was “an excellent opportunity for Dubai”.
The company has been hired by Dewa to help devise standards for contractors and equipment manufacturers, as well as training up Dewa staff.
Training sessions have been held since December last year, said Mr Schulze, to ensure a volatile generation source such as solar power can smoothly and safely be added to the grid.
Dewa said it will soon publish on its website the names of consultants, contractors and equipment manufacturers that have been accredited under the scheme.
vtodorova@thenational.ae
