Requests to access solar net-metering in Dubai reach 323 MW

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) reports that, currently, requests to access the Emirate’s net-metering scheme for residential and commercial PV have reached a combined capacity of 323 MW.

The authority has also revealed that the current installed PV capacity under the mechanism has reached 49.9 MW. In early June, this capacity was 43.7 MW, which means that in the past two and a half months, around a further 5 MW have been deployed.

Since last October, new PV systems with a combined capacity of 32 MW have been connected to the Emirate’s grid, which also means that most of this capacity has been installed in recent months, despite the fact the Shams Dubai scheme was launched in 2015.

Under the Shams Dubai initiative, owners of residential and commercial PV systems may sell surplus electricity to the grid at the same price for consuming it – at the end of the month only the net amount is billed to the customer.

Moreover, DEWA announced in the same statement that it has completed a 2 MW solar carport, installed across its headquarters and building of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE). “This project covers a total of 885 parking spaces in the two locations, using 6,700 locally manufactured solar modules, spanning an area of 13,200 square metres with a total production capacity of 2,000 kW,” DEWA said.

The Emirate is aiming to provide 7% of its total electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020, 25% by 2030 and 75% by 2050. Large-scale solar is currently being supported through a series of tenders for its 5 GW Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest solar project in the United Arab Emirates – and the Middle East – to date.