Dubai: Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), announced that the total production capacity of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park has increased to 3,860 megawatts (MW), using photovoltaic (PV) solar panels and concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies. Since the beginning of this year, DEWA has added 800MW from the sixth phase of the solar park, bringing clean energy’s share to approximately 21.5% of its total production capacity.

According to Emirates News Agency, Al Tayer stated that DEWA’s strategies and action plans are inspired by the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai. The focus is on accelerating the transition towards a sustainable green economy and enhancing Dubai’s position as a global hub for clean and renewable energy. The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is central to achieving this vision and meeting the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050, which aim to provide 100% of the emirate’s energy production capacity from clean sources by 2050. By 2030, the solar park’s production capacity is expected to reach 7,260MW, with clean energy comprising 34% of DEWA’s energy mix, reducing approximately eight million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

The first phase of the solar park, with a capacity of 13MW using PV solar panels, was commissioned in October 2013. In March 2017, the second phase was inaugurated with a capacity of 200MW, also using PV technology, marking the first project of its kind in the region based on the independent power producer (IPP) model.

In November 2020, the third phase, with a capacity of 800MW, was inaugurated using PV technology and was the first in the Middle East and North Africa to use single-axis solar tracking to enhance energy generation. In December 2023, the fourth phase, with a capacity of 950MW, was inaugurated, combining CSP and PV panels. It uses three hybrid technologies to produce clean energy: 600MW from a parabolic basin complex, 100MW from a solar power tower, and 250MW from PV solar panels.

In June 2023, the fifth phase with a capacity of 900MW was inaugurated using photovoltaic panels. DEWA is currently working to complete the sixth phase of the solar park, with a capacity of 1,800MW using PV panels. DEWA has invited international developers to participate in the implementation of the seventh phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which will have a capacity of 1,600MW, expandable to 2,000MW. This phase will utilise PV solar panels and a battery energy storage system with a capacity of 1,000MW for six hours, providing a total storage capacity of 6,000 megawatt-hours, making it one of the world’s largest solar-plus-storage projects. The phase will be implemented under the IPP model.