The second Global Solar Leaders Summit opened today in Dubai, UAE, focusing on the latest techniques in the solar energy industry.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) inaugurated the summit at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The summit was attended by Dr Matar Al Neyadi, Undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Energy; Waleed Salman, executive vice president of strategy and business development at Dewa; Marwan Bin Haider, executive vice president of innovation and the future at Dewa, Khawla Al Mehairi, vice president of marketing and corporate communications at Dewa, and 300 leaders and decision makers in renewable energy from around the world.

Al Tayer welcomed the summit’s guests and highlighted Dewa’s efforts to diversify its energy resources over the past four years, the Shams Dubai initiative, and efforts to transform the emirate into an international hub for clean energy.

“Dubai hosting this summit is very significant, as the UAE, and especially Dubai, is already leading the way in its efforts to transform into a green knowledge-based economy, while diversifying the structure of our economy to achieve sustainable development based on knowledge, innovation, and sustainable green growth. This is achieved by launching initiatives in renewable energy, solar power, and smart grids, while establishing long-term strategies to increase the percentage of clean energy in the energy mix, limit carbon emissions, and reduce the carbon footprint of the Emirate. Dubai has made real progress with this over the last few years, as a major factor to contribute to the use of solar power regionally and internationally,” said Al Tayer.

“Dubai’s energy sector is developing in accordance with the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. This supports the UAE Vision 2021, and the Dubai Plan 2021, to make Dubai a smart, integrated, and connected city that is sustainable with its resources, while improving living standards to meet the future ambitions of the Emirate,” added Al Tayer.

“HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to make Dubai a global centre of clean energy and green economy. The strategy aims to provide 7 per cent of Dubai’s energy from clean sources by 2020, 25 per cent by 2030, and 75 per cent by 2050, to eventually transform Dubai into the city with the lowest carbon footprint in the world by 2050.

The strategy was launched to coincide with the inauguration of the second phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park, which is the largest single-site solar park in the world, with a planned capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030, and a total investment of $3.6 billion, saving approximately 6.5 million tonnes per annum in carbon dioxide emissions. Dubai aims to create an environmentally-friendly energy mix with 25 per cent of the energy coming from solar power by 2030, said Al Tayer.

“In addition to DEWA’s efforts to increase its dependence on renewable energy sources, Dewa is also committed to raising awareness about energy conservation. This supports our efforts to achieve the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 to reduce energy demand by 30 per cent by 2030. This is part of our continuous efforts to enhance sustainability and support the process of sustainable development in the Emirate.

“Dubai’s achievements over the past few years stand as international accomplishments that meet the highest standards. Dubai is committed to establishing a sustainable model in energy conservation which can be exported to the whole world, and support economic growth without damaging the environment and natural resources,” said Al Tayer. - TradeArabia News Service