Latest / DEWA Podcasts / DEWA’s projects strengthen the UAE’s leading role in the transition to clean and renewable energy

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DEWA’s projects strengthen the UAE’s leading role in the transition to clean and renewable energy · DEWA Podcasts

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  So January 26th, it's probably not a date that
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  you have, you know, circled in red on your calendar.
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  Not yet, anyway. But it's definitely one that's
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  gaining importance. Right. It's the International
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  Day of Clean Energy. A pretty fresh initiative
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  from the U .N., actually. Co -sponsored by the
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  UAE in Panama. And that's really the focus of
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  our deep dive today. Exactly. We're looking at
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  a very specific topic. Dubai Electricity and
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  Water Authority's projects strengthen the UAE's
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  leading role in the transition to clean and renewable
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  energy. And transition is the key word. But it's
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  a bit of an understatement here. It really is.
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  The goal is massive. We're talking 100 percent
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  clean power generation by 2050. And we have reports.
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  here showing how Dubai is actually turning that
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  vision into projects on the ground? It is an
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  incredibly ambitious target, and it's a commitment
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  that comes from the very top. It has to for a
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  goal that big. It does. And there's an official
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  statement that puts it perfectly. His Excellency,
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  Saeed Mohammed Al -Tayr, emphasized that the
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  UAE, under the wise leadership of His Highness
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  Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al -Nayan, President
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  of the UAE, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed
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  bin Rashtan Maktoumah, Vice President and Prime
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  Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, is among
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  the world's leading countries in this transition.
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  And we saw that leadership on the world stage.
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  Just recently, didn't we, with the UAE consensus
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  at COPY28? Oh, absolutely. That consensus, which
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  was approved at Expo City Dubai, was a real turning
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  point for reducing greenhouse gas emissions globally.
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  It set a new tone. It really did. And to understand
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  the philosophy driving Dubai's efforts specifically,
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  you really need to hear this statement from His
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  Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al -Tayr, Managing
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  Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water
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  Authority. Okay, let's hear it. The International
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  Day of Clean Energy is an annual occasion to
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  renew global commitment to accelerating the transition
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  to clean and renewable energy sources. On this
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  day, Dubai's experience stands out as a global
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  model for transforming strategic visions into
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  major projects that support climate action, protect
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  natural resources, and enhance energy security
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  and sustainability. At Dubai Electricity and
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  Water Authority, we continue to implement pioneering
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  projects in line with the Dubai Clean Energy
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  Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emission
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  Strategy 2050 to provide 100 % of total power
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  generation capacity from clean sources by 2050.
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  Dubai Electricity and Water Authority's integrated
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  projects reflect Dubai's innovation -driven approach,
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  leveraging advanced technologies, particularly
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  artificial intelligence, to enhance efficiency
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  and build a resilient, clean energy ecosystem
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  that supports sustainable development, improves
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  quality of life, and shapes a brighter and more
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  sustainable future for all. That phrase in there,
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  innovation -driven approach, really is the key,
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  isn't it? It's not just talk. Not at all. You
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  just have to look at the Mohammed bin Rashid
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  Al Maktoum Solar Park. The scale of that place
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  is just... It's hard to even get your head around.
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  It's the largest single -site solar park on the
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  entire planet. And the numbers are staggering.
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  It's already producing 3 ,860 megawatts. But
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  the target is over 8 ,000 megawatts by 2030.
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  That's more than double. It is. And that pushes
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  the clean energy share of Dubai Electricity and
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  Water Authority's install capacity from about
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  21 .5 % right now. to over 36 % by 2030. And
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  in terms of emissions, that's a reduction of
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  over 8 .5 million tons a year. But, you know,
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  the classic question with solar is always the
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  same. What do you do when the sun goes down?
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  The renewable hurdle. Right. And that's where
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  this gets really interesting to me. They're not
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  just building panels. They're building a massive
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  1 ,400 megawatt battery storage system. Which
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  is huge and absolutely necessary. But if you
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  want to talk about true storage innovation, we
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  have to talk about the HADA hydroelectric plant.
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  This is my favorite part of the research. A hydro
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  plant in the desert. It sounds like a contradiction.
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  It does, doesn't it? But the engineering is just
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  brilliant. It's the Gulf region's first pump
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  storage hydroelectric plant. So it's essentially
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  a giant gravity battery. That's the perfect way
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  to describe it. They use excess solar power during
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  the day to pump water up to a higher reservoir.
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  And when they need power at night or during a
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  peak, they just let it flow back down through
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  the turbines. Exactly. Storing 1 ,500 megawatt
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  hours of energy. And the best part. It has an
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  80 -year lifespan. That's immense grid resilience.
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  And they aren't stopping there. They're also
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  looking to the future with the Green Hydrogen
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  Project. That's right. The region's first solar
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  -powered green hydrogen project. And just so
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  everyone's clear, green hydrogen means it's made
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  using renewable energy to split water, not fossil
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  fuels. Correct. It's the cleanest form. They're
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  producing about 400 kilograms daily right now.
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  It's a pilot project, but it's a vital testbed
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  for transport and industrial uses down the line.
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  So you've got this incredible comprehensive strategy.
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  You have the massive solar park for generation,
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  the hydro and battery for storage, the hydrogen
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  for future proofing. And then you have initiatives
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  like Shem's Dubai, which allows individual building
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  owners to connect their own solar panels to the
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  grid. It connects the whole system from the citywide
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  scale down to a single building. It does. Dubai
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  Electricity and Water Authority is using artificial
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  intelligence and all these advanced technologies
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  to build a resilient ecosystem, not just generating
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  power, but managing it intelligently. It really
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  sets a benchmark, doesn't it? If you can successfully
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  integrate solar, hydro and hydrogen storage in
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  a desert environment. It proves that it can be
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  done anywhere. It shows that energy security
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  and sustainability, they really are achievable
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  with the right vision and investment. Something
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  for all of us to think about. That's all we have
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  for this deep dive. Thanks for listening.