Current solutions

The Council organised the Dubai Global Energy Forum in 2011 and in 2013, to
highlight the most prominent issues of energy, environment and sustainability.
Other issues discussed included the exploration of the best practices in the fields
of oil, gas, clean coal, and renewable energy, the peaceful use of nuclear energy,
existing currently-applied policies, and future opportunities for improvement in
this vital sector
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which has a generation capacity
of 13 megawatts
Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030, which aims to diversify energy sources,
rationalise consumption, conserve our natural resources, and preserve the
environment
the development of the oil industry to minimize negative impacts by adoption of
modern technology and best practices, options for renewable energy, alternative
energy, carbon capture and storage techniques, adopting criteria for green
buildings and sustainable transport, national standards to promote energy
efficiency, promoting awareness of the importance of energy conservation and
reduction of carbon footprint resulting from various types of activities, and finally
the green economy approach
in the last twenty years, bringing electricity to an additional 1.7 billion people
and securing access to generally less polluting, non-solid fuels for 1.6 billion
people. There are still, however, 1.2 billion people who remain without access to
electricity, and 2.6 billion who are using wood, charcoal and dung for cooking
and/or heating
To make renewable energy more attractive, developed the Feed-in-Tariffs and
Technical Codes for Independent Solar Power Producers and seek to have them
ratified by the Government of Dubai before the end of 2013.
Bio-fuel technology in one of their vehicles (pilot study)
Electric cars for in-compound transportation
Solar powered speed cameras
Dubai imports its fuel for electricity generation
UAE the third country in the world, after Japan and Switzerland, to embark on
such in-depth research to understand and manage its long-term energy balance
Dubai is taking a long term approach to solar energy, and views it as a sound
economic development strategy; more than just an electricity generation
solution

Challenges
the issue of the unique operating conditions in the deserts of Dubai, foundation
is very rocky, which makes installing pole-driven solar structures more
challenging. chemically-coated to ensure it does not rust over the 25 year
lifespan of the project

Researchers in Saudi Arabia have found that solar systems that are not cleaned
for just one month can result in a drop of output of over 30-40%. This carries
very serious implications in term of energy production and cost for both large
scale solar power plans and residential roof-top PV systems. Prolonged sand
exposure can also have damaging effects on the modules themselves
residential roof-top solar installations, implementing a periodic and systematic
cleaning program can be a challenge
But these large, inexpensive tracks of lands are found far from cities where the
power is needed. Expensive transmission lines are needed to bring the power to
a distant market.
Counter for these challenges
As for the cleaning, we have seen Masdar adopt a unique broom with a roller at
each end which sits along the edge of the solar modules and runs up and down
the solar array, cleaning the modules without the need of any water
solar-powered devices that sit on the rails inside the solar park and clean the
modules automatically, using very little man-power and water
The plants desert location, where strong winds and dust are a main challenge,
required an innovative approach. To protect the systems 258,000 mirrors, a
large wall surrounding the complex was constructed. The mirrors are also
cleaned automatically utilising a specially-designed system
New transmission technology is needed to bring the clean energy to market.
Energy storage systems will also help smooth out the production bumps caused
by climate and atmospheric interruptions
Many large solar facilities are in remote locations such as deserts where grid
infrastructure doesnt exist

Solutions
Microgeneration
Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP) extract the ambient heat in the air to provide
space and water heating. They use electricity in the process. As the outside air
temperature varies considerably during the year, their energy and carbon
efficiency varies as well and is overall lower compared with GSHP. Their
advantage, however, is their low space requirement and their applicability to
most locations, including urban
Biomass is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms.
Biomass is a diverse category with regard to the type of available fuels, fuel
conversion technology and type of energy output
Another possible solution to the storage problem would mimic the biological
capture of sunshine by photosynthesis in plants, which stores the suns energy in
the chemical bonds of molecules that can be used as food. The plants way of
using sunlight to produce food could be duplicated by people to produce fuel

Proposed solutions
Case study- Norway.