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Dubai To Make Rooftop Solar Mandatory By 2030

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Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and a key logistics hub for the Middle East, said it would make rooftop solar panels mandatory for all buildings beginning in 2030.

Last week, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the political leader of Dubai, launched the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, which included the rooftop solar mandate as well as several ambitious renewable energy targets.

Under the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy, Dubai aims to provide 7% of the city’s energy from clean energy resources by 2020, 25% by 2030 and 75% by 2050. Less than a year ago, Dubai had adopted a renewable energy target of 15% for 2030.

Sheikh Mohammed revealed key details of the new strategy during a speech inaugurating the second phase of construction at the Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai. The solar park is among the largest utility-scale solar projects under development in the world. The first phase of the project was completed by First Solar, a solar panel manufacturer and project developer based in Tempe, Arizona, in 2013.

The second phase will come online in 2017 and will expand the total installed capacity to about megawatts (MW). The third phase will be completed in 2020 and will add another 200 MW of capacity, bringing the total installed capacity to 1,000 MW. The fourth and final phase of the project is scheduled to be completed in 2030 and will quintuple the total installed capacity from 1,000 MW to 5,000 MW.

The ambitious clean energy strategy includes plans for investing $27 billion to establish the Dubai Green Fund, which will provide low-interest financing for clean energy projects. It also includes plans to make Dubai a global research and development hub for the next-generation of clean energy technologies.

“Through this strategy, which is based on innovation, research and development, we aim to explore the future of the energy sector to unveil initiatives that will make use of the scientific and technological developments in this sector and take the lead in their development and application,” said Shaikh Mohammad.

The UAE is a major oil producing country and boasts the second-largest oil reserves in the world. In 2009, the UAE reported higher per capita carbon dioxide emissions – 40.31 tons per capita – than all but five other countries in the world.

In recent years, the UAE has begun promoting large-scale adoption of solar power to reduce its carbon footprint. This makes good sense. After all, the UAE is one of the sunniest countries in the world based on average hours of sunshine annually.

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