Today is the last day of the 19th Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX 2017), and the 2nd Dubai Solar Show. These were both organised by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), under the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of DEWA. They ran from 23-25 October at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC).
Over the past three days, the two exhibitions were successful in establishing the foundations of sustainability in the UAE and in the region. The subjects of the exhibitions included diversification of energy sources, renewable energy, sustainability, energy efficiency, and green technologies that attracted leading visitors, experts, and exhibitors from all over the world. WETEX 2017 recorded 75 sponsors and 2,000 exhibitors from over 50 countries, and covered an area of 70,000 square metres. The 2nd Dubai Solar Show was held on a total surface area estimated at around 14,000 square metres, with 28 sponsors, and was attended by 90 exhibitors from around the world. The two events were held under the umbrella of Green Week, in conjunction with the 4th World Green Economy Summit (WGES), which had 60 speakers from around the world focus on key topics such as smart cities, green economy, innovation, and sustainable development.
The two exhibitions reflected Dubai's commitment to support global efforts to increase reliance on renewable energy, achieve sustainability in all its environmental, social and economic aspects, and strengthen the Emirate's regional and global leadership position in this field. The events provided an opportunity for thousands of companies in these sectors to promote their businesses and products with latest technologies in the energy, water and environment sectors, and to establish partnerships and build business relationships with local, regional and international organisations.
HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, commended the sponsors and supporters of WETEX, which has become one of the most important exhibitions in the world and a platform for the world's largest companies and institutions to present the latest developments and technology solutions in the water, energy, environment and sustainability sectors. He also praised the role of the media, who have long been prominent supporters of the exhibition and a key factor in its success, by highlighting their pivotal role as a leading forum for energy, water and environment leaders, decision makers and major investors in sustainable energy solutions.
“DEWA views the sponsors of WETEX as key partners in supporting sustainable development and contributors to the prominence of this important economic and environmental event as a leading global exhibition. These sponsors have also helped in accelerating the transition to a green economy, both in the UAE and the entire region as well,” said Al Tayer.
“WETEX and Dubai Solar Show have directed global attention to Dubai's progress in the green economy and green development. WETEX is the wider window through which Dubai addresses the world to spread concepts and aspirations of sustainability in the energy, water, environment, green economy and development sectors, smart cities, and other relevant sectors. This supports DEWA’s vision to become a sustainable innovative world-class utility,” added Al Tayer.
Signing of agreements and Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) WETEX 2017 witnessed the signing of agreements and MoUs between DEWA and national and international institutions. These included an MoU with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment to design and implement solar carports. DEWA also signed an MoU with Emirates Marine Environmental Group (EMEG) to enhance cooperation between the two parties, especially issues covering climate change and energy, as well as an MoA with the Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority (DAFZA), which calls for strengthening cooperation and combining efforts to achieve the objectives of the Smart Dubai initiative. Meetings Al Tayer met a delegation from th of secretariat of the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat, including James Grabert, Director, Sustainable Development Mechanisms. He also met Dr Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar, attended by Bader Al Lamki, Executive Director of Masdar Clean Energy. Canadian Solar has won the supply contract for photovoltaic solar panels for the first stage of the third phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.
Al Tayer also received a delegation from Alfanar, a Saudi Arabian company specialising in renewable energy projects and construction, headed by Sabah Mohamed Mutlaq Al Mutlaq, Deputy Chairman. During the meeting, both parties discussed the latest developments in solar power generation, and the possibilities for Alfanar to take part in the clean energy projects implemented by DEWA. Workshops and seminars Several workshops and seminars were also held on energy, water and the environment, in addition to lectures to raise awareness about the conservation of electricity and water consumption, to raise awareness on the importance of applying green practices, where DEWA promoted the concepts of sustainability. DEWA reviews its projects and achievements Over three days of the exhibition, DEWA presented its achievements in adopting renewable and clean energy systems and smart networks, interacting with customers, highlighting the efficiency of electricity and water saving solutions, and spreading sustainability concepts in energy, sustainable development, smart cities, and other related areas. DEWA’s platform included the sustainability platform, the innovation platform, and smart applications. The sustainability platform showed DEWA’s projects to promote sustainability in all its environmental, social, and economic aspects, notably, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, over an area of 77 square kilometres. The solar park has a total planned capacity of 1,000 megawatt (MW) by 2020, and 5,000MW by 2030, with a total investment of AED 50 billion. After completion, the solar park will reduce 6.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually. DEWA also recently announced the largest single-site Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project in the world, which is the fourth phase of the solar park, and will generate 700MW of clean energy. The CSP phase will have the lowest Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE) of USD 7.3 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), as well as the world’s tallest solar tower, measuring 260 metres. DEWA also presented its smart initiatives that promote sustainable development. These included Shams Dubai, to encourage building-owners to install solar panels on rooftops to produce electricity from solar power and connect them to DEWA’s grid. As part of the Shams Dubai initiative, DEWA has been able to successfully link 453 buildings in Dubaiwith a total capacity of 18.7MW. The Smart Applications through Smart Meters and Grids initiative is designed to speed up service delivery and response to ensure reconnections in case of service unplanned interruption, while rationalising smart energy consumption by monitoring consumption details simultaneously and at any time, using smart meters. The third initiative is the Green Charger initiative to establish the infrastructure for electric vehicle charging stations. This works to achieve society’s happiness and to support the sustainability of resources. In addition, 100 electric vehicle-charging stations were installed successfully, and DEWA plans to double this number to 200 in 2018. DEWA’s platform also included a model of its new headquarters, Al-Shera'a, which will be the tallest, largest, and smartest government Zero Energy Building (ZEB) in the world. It also included a model of the pumped-storage hydroelectric power station project, which is the first of its kind in the GCC that will make use of the water stored in the Hatta Dam, with a total capacity of 250MW.
DEWA’s sustainability platform at WETEX reviewed the Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME), organised by the both the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and DEWA, and the United States Department of Energy. Dubai will host two rounds of this distinguished competition; first in 2018 and then in 2020 to coincide with World Expo 2020 in Dubai. The total value of the prizes is AED 10 million.
Innovation platform DEWA dedicated its Innovation platform to review its latest innovations and technologies in smart transformation, smart services and continuous development of its operations. The platform included Rammas. Rammas acts as a virtual employee, making use of artificial intelligence technology, available around the clock via DEWA’s smart application. The application is available on both iOS and Android platforms, in addition to DEWA’s website, Facebook page, and on the Alexa smart device from Amazon. The innovation platform attracted innovators and startups who reviewed their innovations and inventions, next to participants who are leading global innovators.