The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has issued a request for proposal (RfP) for appointing consultants to study, develop, and construct floating solar photovoltaic projects in the Arabian Gulf.

DEWA initiated this project to support the objective of Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 (DCES 2050). DEWA aims to diversify the energy mix in Dubai by providing 75% of its total power output from clean energy by 2050, apart from making the Emirates a green economy and a global hub for clean energy.

The RfP stipulates that the consultancy services from prospective bidders would include a feasibility study, the technical requirements for a floating solar photovoltaic unit, an environmental impact assessment report (EIA), a study of the marine requirements. Other necessary studies on setting up the electrical transmission, a safety plan, and a seawater feasibility study, including tidal and system specifications, and system performance would also need to be included in the service offering.

To achieve the objectives of the “Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050”, a production capacity of 42,000 MW (42 GW) of clean and renewable energy would be required by 2050. To be in line with this target, DEWA has launched the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park, the largest single-site solar park in the world, based on the Independent Power Producer Project model, with a planned capacity of 5,000 MW by 2030. It is built at a total investment of AED 50 billion ($13 billion).

“To achieve sustainable development, preserve the environment and natural resources, achieve economic, and social development, we are following the directives of His Highness, to make Dubai the city with the lowest carbon footprint in the world by 2050. We are working within the framework of federal and local strategies, including the UAE Vision 2021, UAE Centennial 2071, the Dubai Plan 2021, and the DCES 2050,” added HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer.

“At DEWA, we launch innovative initiatives and solutions in line with our vision to provide an innovative and sustainable world for generations to come. Floating photovoltaic systems are one of the most prominent emerging technologies that rely on installing solar photovoltaic systems directly above the water,” informed Al Tayer.

Earlier, DEWA along with a consortium of Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power and the Chinese owned Silk Road Fund announced the financial closure for the fourth phase of the 950 MW Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park project.

In March 2019, DEWA had issued a request for qualification for the development of 900 MW solar PV projects located within the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, about 50km south of the city of Dubai.

Recently, this project was announced to have received the most substantial investment for a concentrated solar power project in the world — the consortium bid at the levelized cost of electricity of $0.073/kWh. In November 2018, DEWA signed an agreement to add 250 MW of solar photovoltaic for the fourth phase of the solar park project, increasing the total capacity of the solar park from 700 MW to 950 MW.

Recently, Mercom has reported that the Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC), Abu Dhabi’s state-owned water and electric utility has invited expressions of interest for the development of 2 GW of solar power projects at Al Dafra, 50 kilometers from Abu Dhabi.

Image credit: SPG Solar [CC BY-SA 3.0]