Dubai – Mubasher: The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is consistently working to increase the use of solar energy in the emirate, and has, therefore, reiterated its call to citizens to make use of the Shams Dubai smart initiative in a bid to achieve the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050.

The move comes as part of the authority’s efforts to increase Dubai’s sustainable and comprehensive development as well as bolster national efforts for further reliance on clean energy.

 “Shams Dubai encourages DEWA customers to install solar photovoltaic panels on the roofs of their premises to generate electricity from solar power and export any excess to the power grid,” DEWA said in a statement.

Through the initiative, DEWA also aims to protect the emirate’s environment and ensure natural resources are sustainable, as well as support Dubai’s transformation into a green economy.

“Shams Dubai gives Dubai’s residents the opportunity to transform their buildings into sustainable ones, reduce the emirate’s carbon footprint, and increase the proportion of solar power in Dubai's environmentally-friendly energy mix,” commented DEWA managing director and CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer.

He added that through the Shams Dubai initiative, members of the community can promote sustainable development as well as transform the emirate “into a global hub for clean energy and green economy, and support the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050,” he highlighted.

The Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, aims to generate 7% of Dubai's total power output from clean energy by 2020, 25% by 2030, and 75% by 2050, the top official added.