- Around the world,
there's an increasing urgency to reimagine
how we create energy—
and here, it's no different.
It might surprise some,
that a place long known for its oil production
is setting its sights on greener sources,
but that captures what Dubai really wants
to be known for:
finding new and better ways of doing things.
- The target is to achieve 25% clean and renewable
energy resources by 2030,
and 100% by 2050.
- Solar is one of the promising technologies here
in the United Arab Emirates,
and the solar park here is actually the largest
single solar site in the world.
- So what you are seeing is the current implementation
of the solar park.
- It's just so cool to see it all spread out
because you can talk about these things for ages,
you know, in an abstract way—
but then seeing it actually built in the physical space—
I dunno, it kind of brings it home a little bit.
- The story started back in 2011, when Dubai announced
the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy.
- Since 2011, Dubai has invested heavily
in resources and projects
that will help them meet their clean energy targets.
- In a city, you want to do more with less.
The city has to be optimized.
- We actually do applied research in four main areas:
Solar, water, smart grid integration,
and energy efficiency.
- The most important today example is solar.
- Globally, solar energy is among the most
efficient clean energy solutions.
Dubai bakes in sunlight,
and stretches out for miles of desert—
perfect for solar energy harvesting—
and they're racing to capitalize on that.
- If we go back in 2011,
there was no solar project in the whole region;
that created a new industry here in the region.
- To go from zero solar power in 2011,
to the world's largest solar park in just 10 years,
that's significant.
Renewable energy currently accounts
for 12% of Dubai's energy—
on par with the U.S.
- We have implemented the latest technology
at Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park,
and this is one of the example
how Dubai is creating the future—
how we lead the business.
- With the 100% clean energy goal by 2050 in mind,
Dubai is conducting a six-year-long research
and development effort
that tests out different materials
used to make solar panels
in an effort to find a composition
that can withstand the harsh environment
of Dubai's deserts.
- So the United Arab Emirates is classified
as being a very hot and very humid region—
and utilizing panels
to convert solar energy into electricity,
we do face a lot of challenges.
We have very high temperature
that affects the efficiency of these PV panels.
- Efficiency means
how much sunlight gets converted to electricity.
The material, often silicone, that protects solar cells
is degraded by high temperatures,
which means that a solar panel that
might work for 25 years in Europe,
may have a shelf life of just 15 years in Dubai.
- The challenges to overcome
is basically to look at what are the best
material that absorb enough sunlight.
We used the polycrystalline.
It's not very pure silicon.
It has an efficiency approximately between
15 to 16%.
This type of panel is approximately 22%.
Currently, one of the materials that are
being widely researched about
is the Perovskite solar cells.
This material is also very promising.
- The maximum solar panel efficiency
is currently about 33%.
Keeping the solar panels clean is another challenge.
- If you look outside,
you can see that this is a very dusty area.
We are in the middle of the desert,
and cleaning is one of the major issues.
- Some of the research is
what are the best anti-reflective coating
for the solar panels?
There is also, specifically for our region,
is the anti-soiling coating
to reduce the accumulation of dust.
- Cool. So this panel,
it was that, you developed a whole new material
that managed to capture the sunlight
in a better way. -Yes.
Newly designed solar panels are pressure tested
in a designated lab that simulates the toll
that the environment will take on them over time.
- We put them through aging process,
that will ensure that they will provide us with
the life expectancy of these photovoltaic panels
in our climates.
- We need to act now,
in order to ensure that
the next generation is having enough resources
to thrive in their lives
as well as to have a sustainable living.
- What motivates me to come here every single day
is the fact that we do deal with multiple challenges
every day.
The R&D Center contributes to Dubai,
the UAE, and the global scientific community
by disseminating knowledge.
- In 2020, Dubai exceeded its target
of achieving 7% renewable energy,
netting in at 10% by year-end.
But are they on track to reach 25% renewable energy
by 2030?
- We will achieve our target.
If we look at, for example
the efficiency of the solar panels,
it is started with a very low efficiency,
but now we can see that it is reaching around 25%—
and definitely this number will also increase over time.
- We have very clear strategy
as well as a clear roadmap for implementation.
- This will change how we transmit electricity in cities.
As of today, we are doing so good.
Definitely we are open also to improve it for the future.