The Dubai Future Council on Energy reviewed the efforts of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park (MBR Solar Park) R&D Centre and the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) during the fourth meeting of the Dubai Future Council on Energy.
The chairman of the Dubai Future Council on Energy, HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, presided over the meeting, which highlighted the R&D Centre’s focus on producing electricity from solar power, integration of smart grids, energy efficiency, and water.
The R&D Centre also includes indoor labs to study and test system reliability and external field testing of new technologies and equipment.
For example, it hosts facilities to study PV modules performance, or study and mitigate dust and soiling effects, and water desalination through PV RO.
Meanwhile, DEWA is also using 3D-printing and additive manufacturing as solutions to produce spare parts for its power generation, transmission, and distribution divisions.
DEWA has inked agreements with international entities, including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) of the US Department of Energy, and the Spanish National Renewable Energy Centre (CENER) in R&D, on the latest developments in power, water and the environment.
DEWA is also collaborating with the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) and Khalifa University on joint research and studies in renewable and alternative energy.
The R&D Centre also includes DEWA’s R&D drone lab, which was built using 3D printing technology. The lab is the first building in the UAE to be fully-printed onsite, and the first such 3D-printed laboratory building in the world.
During the meeting, Al Tayer and the council members also reviewed and approved the Dubai Future Council on Energy Year-1 report.
