Dubai remains at the forefront with sustainable projects that aim to reduce the carbon footprint and set a precedent worldwide. So much so that Dubai Airports has developed a new solar panel system for the airport that seeks to revolutionize sustainable technology in this location and position the United Arab Emirates at the cutting edge of such innovations and mechanisms.
This new program, which will be operational in 2026, started through the collaboration of Dubai Airports and Emirates along with Etihad Clean Energy Development Company, a subsidiary of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), which aims to implement innovative new mechanisms that contribute to reducing the carbon footprint and combatting climate change.
How sustainable technology is revolutionizing Dubai.
Dubai Airports aims to develop the largest solar panel technology in the world, which will take place at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC). This system will achieve a total capacity of 39 MWp (megawatts peak) thanks to the installation of a total of 62,904 solar panels.
These panels are designed to generate 60,346 MWh (megawatt hours) of clean energy in a year, which equates to offsetting 23,000 tons of CO2 emissions each year. This can be translated into everyday terms and would mean removing more than 5,000 cars from the roads or supplying energy to 3,000 homes for a year.
Total solar energy is one of Dubai’s goals for 2030.
This initiative from Dubai airports aligns with one of the city’s most important goals, which is to ensure the use of clean energy. This plan establishes that by 2030, 25% of energy will be sustainable, with the ultimate aim of reaching 100% by 2050. Apparently, this process is accelerating, and according to Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, vice chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, a 27% capacity of clean energy could be achieved by 2030, surpassing the initial idea.
For experts and entrepreneurs aligned with this project, airports represent a significant energy consumption, but at the same time, they become ideal spaces to apply this type of cutting-edge technology. Before this program, a successful test was conducted with solar panels in Terminal 2 and Concourse D of DXB airport, where solar energy has reduced both energy consumption and pollutant emissions.
More solar panels at other airlines in Dubai.
Emirates, one of the most emblematic airlines in Dubai, has also joined the use of solar energy at its facilities and installed more than 39,960 solar panels at its Emirates Engineering Centre. This system will ensure 37% of the center’s annual energy consumption, reducing CO2 emissions by more than 13,000 tons per year. Additionally, the same company installed the largest solar parking lot in the region at Emirates Flight Catering and The Sevens stadium, reinforcing Emirates’ commitment to sustainability and the transition to cleaner energy sources.
In this way, Dubai is preparing for a future with the development of sustainable technologies and aims to be in the top position in the world for this type of technology. The use of clean energy is one of the main objectives, along with the implementation of more models of this kind so that, in more than six years, all facilities can be utilized in this manner.
