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Solar Show to boost Dubai's energy drive

Dubai - Dewa to organise Dubai Solar Show to forge partnerships between public and private sectors and to develop innovative solutions

With the rapid growth in renewable energy industry, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) is organising the inaugural Dubai Solar Show to "forge partnerships between public and private sectors and to develop innovative solutions."
This was announced by Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Dewa Managing Director and CEO. The event will be held in conjunction with the 18th Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition 2016 (WETEX) on October 4-6 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre under the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of Dewa.
"Dubai Solar Show will be a key platform for the public and private sectors to make deals, build partnerships, review the latest solar-energy technologies, learn about current and future projects in the region and market needs, and explore opportunities to take part in solar-energy projects and programmes," said Al Tayer.
Al Tayer underscored that the "UAE has taken an early start to bid farewell to the last drop of oil."
He added: "The sun stood out as an ideal replacement for fossil fuel resources. These two energy resources emerge in completely different directions, where the more demand for fossil fuels, the higher the price, while the more demand for solar energy the cheaper the cost. I believe this is a visionary smart investment in the long run."
The government has the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site strategic renewable energy project of its kind in the world. The 13MW first phase became operational in 2013 and the 200MW second phase of the Solar Park will be operational in 2017, and its capacity will reach 1,000MW by 2020 and 5,000MW by 2030.
According to Al Tayer, the project will help achieve a reduction of approximately 6.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually, supporting Dubai Government's green initiatives and programmes.
The Solar Park includes a Research and Development Centre to conduct studies on industrial and social needs, and scientific research in renewable energy. It also has two test technologies for photovoltaic panels and for concentrated solar power.
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