This driverless vehicle takes you on Dubai's 71-year journey to powering homes

Dewa's power capacity has increased from 43 megawatts (MW) in 1970 to 13,417 MW in 2021, a 300-fold increase. The utility service provider's total production capacity is now 13,417MW, including 1,527MW of renewable energy using photovoltaic solar panels from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model. It will have a production capacity of 5,000MW by 2030.

Below is Dubai's time and journey, which started from a humble beginning:

Driverless vehicles

In order to expedite the journey towards a green energy and solar power, Dewa established the Innovation Centre at Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park, the world's largest single-site solar park.

Upon arriving at the centre, the first thing that visitors spot is the unique driverless vehicle which is parked in front of the centre. The vehicle, which has a maximum speed of 25km per hour, can carry up to 15 people. However, due to Covid-19 restrictions, it now seats nine people. It's equipped with sensors and cameras linked to GPS that detect the location of the bus and allow it to sense the surroundings of the bus to detect any obstacles and prevent accidents. It can also be operated manually to ensure that the trip is safer for visitors.

A dedicated lane has been created for the autonomous vehicle where the visitors can experience the ride for free. However, they need prior booking.

People can visit mbrsic.ae to book one of four slots offered by the centre. The ticket to the centre is priced at Dh50 for adults and Dh30 for children.

Innovation Centre

A trip to the centre is educational, informative, and entertaining considering the variety of experiences it offers to the visitors. Officially opened to the public in February 2021, the centre focuses on three key pillars – education, inspiration, and innovation.