Dubai solar power capacity surges to 3,860MW as clean energy share hits 21.5%

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has announced a major milestone in its renewable energy drive, revealing that the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park has reached a total production capacity of 3,860 megawatts (MW).

The park uses a mix of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels and concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies to deliver clean electricity to the emirate.

According to Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA, the expansion includes an additional 800MW from the park’s sixth phase, boosting clean energy’s share to approximately 21.5 per cent of DEWA’s overall generation capacity.

Solar energy in Dubai

Al Tayer said: “Our strategies and action plans are inspired by the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, to accelerate the transition towards a sustainable green economy and enhance Dubai’s position as a leading global hub for clean and renewable energy.

“The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is our key project to realise this vision and achieve the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050, which aim to provide 100 per cent of the emirate’s energy production capacity from clean sources by 2050.

“By 2030, the solar park’s production capacity will reach 7,260MW, with clean energy making up 34 per cent of DEWA’s energy mix. This will reduce approximately eight million tonnes of carbon emissions annually”.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is the world’s largest single-site solar project. Once complete, it is expected to reduce carbon emissions by approximately eight million tonnes annually.

Since its inception in 2013 with a modest 13MW first phase, the solar park has undergone a series of ambitious expansions:

• 2017: 200MW second phase inaugurated, the region’s first under the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model
• 2020: 800MW third phase launched using PV technology with single-axis tracking – a regional first
• 2023: 950MW fourth phase combined CSP and PV, including a 100MW solar tower and a 600MW parabolic basin system
• 2023: 900MW fifth phase added using PV panels
• 2024–2025: Sixth phase (1,800MW) currently under development.

DEWA has invited global developers to participate in the seventh phase, which will feature 1,600MW of PV capacity and a 1,000MW/6,000MWh battery energy storage system—set to become one of the largest solar-plus-storage projects in the world. Expandable to 2,000MW, this phase will further enhance grid reliability and sustainability and will also be developed under the IPP model.