Look: The Innovation Centre at Dubai's Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s (DEWA’s) Innovation Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is a pioneering global hub for renewable and clean energy innovation that is expected to shape the global future of sustainable energy.

The Innovation Centre is located at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. The Centre is a clean technology innovation hub to promote a sustainable energy future in Dubai and beyond. Through the Innovation Centre, DEWA aims to raise awareness about sustainability while building national capabilities and increasing competitiveness.

The Innovation Centre’s research on solar power supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, which aims to diversify the energy mix and provide 75% of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.

The Innovation Centre is the first and largest government centre to receive the ‘Done by Youth’ seal from the Federal Youth Authority. Developed by a team of young Emiratis, the Centre supports the next generation of innovators in clean energy technologies while focusing on developing national capabilities.

Dubai has become an international pioneer in developing the clean and renewable energy sector. It has developed a number of techniques and practices to enhance the efficiency of the energy sector while rationalising consumption and finding alternative solutions to conventional energy. This supports the sustainable development of the Emirate. The Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, which was launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, aims to provide 7% of Dubai’s total power output from clean energy by 2020. This target will increase to 25% by 2030 and 75% by 2050. The infrastructure pillar includes initiatives such as the Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is the largest single-site solar energy project in the world, with a planned total production capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030, and a total investment of AED 50 billion.

The Innovation Centre will be an educational platform that hosts events, conferences, seminars, and workshops. It will build a strong collaboration with schools, universities, start-ups, and local and international organisations for research, knowledge-exchange, and organisation of exhibitions.

The Centre houses an auditorium for events, conferences, and training programmes on solar power, renewable energy, and other green initiatives. The four-storey building covers 4,355 square metres and is 88 metres high.

The Innovation Centre offers an opportunity for visitors to explore the latest innovations in clean energy technologies. The exhibition area on the first floor of the Centre focuses on DEWA’s history, key inventions and innovations in electricity, and the latest developments in renewable and sustainable energy.

The area also includes over 30 interactive exhibits designed to introduce visitors to renewable energy developments. The site also houses the DEWA Museum, water desalination plants, and a visual space that explains the properties of light and solar radiation.

The Centre also features an exhibition on photovoltaic solar power and the key components of solar photovoltaic cells, solar photovoltaic technologies, CSP and the Solar Power Tower. It also showcases DEWA’s renewable energy journey, Smart DEWA, solar cell applications in spacecraft and satellites, a model that explains the working mechanisms of electric vehicles, a wind turbine, and the development of DEWA’s sustainable buildings. The Innovation Centre received a platinum rating from LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) with 101 points out of a possible 110 in the first quarter of 2020. This is the highest score in the world for a new government building.