Dubai: Have you thought of switching to solar power but changed your mind because you’re uncertain about your rooftop’s solar potential?
If a lack of relevant information is what’s hindering you from tapping on to solar power, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has launched the ‘Shams Dubai Calculator’ web application to answer your queries.
Watch: Solar panels on your Dubai rooftop = money saved!
The Shams Dubai initiative (Shams is Arabic for “sun”) was launched in 2015 to give ordinary households and businesses the chance to power their villas or buildings in Dubai using energy from the sun to reduce the emirate’s carbon footprint. Their surplus energy will be sent to the Dewa grid to offset their monthly bills.
Dewa as of January this year had received requests for solar power installations that can generate up to 120MW of electricity.
Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dewa, said the ‘Shams Dubai Calculator’ is an innovative service designed by the authority for customers who desire to produce solar power under the Shams Dubai initiative.
By providing their account numbers, customers can easily identify their building’s location and rooftop through an interactive map.
They can measure the usable area, number of panels, and their total capacity on a monthly or annual basis. Using innovative interactive tools, the customer can map out specific areas without the need to calculate the whole rooftop’s usable area.
The web-based application also provides other information such as green charger locations, and other Shams Dubai projects within the customer’s neighbourhood. Results can also be shared through social media channels.
To give you an idea, Gulf News tested the calculator and found that if half of its main building was installed with solar panels, it would be able to produce an estimated 179,598kWh per year with just 420 solar panels.
This is equivalent to saving 76,130kg of carbon emissions — roughly the same emissions by a car that has been driven almost 294,000km.
Similarly, if a third of the rooftop of a popular mall on Jumeirah Beach Road was installed with solar panels, it would produce 278,976kWh per year, which is equivalent to carbon emission savings of 118,314kg or roughly the emissions of a car driving a distance of 456,454km.
Although the calculator does not give an estimated cost for the solar installation, it refers users directly to Dewa-approved consultants and contractors.
Currently, the calculator provides installations of 700 panels or less (maximum installed capacity of 175kW, with 250W panels). Residents may use the “draw area tool” to divide the roof into smaller areas (of 700 panels or less) to estimate their savings from an installation on a large rooftop.
How to use the calculator
Go to https://www.dewa.gov.ae/en/customer/innovation/smart-initiatives/solar-calc
and click on How to Use the App and then “Enter Shams Dubai Calculator web application”.
On the search bar, you may use your Dewa Account number (if it’s a villa or a single-owned building), or you may use the Makani number of the building, geographic coordinates, or even type the building so you can locate it.
Select the building of your choice by clicking on it. If the area is too large, use the “Draw Area” tool and the calculator will automatically measure the solar potential of your rooftop.
A rating of “5” or Excellent means your rooftop has a high potential of producing electricity using solar power, while “1” is the lowest score.
The estimated “Money saved on bill” will only appear if you are a registered Dewa customer. Meaning, if you searched your building or villa using your Dewa account number, your money savings will be reflected on the calculation.
