Dubai: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa)’s awareness initiatives and programmes have supported energy and water conservation and educating society about the importance of protecting natural resources and reducing our carbon footprint. Dewa’s conservation activities have gained the support of its audiences with an increased turnout and positive impact. This shows the increase in their involvement in sustainable development and greater awareness about reducing waste and protecting the planet and its natural resources.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dewa, praised the organisation’s commitment to achieve a balance between development and environment to protect the rights of the future generations in living in a clean, healthy and safe environment. This is in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 and the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050, to provide 100 per cent of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.
‘Turning challenges into opportunities’
“At Dewa, we are guided by the forward-looking vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to turn climate challenges into future opportunities for generations to come. We are also committed to supporting policies that accelerate climate action worldwide and advancing the use of energy across vital sectors, strengthening public-private collaboration, and partnering with society members to limit practices that harm the environment. This underlines the UAE and Dubai’s role in supporting global efforts to counter climate change and global warming. DEWA works continuously to develop its smart infrastructure to provide more innovative services that provide all stakeholders with a seamless and environmentally friendly experience and monitor their usage around the clock,” Al Tayer said.
Dewa’s conservation programmes and initiatives have resulted in cumulative savings between 2012 and 2021 up to 2.2TWh of electricity and 5.6 billion gallons of water. This is equal to saving Dh1.2 billion and reducing 1.1 million tonnes of carbon emissions.
Global environmental events
Dewa participates in the most prominent global environmental events aimed at raising awareness about the dangers of climate change and the need to adopt a sustainable lifestyle, to preserve the planet and the sustainability of resources, as well as ensure a brighter and more sustainable future for generations to come. In conjunction with these events, Dewa organises awareness and interactive sessions to encourage everyone to support the nation and global efforts to reduce carbon emissions, climate change and global warming. Among the most prominent events are Earth Hour, World Earth Day, National Environment Day, World Energy Day, World Water Day, World Environment Day, and others. DEWA also invites community members to participate in the ‘Green Pledge’ available on its website, to contribute to making positive change.
Earth Hour
Dubai was the first Arab city to celebrate Earth Hour in 2008, a year after its first-time celebration in Sydney, Australia. From then on and until 2022, Earth Hour in Dubai has achieved cumulative savings of 3.45 GWh and helped reduce 1,739.3 tonnes of carbon emissions.
Innovation Centre
The Innovation Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world, is a global platform for clean and renewable energy innovations. It aims to shape the future of sustainable energy worldwide and leads qualitative research in these areas by harnessing the latest innovative technologies. Dewa intends the Centre to create more awareness about sustainability, train Emiratis, and increase competition in this promising market. The Centre works with universities, organisations, local and global start-ups. It is an educational platform for hosting events, activities, seminars, and workshops. It also provides visitors with a unique experience to explore the latest innovations in clean energy technologies.
Smart Living initiative
Through the Smart Living initiative, customers can monitor home usage of electricity and water themselves. They can log into their Dewa accounts on the website or smart app, check their digital dashboards to monitor their usage, learn about slab tariffs, get conservation tips, and develop conservation plans. Customers can also benefit from the ‘My Sustainable Living’ programme by comparing their consumption with similar homes. They can also make use of Dewa Store offers to purchase energy and water-saving devices.
Green Charger
The Green Charger initiative supports the concept of sustainability and mobility in Dubai. This is done by encouraging the public to use electric vehicles by providing charging stations for them all over Dubai. Dewa provides a fast and smooth experience, by investing in the latest smart and innovative technologies. There are now 325 Green Charger stations provided by Dewa, with 560 charging points distributed across Dubai. Dewa allows both customers registered in the Green Charger service and those who are not registered in the service (by using the Guest Mode) to charge their vehicles at the green charger stations.
‘Let’s Make This Summer Green’
Dewa launches a campaign every year called ‘Let’s Make This Summer Green’ over three months to encourage individuals and institutions to adopt a smart and sustainable lifestyle and make a positive impact on the environment. This is done by encouraging them to use innovative services and features available on Dewa’s website and smart app to manage and monitor their electricity and water consumption, as well as benefit from tips provided to help them conserve consumption and follow a conscious and sustainable lifestyle through simple steps. The campaign also focuses on acquiring energy-saving devices with four or five stars from ESMA (Emirates Standardisation and Metrology).
Noor and Hayat Adventures
To prepare the next generations to become future leaders who can achieve sustainable development, Dewa broadcasts the animated series ‘The Adventures of Noor and Hayat,’ on its YouTube channel DEWAOfficial. The two characters of Dewa represent electricity and water. Dewa communicates environmental awareness to the new generation through edutainment to encourage them to use electricity and water responsibly. The channel has registered more than four million views since its launch. Dewa also provides an electronic adventure magazine, Noor and Hayat, about their exciting adventures, accompanied by conservation heroes in illustrated stories. The magazine includes awareness topics aimed at developing children’s skills and abilities in a simplified manner and some actionable and valuable activities.
