Emirati state-held utility Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) has launched a programme aimed at installing solar rooftops in 10% of the homes of UAE nationals within the Dubai Emirate and connect them to the domestic grid by 2020. The initiative is part of the 2015 Shams Dubai programme, which offers net metering for small-scale solar and aims at building PV capacity for commercial, industrial and residential buildings.
As of August 2018, request for 300 MW of new net metered capacity had been filed under the programme, out of which 50 MW have already been built. Six contractors are in charge of the project, which is slated for completion by the end of 2019. The programme is implemented by Etihad Energy Services Company (Etihad ESCO), while its costs are borne by DEWA.
Apart from the residential sector, DEWA is also involved in large utility-scale projects, which entails in particular the giant Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park project, which is set to have an overall power capacity of 5 GW by 2030 for a total cost of AED50bn (US$13.6bn). In February 2019, the company issued a tender for the development of the fifth phase (900 MW), which is expected to be commissioned in the first half of 2021.