DEWA highlights the role of Emirati women in promoting sustainability and innovation through pioneering projects at the Global Women’s Forum - Dubai 2024

As a Strategic Partner of the Global Women’s Forum - Dubai 2024, which commenced today, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is showcasing the contributions of Emirati women in advancing sustainability and innovation through their work on DEWA’s innovative and sustainable projects. DEWA is one of the largest government organisations to employ women in technical positions within the energy sector in Dubai. This has made it a model for public and private entities in the UAE and abroad. DEWA’s top management is keen to involve women in decision-making and empowering them in all positions. Currently, there are 1,938 female employees working across all divisions, including 797 in the engineering and technical sectors. Moreover, 1,189 female employees hold leadership positions at DEWA. Emirati women represent 84.83% of DEWA’s total female workforce.

DEWA’s stand at the Global Women’s Forum, hosted by the Dubai Women Establishment at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, features several prominent projects and initiatives in renewable energy including:

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is the largest single-site solar park globally, using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model. The current production capacity of the solar park is 2,860MW, using state-of-the-art photovoltaic solar panels and concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies, with 1,800MW under construction. By 2030, approximately 27% of Dubai’s energy production capacity will be sourced from clean and renewable energy.

Sustainability and Innovation Centre

DEWA’s stand at the Global Women’s Forum includes a model of its Sustainability and Innovation Centre, located at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. The Centre offers visitors an immersive experience, showcasing the latest innovation in sustainability and clean energy technology. Through Metaverse technology, the Centre provides a virtual tour of the Solar Park.

R&D Centre

DEWA’s Research and Development (R&D) Centre reinforces Dubai’s position as a global hub for research in solar power, smart grids, energy efficiency and capacity building. In 2023, the Centre published 73 Scopus-indexed scientific and research papers in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals and international scientific conferences, bringing the total to 221 by the end of last year. Additionally, the DEWA R&D Centre has filed 41 patent applications to protect its intellectual property.

Space-D

DEWA’s space programme, Space-D, supports the development, maintenance and planning of Dubai’s electricity and water networks, enhancing the efficiency of DEWA’s generation, transmission and distribution divisions. As part of this initiative, DEWA launched two nanosatellites: DEWA-SAT1 in January 2022 and DEWA-SAT2 in April 2023, making DEWA the first utility globally to use nanosatellites to enhance operational performance.

EV Green Charger

Launched in 2014, the EV Green Charger initiative supports Dubai’s vision to become the smartest and happiest city worldwide while promoting green mobility. The number of green charging stations across Dubai now exceeds 730.

Rammas

Powered by ChatGPT technology, Rammas, DEWA’s virtual employee, enhances the customer experience with its advanced capability to interact with users and understand their needs. DEWA is the first utility globally and the first UAE government entity to integrate this technology, reinforcing its leadership locally and internationally.

Al-Shera’a Building

Al-Shera’a Building, DEWA’s new headquarters, will be the world’s tallest, largest and smartest government zero-energy building, aiming for platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification and a gold rating from the WELL Building Standard. Al-Shera’a incorporates advanced technologies, including the Internet of Things (IoT), Big and Open Data, and artificial intelligence (AI).