This month, DEWA announced that it is developing a programme that will allow 10 percent of homes in Dubai to be self- sufficient in terms of water, food and energy – mainly with the help of clean solar projects. “The achievement of this goal will help change lifestyles and contribute to the preservation of our environment. We aim to create a new economic sector that supports energy, water, and food self-sufficiency,” Al Tayer said.

The project, which will see the installation of solar panels in citizens’ homes, will be implemented under the government’s Shams Dubai initiative which was launched by DEWA in 2015 in a bid to help make the emirate “the smartest and happiest city in the world,” Al Tayer told Trade Arabia at the time.

The programme encourages building owners to install photovoltaic solar panels to produce clean energy and connect them to DEWA’s grid. By the end of July this year, Shams Dubai had connected 1,328 buildings connected to the grid with a total capacity of 102.1 MW.

According to Al Tayer, there has been a global boom in the manufacture and usage of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels.

“This past decade has truly been the era of PV, with people and businesses around the world producing and manufacturing more panels. Manufacturing and application of PV is also creating many new jobs.

“Very soon, we will use PV in additional areas including in the infrastructure we use every day, as well as in our home and office windows, to convert solar energy into electricity. Our buildings will soon become self-sufficient and produce clean energy while preserving the environment,” he added.

Al Tayer pointed out that several government entities and companies had proven their leadership in this field regionally and globally, and that DEWA was the first to adopt the usage of clean energy technologies in the UAE. The CEO has also established several successful companies including the Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (EMPOWER), Etihad Energy Services Company (Etihad ESCO), Mai Dubai and others.

Al Tayer is a member of the Dubai Executive Council and Strategic Affairs Council, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE), Chairman of Dubai Smart City Office, Vice Chairman of Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), Vice Chairman of Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), Vice Chairman of Dragon Oil Company, Chairman of UAE Water Aid (SUQIA) Board Of Trustees, Chairman of World Green Economy Organisation (WGEO), and Chairman of Dubai Future Council On Energy. He was also Chairman of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee – Dubai Executive Council – from 2006 to 2017.

Al Tayer has received a number of prestigious awards such as the Middle East Champion of Energy award at the World Green Economy Summit 2015 from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), after which he was appointed as the UNDP National Goodwill Ambassador for Sustainable Development Goals.