DEWA, Stanford University To Develop Advanced System For PV Production

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority's (DEWA), using its Space-D programme, has collaborated with Stanford University to develop an advanced system to forecast Photovoltaic (PV) production in the short term at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model with a planned capacity of 5,000MW by 2030.

The new system reduces errors in the forecast to less than 10 percent. This supports DEWA’s efforts to achieve the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to provide 75 percent of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050, said a DEWA press release on Thursday.

The system uses modern technologies such as artificial intelligence, deep learning, high-density cameras on the main satellite and a network of metrological stations to predict irradiance, dust and cloud movement, which can affect PV performance.

"We are collaborating with Stanford University at DEWA’s R&D Centre through our membership in the Energy 3.0 programme from the university. The R&D centre focuses on enhancing partnerships, especially among the academic community and harnesses all capabilities to anticipate the future, develop long-term proactive plans to keep pace with the Fourth Industrial Revolution and innovate disruptive technologies to provide world-class services that enhance the quality of life in Dubai," Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA, said.

Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence at DEWA, said that the collaboration also exchanges knowledge and experience to resolve critical energy issues worldwide, accelerate innovation, research and studies in advanced renewable and alternative energy.

"The R&D Centre supports DEWA’s efforts to overcome challenges in the energy sector when generating electricity from solar and clean energy. This supports the Centre’s goals to become a global platform for promising solutions that enrich the scientific community in the UAE and the world," said Dr. Saif Saeed Almheiri, Vice President of Research & Development at DEWA.

"I am pleased and honoured to be able to collaborate with DEWA on this world-leading solar project. Improving the ability to forecast solar PV output will help not only Dubai but the entire world, as we shift increasingly to a clean solar-based economy," said Prof. Adam Brandt, Associate Professor of Energy Resources Engineering at Stanford University.