Dubai government keen to promote solar power

The Dubai government is pondering a number of initiatives aimed at encouraging property owners to install solar panels.Electricity consumption generally skyrockets at this time of year across the city, as residents and holidaymakers ramp up their air conditioning.Like many countries around the world, the UAE is desperate to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and the authorities think solar power holds the key to slashing the nation's carbon emissions.The Dubai government unveiled plans for a huge solar park last year, but it also wants to see more small-scale panel installations.With so many towering skyscrapers throughout the emirate, it makes sense to have more photovoltaic panels dotted around the place.According to Ivano Iannelli, the chief executive of the government-owned advisory company Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence, new legislation could soon be introduced that incentivises grid-connected solar power, the National reports.”In the next 12 months, we will see a constant increase of solar infrastructure. Not only standalone facilities such as solar pumps, but to actually power our villas, our parks, our residential communities,” he told the news provider.A number of schemes, such as feed-in tariffs, are being considered by the government and the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority is likely to play a huge part in the city's drive to become more eco-friendly.It is hoped that by building a reputation for being green, Dubai will attract plenty of investment from other parts of the world.Dubai is one of the fastest growing cities on earth and it is also home to some of the biggest and most power-thirsty structures around.The city has taken part in a number of international events aimed at raising awareness of green energy and power-saving methods, including Earth Hour, which took place at the end of March.This is a scheme that was first launched in 2007 and encourages people all over the world to switch off their lights and any unnecessary appliances for an hour at a specific time on a set day.In doing so, Dubai alone managed to cut its carbon emissions by an incredible 120 tonnes. Taylor Scott International