RSA Global, SirajPower launch first solar rooftop in Dubai South

RSA Global has announced the official launch and implementation of the first solar rooftop on its flagship facility. The project developed by SirajPower, the Dubai-based joint venture devoted to net metering and providing comprehensive turnkey solutions on solar rooftops in the UAE, is the first of its kind in Dubai South.

For the occasion, Abhishek Ajay Shah, co-founder and group CEO of RSA Global, and David Auriau and Laurent Longuet, directors at SirajPower, hosted a ceremony at RSA Global’s headquarters to showcase the project to customers and VIPs including HE Khalifa Al Zaffin, executive chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation and Dubai South.

The power plant, developed and installed by SirajPower, will generate 1.1 MW from RSA Global’s headquarters in Dubai Logistics City. It will provide an alternative source of electricity for the next 15 years and generate 90% of the energy required for the facility. The lease agreement between RSA Global and SirajPower signed earlier this year is aligned with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s (DEWA) Shams Dubai initiative.

As part of the UAE Centennial Plan 2071, the UAE Energy Strategy 2050 has been announced to boost the country’s ambitions to increase the share of clean energy in the national energy mix to 27% by 2021 and 50% by 2050.

Shah commented: “In line with our core purpose of solving challenges for a better tomorrow, RSA Global is delighted to have achieved such an important milestone. It is never easy to be the first. We were the first company to come and set up in Dubai South and we take pride in overcoming challenges and adopting new technologies quickly – this is in our DNA and our team works tirelessly to stay at the forefront of innovation. Together with SirajPower and all our partners, we believe in the importance of protecting our environment. We hope this will open the door for many others to follow in our first steps to contribute to the ambitious target set by the UAE leadership with the launch of the UAE Energy Strategy 2050 to increase clean energy use by 50%.”

Auriau said: “It has been a great journey towards this green day as we are celebrating the completion of the very first solar rooftop project in Dubai. This example of providing cheaper and cleaner electricity is a clear opportunity for RSA Global but also for all industrial and commercial businesses in general. At SirajPower, our commitment is to innovate to deliver unique and tailored solar energy solutions together with custom financing options to suit both commercial and industrial needs. We share with our clients, partners and Dubai’s Authority a common mission, which is to develop renewable energy sources as we believe in its true and immense potential for the future of the emirate.”

SirajPower has delivered this project under a fully financed leasing scheme. SirajPower’s value proposition requires neither upfront investment nor operational obligations from RSA Global.

SirajPower is a joint venture between Akuo Energy of France and ­Corys Environment of Dubai. It started operations on its first project in Dubai in January 2016, and since then has secured a number of large and prestigious projects, all with blue chip names in the region. Siraj has also set out to finance 50 megawatts of solar rooftop projects over the next five years in Dubai as part of the Shams initiative.