The Dubai Government has announced its intent to install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on buildings and residential villas across the emirate. The move follows the success of the Safaqat project in Hatta, which saw 640 villas fitted with solar PV panels.

Safaqat (Arabic for transaction) uses crowdsourcing to provide economically viable low carbon solutions. It offers energy efficient smart products and enables buyers to ‘pay with their savings’, while decreasing their environmental footprint. The programme is only applicable in cases where the savings are more than the cost of the hardware over its usable life.

Each Safaqat deal will cost less for the end user in-comparison to a pre-purchase scenario, Dubai Carbon said. The firm is providing advisory services to facilitate the transition to a low-carbon, sustainable, green economy.

Dubai Carbon CEO Ivano Iannelli said, “Historically, sustainability has had associated cost considerations. Through crowdsourcing, we have sourced products which offer long term savings as well as being energy efficient, made available on the Safaqat platform. The provision of solar energy to more buildings and villas via the Safaqat platform shows there is a demand for energy from natural resources. We are excited to meet this demand and also encourage more people to embrace solar energy through the Safaqat platform.”

When installed on villas, PV panels will result in the reduction of 50 tonnes of carbon emissions, equivalent to the planting of 500 trees, whilst installation on the buildings results in the reduction of 130 tonnes of carbon emissions, equivalent to planting 1300 trees.

Iannelli said the solar-in-a-box kit can be dismantled and refitted when moving house or country, and enables residents and business owners to access solar energy, realise savings towards their electricity bills and effectively pay with their savings for the kit.

“Zero per cent financing is available for the kit, which includes 14 solar panels, a mounting structure, inverter and sun shade, cables and Shams Dubai fees and approvals,” Iannelli stated.