A 2000 square meter solar façade in Al Twar, Dubai, will soon greet kindergarten children as they arrive at school. That’s because Dubai Investments is installing the first-of-its-kind colored Kromatix panels through its collaboration entity, Emirates Insolaire. The venture, which will provide a total of 800 Kromatix TM active and passive panels, is part Dubai Investments’ larger commitment to the UAE’s sustainability mission.
Marwan Abdulla Al Mohammed, director of general Projects Department at Dubai Municipality, said: “Dubai Municipality supports the leadership’s sustainability commitment in every aspect of its operations, from sustainable urban planning to green buildings. The kindergarten project with photovoltaic, colored solar panels from Dubai Investments is a major step forward in this journey and part of the endeavour to pursue a more sustainable development model.”
Solar Façade One of Many Projects that Promotes UAE Vision 2021
The attractive façade of the kindergarten is being accentuated with solar panels by Emirates Insolaire in different colors, including green, blue, white, orange, and red, which offer the building a new, fresh, and colorful aesthetic. The project is one of many in the region that supports sustainability as the UAE seeks ways to protect present and future generations from environmental health hazards.
The UAE acknowledges humanity’s shared ecological challenges and is committed to playing its part in developing and implementing innovative solutions to sustain the environment. According to the UAE Vision 2021, new, energy-efficient technologies will harness the Federation’s pioneering role in the green revolution and reduce its carbon footprint. Seeking to mitigate the effects of climate change in order to safeguard its environment for current and future generations, the UAE is actively seeking ways to protect the nation’s rich natural environment by shielding it from human-induced threats. The government is acting to reduce the nation’s ecological deficit, promoting environmental awareness and responsible behavior among Emiratis.
Preventive measures such as reducing carbon dioxide emissions and regulations to defend fragile ecosystems from urban development are contained within the plan. The kindergarten solar façade is one such example of the UAE’s determination to mitigate climate change.
Khalid Bin Kalban, managing director and CEO of Dubai Investments, said, “Dubai Investments is committed to collaborate with Dubai Municipality to implement sustainable projects in Dubai. This is part of the company’s pledge to support the UAE Vision 2021 towards a sustainable future. The kindergarten is the first of many projects that Dubai Investments and Emirates Insolaire are working with Dubai Municipality.”
Solar Façade Helps Children to Experience Sustainability Firsthand
With the Kromatix panels, the kindergarten fulfills the criteria to be certified as a LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) building. The CE Certified KromatixTM Solar Glass from Emirates Insolaire is available in various colors and has an opaque finish, making the inner workings of the solar panels invisible, enhancing the overall visual appeal of the solar panels, and avoiding glare effects. The solar glass color remains stable with time, and sun exposure and average transmittance is above 85%.
Rafic Hanbali, managing partner of Emirates Insolaire, said: “The company has considered as a priority to address schools and universities all over the world. This is part of the objective to help students understand and consider solar energy as part of their lives from a very young age, the way children today experience Information Technology as part of their lives. Kromatix constitutes the skin of the buildings where the children spend their learning days. Emirates Insolaire has so far completed six educational buildings across the world and others are on the way.”
KromatixTM glass is available in dimensions up to 2250 x 3210 mm and thicknesses comprised between 3.2 and 8 mm. It can be processed in the same way as standard solar glass in order to fit the customer production process, can be delivered already cut-to-size, heat-strengthened or fully tempered, and can be applied on all available PV technologies.
The project mirrors the surging demand for solar panel technology across the region and globe. According to an analysis by Frost and Sullivan, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are expected to increase their installed solar capacity 50-fold between 2015 and 2025. In March, 2018 Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, broke ground on the world’s biggest Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project.
Shout out to TradeArabia News Service, an initial source for this story.
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