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29 March 2024

Cooling bill too high? 'Solar AC' claims to slash it by 30%

Solar and wind may now be the cheapest sources of new energy supply in the UAE. (File)

Published
By Waheed Abbas

Solar energy is all the rage in Dubai, thanks to utility services provider Dewa’s initiative to encourage the usage of natural energy resources.

To tap the abundant solar energy in the sun-soaked emirate, companies are increasingly resorting to tap consumer segments by introducing more and more solar products.

Dewa says it wants to produce 15 per cent of the emirate’s electricity requirements through solar energy by 2030.

In line with that objective, the world’s first air-conditioners that run on solar energy and help consumers save 30 per cent of their bill on AC units have been launched in Dubai.

The Dubai-headquartered NIA, distributor of air-conditioners of several global companies, has launched the world’s first solar VRF air-conditioners in the UAE manufactured by the Gree Electric Appliances, the world’s largest Chinese residential air-conditioner manufacturer.

Be it a window, split, chiller or any other air-conditioning, the solar-electric air conditioner, equipped with the solar variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system, can work on zero power from Dewa, said Zakir Ahmed, Managing Director of NIA.

“The most important thing about this product is that any excess electricity will be exported to the grid, which can earn the consumer Dewa credits,” he added.

Thanks to the advanced VFR solar technology, the air-conditioners will use solar energy the whole day in the sun-soaked emirate and once the solar power is fully consumed, the AC units will automatically start taking power from Dewa’s central grid.

In a standard VRF system, solar energy is directed from panels to collector unit which produces electrical energy for DC/AC unit’s thermal energy.

But the new VRF system by Gree removes the need to have DC/AC units in direct-driven solar VRF system thus, according to Zakir Ahmed, ensuring zero wastage, no footprint inside the house and save capital expenditure.

“If you’re in the office and your family is on vacation, the solar panels that generate power for the air-conditioners will automatically be directed to Dewa and the consumer can use that electricity later when he needs it,” he added.

Ahmed said the consumer can also see how much solar power the Gree AC units consumed, as well as the amount of electricity sold to Dewa’s central grid.

Dewa last month launched its first smart initiative Shams Dubai to regulate the generation of solar energy in buildings, as well as their connection to Dewa’s energy grid.