Solar Lighting Not a Viable Option In UAE

According to Ahmad Al Saedi, section head of road maintenance at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, prohibitively high costs of maintenance, as well as limited durability of components, mean that solar energy cannot yet be used to meet Abu Dhabi’s sustainable lighting specifications. Instead, the use of LED (light-emitting diode) light fixtures could be increased, as more of the city’s street lighting fixtures are retrofitted with this energy-efficient option.

The use of LED luminaires for street lighting was first undertaken in 2012, and their use is now mandated under the Department of Municipal Affairs Lighting Specifications.

New areas of the municipality will be identified for retrofitting and projects put out to tender in 2014.

“At the same time, we want to promote consultants and developers to consider and innovate in the field of solar energy for street lighting. This is why the updated edition of the Department of Municipal Affairs (DMA) specifications includes a whole new section on the guidelines for use of solar energy. Moreover, in every municipality street lighting project, we also require consultants to perform a cost analysis for using solar power so that there is ongoing research into making these technologies viable,” he added.

With such an abundance of sun, your Editor hopes that the technology, efficiency and reliability will continue to improve so that solar can take its rightful place as a viable, sustainable street lighting option.

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19 Nov