Dubai’s ENOC says all future petrol stations to be solar powered

Dubai state-owned oil company ENOC has said that all its future service stations will be powered by solar energy to support the UAE’s long-term renewables strategy.

The announcement comes after ENOC began the first solar-powered service station in the country at its Dubai Internet City (DIC) facility earlier this year.

The station features Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on the roof of the canopy with a peak capacity of 120KW energy on an ideal day, generating approximately 30 per cent more than the average energy required to run the station.

The excess energy generated is transmitted back to DEWA’s main grid through a DEWA solar meter that measures and monitors the power injected to the power grid.

Saif Humaid Al Falasi, group CEO of ENOC, said: “With the success of our DIC service station, we will now install solar panels in all new stations to produce the alternative energy required to run these facilities.

“We aim to continue to provide our customers with high-quality products and services through expanding ENOC’s geographical footprint across the UAE.”

ENOC estimates more than 23 GWh of solar energy will be generated to power the new stations by 2020, minimising the load on DEWA’s grid and power generating stations.

Across its current retail network of 116 stations in the UAE, the group has also deployed energy saving initiatives such as the vapour recovery system – a process that enables the recovery of 99 per cent gasoline vapour emissions; the variable refrigerant flow (VRF) air-conditioning system that controls the refrigerant flowing into multiple indoor units; and LED lights in all facilities.