Dubai, 8 November 2022: As part of its commitment to be a sustainable venue, Dubai Autodrome is reaping the benefits of its solar panel-lined rooftops with the generated energy helping to power the venue’s racing competitions and its day-to-day operations throughout the year.
With Dubai Autodrome staging regular international, regional, and local motorsport events, the venue took the decision to invest in a 2.8MWp solar power project, which has been providing its energy requirements since September 2022.
The project also includes over 60 solar panel roof car ports, providing shaded parking and electric vehicle charging stations, all whilst generating solar energy.
The state-of-the-art equipment, installed by our solar partner, SirajPower, the UAE’s largest distributed solar energy provider in the region, will have a positive impact on the environment and the venue, with the solar panels generating 4,751,470.4 Kilowatt-Hour of power per year, some of which is put back into the grid, while 2,055 metric tons of CO2 emissions will be eliminated per year.
These figures will be equivalent to almost 250,031,475 fully charged smartphones and 443 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for one year, underlining the importance of how significant solar panels are in mitigating climate change.
With the track widely used for various motorsport activities including testing and development by car manufacturers ahead of the start of their new seasons, the eco-friendly project, which generates power for the whole venue, is also helping reduce its energy bills.
While these efforts are aligned with the UAE Government’s sustainability and environmental strategies, it also underlines the importance of climate change, which is being discussed at the United Nations Conference COP27 in Egypt this week.
Faisal Al Sahlawi, General Manager of Dubai Autodrome, said: “With environmental considerations becoming more important than ever before, we wanted to do our part in helping create a sustainable planet which was why we did not hesitate in taking the decision to invest in state-of-the-art solar panels at Dubai Autodrome.
“The installation of the system came at a crucial time when the Government is stepping up its efforts to promote sustainability across Dubai and thanks to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Maktoum, the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy are two key initiatives that the project is contributing towards.
“The energy generated through the panels is now central to our day-to-day operations on and off the track, whether that be powering the circuit’s floodlights or using a plug socket at our venue or even a plug socket at your house.
“This project as well as the other initiatives that we have put in place reaffirms our commitment in caring for the environment and ensuring sustainability for future generations while positioning the Dubai Autodrome as an eco-friendly motorsport and entertainment venue for all to enjoy.”
Laurent Longuet, CEO at SirajPower, said: “Having reached another major milestone in our efforts to reduce the UAE’s carbon emissions, we would like to congratulate Dubai Autodrome on this significant step towards achieving Net Zero Emissions. We are honored to collaborate with Dubai Autodrome and are in full support of their net-positive sustainability strategy. We at SirajPower look forward to operating and maintaining solar panels and working with Dubai Autodrome on furthering their green initiatives. This solar project, which is in line with the UAE’s Clean Energy Strategy, reaffirms our commitment to empowering businesses in making the green transition to renewable energy, supporting them in reducing their environmental impact through innovative and cost-effective solar solutions.”
About Dubai Autodrome
Completed in 2004, the Dubai Autodrome was the UAE’s first fully-integrated multipurpose motorsport and entertainment facility. At the heart of the Union Properties MotorCity development, it includes an FIA-sanctioned 5.39km circuit with six different configurations, a race school, indoor and outdoor karting tracks, the Grandstand Retail Plaza, the Motorsport Business Park, and a paddock hospitality zone overlooking the track.