A 36% Clean-Energy Goal, Measured Against Europe’s 42.5%

The revised target

According to the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy as published on the UAE government portal, clean energy is expected to account for about 36 per cent of Dubai's energy mix by 2030. That compares with an earlier target of 25 per cent. The portal says the increase is driven mainly by the expansion of solar energy.

Global context

The European Union’s revised Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2023/2413 sets a binding target of at least 42.5% renewable energy in gross final energy consumption by 2030, with an aspiration of 45%.

The two numbers are not measured the same way: Dubai’s target refers to clean energy in its energy mix, the EU’s to renewables in gross final consumption. Read together, they show an oil-and-gas economy now setting a target in the same range as Europe’s.

The 2050 end point

The strategy says the share of clean energy will keep rising to 100 per cent of total energy consumption by 2050. The portal says this would place Dubai among the cities with the lowest carbon footprints globally. DEWA's chief executive gave WAM a matching picture on 22 October, saying clean energy will account for more than 36 per cent of Dubai's total energy mix by 2030.

Emissions avoided

Al Tayer told WAM that reaching the 2030 share would help avoid more than 8.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually. He linked it to both the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050.

Why infrastructure is the economic lever

The strategy ties the target to physical build-out and finance. Its infrastructure pillar centres on the solar park, with about AED 50 billion in total investment. Its funding pillar describes the AED 100 billion Dubai Green Fund, offering lower-cost loans to clean-energy investors. For companies, the economic question is less about the headline percentage than about the demand it creates: procurement, installation, grid integration and services.

What to watch

The sources describe targets and planned capacity, not delivered outcomes for 2030. Readers should treat the 36 per cent figure as an official target and track the published capacity numbers as they are updated.