Dubai: a mosque that produces more energy than it consumes
This is a first in the Muslim world. The Majid Al Futtaim mosque, recently inaugurated on November 8 in Dubai, produces more electricity than it consumes. Its 203 solar panels generate an energy surplus of 15%, directly reinjected into the city’s electricity network.
The building, located in the new Tilal Al Ghaf district, is not satisfied with this energy feat. It is multiplying green innovations: solar hot water, intelligent lighting, terminals for electric cars. “A concrete example of responsible innovation”, according to Ahmed Darwish Al Muhairi, director of the Department of Islamic Affairs in Dubai, who sees it “a perfect alliance between Islamic values and environmental protection”.
The project, led by the eponymous real estate group, is part of the Emirates’ environmental strategy for 2030. It is aiming for BREEAM certification, the world benchmark for sustainable building. This achievement takes on particular resonance as the country currently hosts COP28. It illustrates Dubai’s desire to reconcile religious tradition and environmental innovation. A strategy that meets a dual challenge: asserting its regional leadership in energy transition, while demonstrating that Islam is compatible with contemporary ecological challenges.
In a country where more than 95% of energy still comes from hydrocarbons, this new generation place of worship could set a precedent. Other emirates will probably follow the example, gradually transforming the country’s approximately 5,000 mosques into energy transition laboratories.
