Procter & Gamble’s UAE solar carport accelerates corporate decarbonisation with innovative leasing model

Procter & Gamble has gone ahead and activated a 500-kilowatt peak solar carport at their UAE headquarters in Jebel Ali, which is part of a lease deal with the regional developer Yellow Door Energy. The goal here is pretty straightforward, cut down on the site’s reliance on the grid electricity and also lower its greenhouse gas emissions footprint.

According to a report by ME Construction News, the setup includes more than 870 bifacial photovoltaic modules installed above parking bays. This array isn’t just about generating power; it also provides shade. It covers 144 parking spaces, and it’s designed to produce electricity from sunlight reflected off the ground as well as direct sunlight. Yellow Door Energy will finance, build, commission, and operate this system for the entire duration of the lease, the companies said.

Now, estimates for the first year’s output vary a little between sources. ME Construction News and SolarQuarter both predict roughly 816,500 kilowatt-hours generated in year one, enough to cover more than half of the annual energy needs of P&G’s Dubai head office. Other industry sources give a very similar estimate, around 813,500 kWh. Data from government and independent sources show that such outputs are quite typical for a 500 kWp carport-mounted system in Dubai , especially when using high-efficiency bifacial panels and considering local factors like solar resources and reflectivity, or albedo effects.

Basically, this project is being promoted as a direct step towards reaching climate targets. P&G has committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2040, and the UAE has its own national Net Zero target set for 2050 under its Clean Energy Strategy. According to ME Construction News, this carport could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 330,000 kilograms each year; some other reports cite around 323,000 kg. Industry analysts mention that these small differences in the estimation usually come down to variations in grid emission factors or the specific assumptions about annual power output.

Sonali Dhawan, General Manager for P&G Gulf, shared her thoughts on the initiative: “At P&G, environmental sustainability is woven into everything we do. Our solar lease with Yellow Door Energy really shows our commitment to being environmentally responsible by integrating solar energy into our Dubai office. Installing this solar carport is, well, a concrete step towards shrinking our carbon footprint at our UAE headquarters while also supporting our global climate goals. It’s in line with our company’s bigger plan of reaching Net Zero by 2040.” That statement was part of a joint press release from the two companies.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Crane, the Group CEO of Yellow Door Energy, added: “We’re really proud to have commissioned this solar carport with P&G, providing clean electricity that will cover more than half of the power needs of their UAE head office and contribute to the UAE Energy Strategy.” He went on to mention that, across seven countries, Yellow Door has generated over 1.1 billion kWh of clean energy so far, continuously building trust among big multinational firms as their go-to partner for sustainable energy solutions.

Yellow Door’s approach fits into a bigger trend across the region, solar leasing and third-party ownership. As reported by outlets like Utility Business MENA and Gulf Construction Online, such models let occupants adopt renewable energy on-site without needing to make upfront capital investments or take on operational responsibilities. Under the deal with P&G, Yellow Door keeps ownership and assumes risks related to performance and maintenance, while P&G pays for the electricity generated, usually through a long-term power purchase agreement or lease.

This installation lines up with other recent corporate carport projects in the UAE and beyond. For instance, Yellow Door has partnered with schools in Dubai and even larger-scale projects like a Nestlé factory, which has a much higher capacity. These examples show how carport and rooftop solar schemes can scale from small tens-of-kilowatts setups to thousands of kilowatts, depending on the site’s size, shading needs, and energy demand.

For companies operating in the Gulf region, the carport model offers several advantages. Bifacial modules, for example, can boost energy output by harvesting sunlight reflected off the ground, especially in parking lots with paved or light-colored surfaces. Plus, the shading improves comfort for parked vehicles and can reduce cooling loads. Of course, the actual yield depends heavily on ground reflectivity and the system’s height, so installers need to do careful site-specific modeling to justify any premiums for bifacial technology.

But, of course, some questions still hang around: how much of the claimed emission reductions are truly about replacing high-carbon grid power versus just shifting to lower-carbon sources? Experts warn that near-term decarbonization depends a lot on the grid’s overall emissions intensity and power demand patterns, not just the on-site generation. For corporate folks, visible renewable assets do have significant financial and reputational value, though, and robust measurement and verification are key, especially when these projects are scaled across multiple sites.

The official commissioning ceremony for the carport was attended by senior representatives from both P&G and Yellow Door, along with the contractor backend, Value Addition, which handled engineering, procurement, and construction. Yellow Door highlighted that its regional portfolio has already delivered over 1.1 billion kWh of clean electricity across seven countries, mostly to showcase its experience in financing and running commercial solar projects.

As more global corporations look to align operations with net-zero commitments, third-party financed solar installations in the UAE are becoming more popular. The Jebel Ali project is yet another example of companies seeking visible, on-site solutions to cut emissions and reduce energy costs, while working with specialized developers to handle the technical, regulatory, and commercial complexities involved. For players interested in climate tech and renewable energy in the Emirates, this project underlines how integrating solar into real estate and industrial estates, particularly where roofs and canopies are available, can be a pretty compelling business case.

Source: Noah Wire Services