Re-engineering Toll Gate Operations Through Renewable Energy

Salik Company PJSC is Dubai's exclusive road toll operator, enabling safe, efficient, and sustainable mobility across the city. Listed on the Dubai Financial Market, Salik operates a fully electronic, barrier-free tolling system supporting smart transport, climate action, strong governance, and community value, aligned with Dubai's long-term sustainability and innovation goals.

Salik's solar-powered toll gate initiative demonstrates how core transport operating assets can be redesigned to deliver measurable environmental outcomes without affecting operational performance. Solar power was integrated directly into live toll gate operations, making renewable energy part of the tolling system itself rather than a separate sustainability initiative. This approach changes the functional role of toll gates from fixed electricity consumers to assets capable of generating clean power while maintaining uninterrupted service.

The initiative was implemented at the Business Bay and Al Safa South toll gates and commissioned in November 2024, with full performance reporting commencing in January 2025 following system stabilization. Between January and August 2025, the two sites generated 126,333 kWh of renewable electricity through on-site solar photovoltaic systems. Both toll gates consistently produced more electricity than they consumed, meeting over 100% of their operational energy requirements and exporting 35,405 kWh of surplus electricity to the grid under DEWA's Shams net-metering framework.

Using DEWA's 2024 grid emission factor of 0.4045 tCOe/MWh, the project resulted in approximately 51 tCOe of avoided Scope 2 emissions over the eight-month period. While Salik operates a predominantly digital business with inherently low emissions, toll gates remain one of its most energy-intensive assets. This intiative therefore delivers a concentrated and meaningful emissions reduction precisely at the point of highest operational electricity use.

The innovation extends beyond the adoption of renewable energy. Toll gates are traditionally designed as continuous energy consumers, with limited flexibility for on-site generation.

Implementing solar power required structural feasibility validation, system redundancy planning, and integration with real-time tolling operations to ensure uninterrupted service under UAE operating conditions characterized by high temperatures, dust exposure, and 24/7 demand. Each solar-enabled toll gate continues to operate continuously while generating more renewable electricity than required for its own operation. This represents an early regional example of embedding solar power directly into toll gate operations from the design stage.

System performance is monitored using auditable DEWA import and export meter data combined with inverter-level solar production logs, enabling transparent verification and alignment with ISO 14064-based emissions accounting principles. Monthly performance reviews show sustained operation at 92-96% of design capacity, confirming both technical reliability and operational resilience.

Importantly, the initiative has informed Salik's broader infrastructure decision-making. Renewable feasibility assessments including structural capacity, shading analysis, load profiling, and optimization potential are now embedded into early-stage evaluations for future toll gate developments. This approach improves scalability and avoids the limitations commonly associated with retrofitting sustainability solutions onto existing infrastructure.

The initiative required coordinated input across asset design, operations, sustainability, and energy management functions, embedding renewable integration into standard toll gate development processes.

By converting toll gates from passive energy consumers into net contributors of clean electricity, Salik has demonstrated a practical, data-driven model for integrating sustainability into essential urban mobility systems. The initiative delivers verified emissions reductions, grid-level benefits, and a replicable framework for sustainable transport infrastructure in the region.