The United Arab Emirates has always fascinated me for its good governance, inclusivity, hospitality, and its vigorous pursuit to become number one in every field — be it technology, transportation, or sustainable development. Its ability to foresee the future, design its cities accordingly, and attract investments has been commendable.
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“UAE’s policy has always been to spend now and reap in the future”, said my friend Sadaqath Oruvil, who lived most of his life in the Middle Eastern country, as he drove me to the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park on the outskirts of Dubai.
The solar park, spread over 77 square kilometres in Saih Al-Dahal, about 50 kilometres south of Dubai, is one of the pet projects of Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai. It is one of the world’s largest renewable projects based on an independent power producer model. With investments totalling AED 50 (US$13.6) billion, the project has a planned production capacity of 5,000 MW by 2030 from photovoltaic and concentrated solar power technologies.
The Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 aims to generate 75 per cent of its total power output from clean energy by 2050. It will save over 6.5 million tons of carbon emissions annually when completed.
As a tech journalist covering sustainability and climate tech for long years, this came as an opportunity for me to explore and write a feature about one of the world’s largest solar energy projects.
I have compiled a few pics to create a photo feature of the solar park and the innovation centre.
Al Maktoum announced the launch of the solar park in January 2012. The 13MW first phase became operational on 22 October 2013.
The first phase is built up of about 153,000 photovoltaic cells, connected to 13 transformers in inverter buildings. The output is transformed to 33 kilovolts (kV) and generates 28 million kWh of electricity annually.
The first phase contributes to an annual reduction of about 15,000 tons of carbon emissions. The surface area of the project covers 280,000 square metres. On 20 March 2017, Al Maktoum inaugurated the 200MW second phase of the solar park. The project provides clean energy to 50,000 residences in the Emirate, reducing 214,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year. This phase installed 2.3 million photovoltaic solar panels over an area of 4.5 square kilometres.
In June 2016, Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) announced that the consortium led by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) and EDF Group, through its subsidiary, EDF Énergies Nouvelles, was selected to build the 800MW photovoltaic third phase. DEWA recorded a world record of US$2.99 cents per kW/h for the IPP bid. The 200MW first stage of the third phase became operational on 1 May 2018. The second and third stages became operational in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
The fourth phase combines CSP and photovoltaic technology. The phase will use three technologies to produce 950 megawatts (MW) of clean energy at an investment of AED 15.78 billion. It will have a total capacity of 950MW, with 700MW from Concentrated Solar Power: 600MW from a parabolic basin complex and 100MW from a solar tower and 250MW from photovoltaic solar panels.
DEWA is implementing the 900MW 5th phase of the solar park using photovoltaic solar panels. This phase will become operational in stages starting Q2 of 2021.
Situated in the park a cleantech innovation hub to promote a sustainable energy future in Dubai and beyond. A marvellous structure, it is the only government building to score more than 100 points in the new construction category for its water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, energy efficiency, innovation and exquisite design.
The innovation hub promotes the latest innovation in clean and renewable energy and highlights the green initiatives of Dubai and DEWA
This facility aims to develop skills and build the next generation of innovators in clean technology by focusing on growing and promoting local talent. It will also act as an education centre by hosting events, conferences, seminars and workshops.
It also aims to build a strong collaboration with local and international schools, universities, startups and companies on research, knowledge exchange and exhibitions.
(The writer is currently on a visit to the UAE)
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Image Credits: Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park
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