Solar power in the United Arab Emirates
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Solar power in the United Arab Emirates has the potential to provide most of the country's electricity demand. While being a major oil producing country, the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
(UAE) has taken steps to introduce
solar power Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovoltaic e ...
on a large scale. However, solar power still accounts for a small share of energy production in the country. The country was the 6th top
carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...
emitter per capita in the world in 2009, with 40.31 tonnes,World carbon dioxide emissions data by country: China speeds ahead of the rest
Guardian 31 January 2011
but is planning to generate half of its electrical energy by 2050 from solar and nuclear sources, targeting 44% renewables, 38% gas, 12% coal, and 6% nuclear energy sources.


By region


Abu Dhabi

In 2013, the
Shams solar power station Shams Solar Power Station ( ar, شمس, lit=Sun) is a concentrating solar power station near Madinat Zayed, Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. The solar power station is located approximately southwest of Abu Dhabi and from Madinat Zayed on t ...
, a 100-
megawatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units, International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), ...
(MW)
concentrated solar power Concentrated solar power (CSP, also known as concentrating solar power, concentrated solar thermal) systems generate solar power by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight into a receiver. Electricity is generated when ...
(CSP) plant near
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...
became operational. The US$600 million Shams 1 is the largest CSP plant outside the United States and Spain and is expected to be followed by two more stations, Shams 2 and Shams 3.
Masdar City Masdar City ( ar, مدينة مصدر, Madīnat Maṣdar, lit=Source City) is a planned city project in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. Its core is being built by Masdar, a subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company, with the majority ...
in Abu Dhabi was designed to be the most environmentally
sustainable city The sustainable city, eco-city, or green city is a city designed with consideration for social, economic, environmental impact (commonly referred to as the triple bottom line), and resilient habitat for existing populations, without compromisi ...
in the world. Power is generated by a 10 MW
solar PV A photovoltaic system, also PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to absorb and co ...
power plant located on site and 1 MW of rooftop solar panels. Originally planned to have all rooftop panels, it was found easier to clean the sand off ground mounted panels at a single location.It Is located on Abu Dhabi. In 2020 the 2 GW
Al Dhafra Solar AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...
project was announced by the
Abu Dhabi Electricity and Water Authority Abu or ABU may refer to: Places * Abu (volcano), a volcano on the island of Honshū in Japan * Abu, Yamaguchi, a town in Japan * Ahmadu Bello University, a university located in Zaria, Nigeria * Atlantic Baptist University, a Christian university ...
. A consortium led by France's
EDF EDF may refer to: Organisations * Eclaireurs de France, a French Scouting association * Education for Development Foundation, a Thai charity * Électricité de France, a French energy company ** EDF Energy, their British subsidiary ** EDF Luminus, ...
and China's
Jinko Solar JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. () is a solar panel manufacturer headquartered in Shanghai, China. The company started out as a wafer manufacturer in 2006 and went public on the New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed ...
will build the PV plant in the Al Dhafra region, about 35km south of Abu Dhabi City, using bifacial (dual-sided) crystalline technology. It will offer the lowest solar energy tariff in the world - AED4.97 fils/kWh (US1.35 cents/kWh). It is due to be commissioned in 2022.


Dubai

The Dubai Clean Energy Strategy aims to provide 7 per cent of Dubai's energy from clean energy sources by 2020. It will increase this target to 25 per cent by 2030 and 75 per cent by 2050. Due to a variety of factors, a Saudi-backed consortium had a low bid to build the solar farm in Dubai for only 3¢/kWh. The first phase of the proposed 1,000 MW
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is a solar park spread over a total area of 77 km2 in Saih Al-Dahal, about 50 kilometers south of the city of Dubai. It is one of the world's largest renewable projects based on an independent powe ...
, in
Saih Al-Dahal Saih Al-Dahal ''(Community: 971'') is a small bedouin community located 50 km south of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the location where Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park has been commissioned in 2013 by Dubai Electricity and Water ...
, about 50 kilometers south of the city of
Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
, was the 13-megawatt (DC) solar farm (DEWA 13) that had been constructed by
First Solar First Solar, Inc. is an American manufacturer of solar panels, and a provider of utility-scale PV power plants and supporting services that include finance, construction, maintenance and end-of-life panel recycling. First Solar uses rigid thi ...
in 2013. It uses 152,880 FS-385 black CdTe modules and generates about 24 
gigawatt-hour A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bil ...
s per year. The second phase is a 200 MWAC (260 MWphttp://ameinfo.com
ACWA Power wins 200 megawatts (260MWp) phase II Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority
17 January 2015
)
photovoltaic Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially us ...
plant built at a cost of US$320 million by a consortium led by
ACWA Power ACWA Power is a developer, investor, co-owner and operator of a portfolio of power generation and desalinated water production plants currently with presence in 10 countries including in the Middle East and North Africa, Southern Africa and Sout ...
and Spanish company TSK. The second phase was scheduled to be commissioned by April 2017. It was completed ahead of time, and commissioned on 22 March 2017. TSK served as the primary contractor for the project, while ACWA Power will operate the plant. The phase includes 2.3 million photovoltaic solar panels spread over an area of 4.5 km2. ACWA Power secured a 27-year debt financing loan worth $344 million from the First Gulf Bank, the National Commercial Bank and the Samba Financial Group. The plant uses First Solar's CdTe modules. In April 2015,
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) () is a public service infrastructure company that was founded on 1 January 1992 by Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum. History DEWA was formed by merger of the Dubai Electricity Company and ...
(DEWA) publicly announced the third phase of 800 MW, along with Dubai's revised target to increase the share of renewables on the energy mix to 7% by 2020.SolarServer.co
DEWA announces 800 MW third Phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park
, 21 April 2015
The ''Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park'' is one of the world's largest renewable projects based on an independent power producer (IPP) model. Besides the three phases that consist of solar farms using PV technology, the long-term project will also include
concentrating solar power Concentrated solar power (CSP, also known as concentrating solar power, concentrated solar thermal) systems generate solar power by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight into a receiver. Electricity is generated when ...
(CSP). The total capacity of the entire project is planned to reach 3,000 MW. The 200-megawatt second phase of the project caused worldwide attention, as the winning bid of the tender set a new record-low tariff of only US ¢5.89 per kilowatt-hour. This is about 20% lower than any previous, unsubsidized
power purchase agreement A power purchase agreement (PPA), or electricity power agreement, is a contract between two parties, one which generates electricity (the seller) and one which is looking to purchase electricity (the buyer). The PPA defines all of the commercial te ...
(PPA) the world has seen before. The PPA is set to a 25-year time frame. In parallel to the utility-scale projects of the ''Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park'', in March 2015 DEWA also launched a
net metering Net metering (or net energy metering, NEM) is an electricity billing mechanism that allows consumers who generate some or all of their own electricity to use that electricity anytime, instead of when it is generated. This is particularly importa ...
scheme to encourage companies and private individuals to install solar power on their roofs. While the scheme is currently voluntary, solar panels are to be made mandatory for all buildings in Dubai by 2030.


Ras Al Khaimah

In 2016, UTICO, a private Emirati desalination and power company, proposed building two
photovoltaic system A photovoltaic system, also PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to absorb and co ...
plants in
Ras Al Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) ( ar, رَأْس ٱلْخَيْمَة, historically Julfar) is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It is the sixth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain ...
: a 120 MW farm and a 20 MW farm.
American University of Ras Al Khaimah The American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) is a higher education university located in the city of Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab of Emirates. Founded in 2009, AURAK is an independent not for profit public university, accredited to UAE Minist ...
conducts research on solar power and runs a solar/diesel hybrid mini-grids. Ras Al Khaimah has revealed a strategy in January 2019 of building a 1.2GW solar project consisting of 600MW of rooftop solar and 600MW of utility-scale projects called ''Barjeel'' as part of the emirate's strategy in achieving 30% energy efficiency improvements, 20% water savings and 20% renewable energy generation by 2040.


See also

* Energy in the United Arab Emirates *
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) () is a public service infrastructure company that was founded on 1 January 1992 by Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum. History DEWA was formed by merger of the Dubai Electricity Company and ...
*
Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority, also popularly known as SEWA, is a government utility in the Emirate of Sharjah which provides electricity, water and natural gas to approximately 300,000 consumers. It owns a bottled drinking water su ...
* List of power stations in the United Arab Emirates


External links

* – Michael Liebreich, "Cheapest Solar in World", about the record-low 5.84 US cents/kWh PPA in Dubai
Solar Energy in Dubai
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, DEWA, Government of Dubai


References

{{Renewable energy by country