WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2019
Abu Dhabi recently announced that it had opened what is reportedly the world’s largest single-site solar project. Previously, a similar claim went to the $13.6 billion Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.
According to New Atlas, the Noor Abu Dhabi site, which has a capacity of 1.177 gigawatts, is located in Sweihan, roughly 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. In all, the project totals 8 square kilometers and has 3.2 million solar panels.
Other Significant Solar
In April, the construction of the fourth phase of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park commenced, and the base of a concentrated solar power tower—slated to be the tallest in the world—was completed. The solar park, which will total 5,000 megawatts, will be able to power 1.3 million homes, cutting 6.5 million tons of carbon emissions annually.
The first two phases of construction on the project, initially announced in 2012 and slated to be complete by 2030, are complete. The first phase, consisting of 13 megawatts and covering 280,000 square meters, became operational in October 2013, consisting of 153,000 photovoltaic cells, which are linked up to 13 transformers in inverter buildings.
UAE powers on Noor Abu Dhabi, the world's largest solar project https://t.co/nNW42g8MuV pic.twitter.com/RJQ3ytOxJP
— TechSpot (@TechSpot) July 1, 2019
The base of the concentrated solar power tower broke ground in 2018. The structure, once complete, will use mirrors, known as heliostats, to focus sunlight toward the top of the tower, which will in turn, heat up molten salts. This heat will generate electricity by powering steam turbines.
Noor Abu Dhabi Solar Park
The Noor project, which is not state financed, was put together by a consortium composed of Abu Dhabi Power Corporation, Japan-based Marubeni Corp and Chinese solar manufacturer Jinko Solar. The project, built by India-based Sterling & Wilson, costs around $870 million, and energy generated by the site will be sold to the Emirates Water and Electricity Company.
ADWEA and the government of Abu Dhabi are to own 60% of the project, and the remaining 40% will belong to Marubeni and JinkoSolar. The endeavor will be able to power 195,000 homes.
"Noor Abu Dhabi will generate renewable energy and will enable us to improve the use of our natural resources,” said Othman Jumaa Al Ali, CEO, EWEC.
“The fact that a project of such scale has been successfully completed on time and on budget highlights our commitment to ensuring sustainable energy for the future and it is a true testament of the Emirate’s delivery capabilities to execute world-class energy projects."
According to Tech Spot, there will be a reduction of the carbon footprint by 1 million metric tons per year, which amounts to taking 200,000 cars off the road.
The completion of the project marks a significant milestone in the UAE’s Energy Strategy 2050, launched in 2017, to increase the contribution of clean energy in the total energy mix to 50% by 2050 while reducing the carbon footprint of power generation by 70%," said Mohammad Hassan Al Suwaidi, Chairman of EWEC.
Tagged categories: Energy efficiency; Program/Project Management; Project Management; Solar; Solar energy
