Some of the main renewable energy projects in the UAE include:

Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park

Among the major projects undertaken by Dewa is the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is described as the largest single-site solar park in the world, with a planned capacity of 1,000 MW by 2020 and 5,000 MW by 2030, and a total investment of Dh50 billion ($13.6 billion). It will eventually save approximately 6.5 million tonnes per annum in emissions. The Expo 2020 Dubai will tap the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which will provide it with 400MW of power.

Dewa is currently working to establish an R&D centre at the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, with a total investment of Dh500 million up to 2020. The work of the centre revolves around four main areas of operation, which include the production of electricity from solar energy, smart grid integration, energy efficiency, and water.

The Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park envisages a capacity of 1,000MW by 2020, and 5,000MW by 2030, and a total investment of Dh50 billion ($13.6 billion).

Source: Dewa

Abu Dhabi projects

Inaugurated in March 2013, Shams 1 in Abu Dhabi is one of the world’s largest concentrated solar power (CSP) plants and the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region. Shams 1 generates electricity to power around 20,000 homes in the UAE annually and displaces 175,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. That’s the same as planting 1.5 million trees or removing 15,000 cars from the roads.

In November 2016, Mena’s first commercial-scale Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) project went on stream. Developed by Abu Dhabi’s Carbon Capture Company Al Reyadah, a joint venture between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and Masdar, the project harnesses carbon emissions from a major Abu Dhabi steel producer, Emirates Steel Industries (ESI), before injecting it as a substitute for rich gas into the emirate’s oil reservoirs to help enhance their output. A milestone for the industry, when fully operational, it will sequester up to 800,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, equivalent to taking more than 170,000 cars off the roads.

Source: Masdar

Last May, Abu Dhabi officially launched the construction of what will be known as the world’s largest independent solar power plant, which was named Noor Abu Dhabi, literaly meaning ‘the light of Abu Dhabi’ in Arabic.

The plant has a capacity to produce 1.17 MW of electricity, enough to power more than 200,000 homes, and will cost a total of Dh3.2 billion. The Abu Dhabi Electric and Water Authority (ADEWA) with a consortium of Japan’s Marubeni Corp and China’s JinkoSolar Holding will together build and operate the new plant .

“This is an important occasion for Abu Dhabi’s development, and is represented by the launching of the world’s largest independent solar power plant,” Abdullah Musleh Al Ahbabi, Chairman of ADWEA, said.

Source: Press reports