Abu Dhabi: A new energy-producing "green building" to be completed next year in Abu Dhabi by Masdar Institute of Science and Technology will produce at least two megawatts of electricity from solar and photovoltaic (PV) panels, an official told Gulf News recently.
This will be in addition to the 11.5 megawatts of solar power already being produced by the institute and Masdar City, Martyn Potter, Director of Operations and Facilities, said.
Solar panels will be used to heat water and photovoltaic panels will directly convert the solar radiation into electricity, he explained.
The approximately 90,000 square metre building will have both solar and photovoltaic panels on its roof, which will together produce the estimated two megawatts of power, Potter said. He added that the construction of the building and the installation of the panels will be completed by next year.
Power grid
Out of the 11.5 megawatts of solar power generated by the institute and Masdar City, 1.5 megawatts come from solar panels on the roof of the 65,000 square metre main building, he said. The rest is generated by a photovoltaic (PV) farm in Masdar City.
The institute uses around six to seven megawatts of power out of the 11.5 produced and the rest is sold to the power grid of Abu Dhabi, Potter said.
The institute has already adopted several methods to produce and save energy. A wind tower is already powering the cooling system. Sunlight reaches even the basement of the building during the day, so that electric lights are used only at night.
