Abu Dhabi: Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi’s flagship sustainable community Masdar City, and Wahaj Solar jointly announced the installation of a first-of-its-kind solar concentrator in the UAE at the Masdar Institute Solar Platform (MISP) at the Masdar City Campus on Thursday.
The newly installed concentrator, designed and developed by Wahaj, will offer a concentration ratio close to 1,000 suns and temperatures above 1,000 degrees Celsius, enabling the system to achieve higher temperature with less mirror surface - just 10-metres in diameter - compared to conventional CSP systems. Combined with a more efficient high temperature power generation system, it will convert more solar energy into electricity.
With this concentrator, Khalifa University can develop other high-temperature thermal energy storage systems including thermochemical energy storage or solar fuel production. At a later stage, this could even lead to consider solar metallurgy by melting metals such as aluminum with solar energy alone.
Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice-President, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, said: “The installation of UAE’s first-of-a-kind solar concentrator marks the next stage of Masdar Institute Solar Platform’s advancing research in solar energy technologies.
“MISP stands as an example for innovation and we are keen to contribute to seeking new solutions to increase efficient clean generation of 24/7 power, which remains one of the strategic areas for the UAE. We believe the MISP will further enhance its significance to innovations in the energy sector, especially solar power, while attracting more industry collaborators.”
Yousef Baselaib, Executive Director for Sustainable Real Estate at Masdar, said, “Through combining technologies in power generation and storage, solar energy is becoming an increasingly reliable provider of electricity at night as well as during the day. The launch of the UAE’s first Solar Concentrator at Masdar City will help to accelerate this exciting industry development, while providing further evidence of the potential for homegrown innovation here in the UAE.
“As the natural home for innovation in clean-tech and sustainable urban development, Masdar City is delighted to be working alongside Khalifa University and Wahaj Solar to support research and development into concentrated solar power, a sector where Masdar is already playing a leading role. The Solar Concentrator will also complement other pilot projects hosted at the city and attract even more clean-tech businesses to Abu Dhabi and the UAE.”
