The Mohamed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Solar Park incorporates a key
A vital component has been installed on the 262-metre solar power tower at the Mohamed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai, the largest in the world. This means continuing to complete this project, in which the Emirates authorities have invested billions of dirhams, despite the overall negative economic impact of the current health crisis of COVID-19 disease.
The impressive infrastructure, 262 metres high, is the great banner of the Mohamed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Solar Park, which in turn is the cornerstone of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s long-term strategy to direct its energy strategy towards renewable energies, with a view to diversifying its activity away from its dependence on oil.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Energy Council, and Saeed Mohamed al-Tayer, Executive Director of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) were present at the official installation ceremony as a molten salt receiver (MSR) was raised above the ground and placed on top of the facility.
The receiver will play a crucial role in ensuring that the tower can store sunlight and convert it into thermal energy. The initiative is part of the fourth phase of the 15.78 billion dirham investment project of the large solar energy complex in the UAE, called Noor Energy 1.
The extensive solar park has a planned capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030 and investments of up to 50 billion dirhams. This is all part of the programme established by the Emirate of Dubai which aims to have 75% of its total energy production related to clean energy by 2050.
Abdul Hamid al-Muhaidib, executive director of Noor Energy 1, briefed Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum on the progress and installation of the MSR. Noor Energy 1 is owned by DEWA, the Silk Road Fund of the Government of China, and ACWA Power of Saudi Arabia.
"ACWA Power is proud to partner with DEWA and Silk Road Fund and support all efforts to make Dubai's Clean Energy Strategy 2050 a reality," said Mohamed Abunayyan, ACWA Power's president. "We reached another important milestone at the world's largest concentrated solar power plant, Noor Energy 1. We completed the molten salt receiver lift in record time, maintaining the highest safety standards despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and many other challenges," he concluded, as reported by The National.
The Mohamed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Solar Park will begin operations in stages, starting in the third quarter of 2021. It is located in Seih al-Dahal, some 50 kilometres south of the city of Dubai in the emirate of Dubai. The plant is currently the largest photovoltaic solar energy facility in the Middle East, covering an area of 238,764 square meters.
The solar park is named after Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai. The complex will use both photovoltaic and solar thermal technology.
Construction of the project began with land preparation on March 15, 2013, and this solar park was implemented by the Dubai Supreme Energy Council and is managed by DEWA, the emirate's energy company. The plant will generate approximately 24 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year. The electricity generated by the power plant will, on average, displace about 15,000 metric tons of CO2 annually, the equivalent of taking about 2,000 cars off the road each year.
