an electrical grid that works 24/7 with solar energy

We tend to assume that solar energy is intermittent, but there is nothing that petrodollars can’t solve. And Abu Dhabi is precisely the first city in the world to announce a large-scale solar plant designed to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The news. The pulse of the United Arab Emirates does not tremble investing what is harvested with its fossil fuels in renewable projects that will one day replace them. Its capital, Abu Dhabi, has just signed for 6 billion dollars the installation of a photovoltaic plant on a public service scale with a particularity.

According to Masdar, the developer, it will be the first solar plant designed to supply clean energy 24/7 thanks to the combination of the Emirati sun, millions of solar panels and a huge storage system.

The details. The huge project, participated by the state company EWEC (Emirates Water and Electricity Company), will combine a 5.2 GW photovoltaic plant with a 19 GWh battery storage system.

Once connected, the plant will not only power millions of homes, but will be responsible for up to 1 GW of the grid’s base load, the minimum power required by the electrical grid that is traditionally covered by more stable thermal sources, such as coal. and gas.

Alliance with China. As is happening in neighboring Saudi Arabia, the Emirates is strengthening ties with Chinese companies for this renewable drive. JA Solar and Jinko Solar They will supply 2.6 GW of solar panels each based on TopCon technology, which has higher efficiency and lower degradation rate.

For its part, CATL will supply the batteries directly integrated into its HAVE storage systemwhich promises zero degradation in five years and a capacity of 6.25 MWh per container. POWERCHINA and the Indian multinational Larsen & Toubro will be in charge of the design and construction of the plant, which will generate 10,000 jobs.

Green Emirates. The Abu Dhabi project, whose roadmap marks the start of operations in 2027, is framed in a long-term plan of the United Arab Emirates: the Energy Strategy 2050.

The country hosted the COP28 summit, in which United Nations countries emphasized the urgency of installing more sustainable energy solutions. Sultan al Jaber, who chaired the summit, is also Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of the United Arab Emirates and president of Masdar, promoter of the solar plant.

“For the first time, we will transform renewable energy into 1GW of reliable baseload power, at unprecedented scale,” highlighted al Jaber in a statement.

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