THE largest solar power grid in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) has gone online. Based in Abu Dhabi, its launch confirms that the UAE is shifting its focus from oil to renewable energy sources.
The solar plant will generate the power necessary for Masdar City, Abu Dhabi’s multi-million-dollar carbon neutral, zero waste green city, currently under construction in the desert outside Abu Dhabi. Once completed, it will have a population of 50,000.
The grid, which cost $50 million to build and covers an area of 55 acres, can produce 10 MW of electricity, which is the equivalent to removing 3,300 cars from the road. It was designed by the local company, Enviromena, in one of the most speedily-constructed and cost-efficient photovoltaic installation projects in the world in terms of power output.
“This is the first large-scale utility installation in the Mena region, so we find that this is really a milestone for renewables in the region,” says Sami Khoreibi, CEO of Enviromena.
Abu Dhabi and the other oil and gas producing countries in the Gulf have spent the last 10-15 years working hard at diversifying their economies in order to loosen their dependence on oil and gas and create jobs for their growing populations.
A recent report by Greenpeace International hailed the construction of Masdar City as an important initiative. The report asserted that with proper investment and political support, the utilisation of solar power in desert areas, such as the Sahara and the Middle East, could generate seven per cent of the world’s energy needs by 2030, and 25 per cent by 2050.