Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has commissioned the 200MW second unit of the parabolic basin complex in the fourth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.

This phase uses the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model with investments of up to AED15.78 billion ($4.3 billion). It is set to provide clean energy for approximately 320,000 residences and reduce carbon emissions by 1.6 million tonnes annually. The 950MW fourth phase is the largest single-site project in the world that combines concentrated solar power (CSP) and photovoltaic (PV) technologies.

“The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park’s projects constitute one of the key pillars of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100 per cent of the energy production from clean energy sources by 2050. Commissioning the 200MW second unit of the parabolic basin complex in the fourth phase has increased the solar park’s production capacity to 2,627MW, and Dewa’s total production capacity to 15,117MW,” said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dewa.

The fourth phase uses three hybrid technologies: 600MW from a parabolic basin complex (three units of 200MW each), 100MW from the world’s tallest solar power tower at 262.44 m, and 250MW from PV solar panels. So far, 717MW have been commissioned from this phase, which will have the largest thermal storage capacity in the world of 15 hours, allowing for solar energy availability round the clock.