Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the AED 185 million solar PV plant was inaugurated yesterday at Masdar City by His Highness Sheikh Diab bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA). According to Enviromena, the project is one the most quickly constructed and cost-efficient PV installations in the world in terms of projected power output.
“This represents a major milestone in the development of Masdar City and Abu Dhabi’s decision to achieve a 7% renewable energy target by 2020,” commented Enviromena’s CEO, Sami Khoreibi.
The 212,000 m2 system consists of 87,777 PV modules and will produce 17,500 MWh of energy each year, offsetting approximately 15,000 tons of carbon emissions annually. The energy produced will be used to power the initial construction activities of Masdar City. Enviromena Vice President Sander Trestain, who managed the construction and start-up of the plant, said: “This facility proves that utility scale grid connected renewable energy projects are feasible in Abu Dhabi and the wider region”.
Trestain’s colleague Sami Khoreibi commented further: “The success of this project has made Enviromena the clear leader for solar installations in the region. As a locally headquartered company, this achievement demonstrates the remarkable progress Abu Dhabi and Masdar have made in becoming an international hub for alternative energy and clean technologies. Solar energy is a highly complementary addition to the region’s power portfolio as it produces the most energy during the height of the day, when power demand is also at its peak. The Masdar 10 MW solar power plant is a catalyst for the wide scale implementation of clean energy solutions in the Middle East and North Africa”.
