UAE to go solar?

[Naz UK]

The world's most overly-used and at the same time under-acted-upon phrase - "Let's focus on renewable energy sources".

[Krazy]

Dubai to harness sun and wind to meet power needs


Increasing urbanisation, population and economic growth will result in demand for electricity in Dubai doubling by 2015 and the emirate is looking at the sun and the wind to help meet its needs.

“Even under modest growth scenario, Dubai’s electricity demand is expected to double by 2015,” said His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,VicePresident and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in an interview to Pipeline magazine, which will be published next week.

“Trying to stay ahead of that kind of growth is going to become more and more challenging, he said.

The scenario is the same across the GCC. Installed power capacity in the GCC has grown at a compounded annual rate of 2.6 per cent from 2002 to 2005, reaching 62,807MW, with almost half said a study by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission.

Peak load in the GCC over the same period has averaged 84 per cent of capacity, with governments aiming to keep 20 per cent for emergencies.

The UN forecasts a shortfall of 35 per cent across the GCC by 2015, with the UAE expected to suffer from power shortages by 2012.

Dubai’s power consumption in 2006 rose nearly 30 per cent, said Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.

Sheikh Mohammed said the emirate’s use of energy was inefficient and among the highest per capita in the world.

“There seems to be no doubt in anyone’s mind that better energy conservation is a key initiative going forward for Dubai,” he said.

Around 14 per cent of peak electricity demand could be saved by 2015 through a demand management programme, he said, adding that the best option for Dubai would be solar.

The UAE lies in what is described as the earth’s sun belt. The yearly solar radiation for the UAE is believed to be around 2,200 kilowatthours per square metre, the second highest in the world.

“There is a huge amount of solar exposure in tracts of the UAE desert,” said Dr Galal Osman, vice-president of the World Wind Energy Association.

Sheikh Mohammed told Pipeline magazine that government was also studying the use of wind power.

“Solar cooling will be a further step in combination with more energy-efficient houses. The technology for solar cooling [has] a huge potential,” Berthold Breid, Project Manager of Renewable Energy with the German energy agency Dena, recently told Emirates Today.

If Dubai could produce 200MW of renewable energy it would reduce carbon emissions by 1.5 million tonnes per year, Sheikh Mohammed said.

[DubaiMarina]

I think this might work also in Dubai.

http://www.worldenergy.org/wec-geis/...homasm0904.pdf

[Naz UK]

I don't think Dubai is ready to go Solar yet. According to some experts.

[andrew_paul111]

A demonstration project has to be evaluated over a long enough period of time so we can see how the panels are affected by different weather conditions in summer and winter. We need to evaluate the maintenance requirements for a system like this and its susceptibility to the harsh weather conditions,” said Odeh.


solar energy for homes

[m-man]

I think this is the largest solar plant in the world??

[Sunrise Boy]

Surely it's "not exactly rocket-science", I'm aware that there is an issue with sand/dust affecting he panels,but a simple self-powered fan should resolve that issue. It is unfeasible that solar panels wouldn't work in this region, simply look at the Mediterranean region and I've even seen a growth in the north of the UK!!

I tried to source suppliers a while ago in the UAE and it was surprising how difficult it was to find any, obviously not in the interest of Etisalat....

[AltinD]

What has Etisalat to do with solar power? Would it disturb the mobile phone signal?

As for the sand and humidy, it is indeed a big issue, and it makes the more expensive mean of generating power, even more expensive.

[m-man]

Shams 1, a 100MW concentrated solar power plant in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region, has won the Project of the Year Award from the Emirates Solar Industry Association (ESIA).

The Masdar project, which is being developed in collaboration Abengoa and Total, is the largest solar power plant in the MENA region.

Locatied in Madinat Zayed, 120km southwest of Abu Dhabi, the plant extends over an area of 2.5 km², with a solar field consisting of 258,048 parabolic mirrors.

“We are delighted that Shams 1 has received such a prestigious award,” said Yousif Al Ali, general manager of Shams Power Company. “This demonstrates the leading role that Masdar plays in the region’s renewable energy sector and a realisation of the vision that our wise leadership has for renewable energy in the UAE.”

When it begins feeding power to the Abu Dhabi grid early next year, the plant can generate enough electricity to power 20,000 homes, and will offset 175,000 tonnes of C02.

http://www.constructionweekonline.co.../#.UMRiJaVRphA

[m-man]

[firoz bharmal]

where is this....?....whats its capacity....?

[AltinD]

Can't you read the post just above it (69)?

[firoz bharmal]

Originally Posted by AltinD

Can't you read the post just above it (69)?

Dude......The post you said is about new plant to be developed......above picture is already commissioned plant .......

[AltinD]

It says if will be connected with the grid next year, and the thing on the picture looks exactly on that phase of construction where full completition is months away

[firoz bharmal]

Hmmmm...

[m-man]

Shaikh Saeed BIn Zayed, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Mohammad Ould Abdul Aziz with other officials at the inauguration ceremony.

Dubai: The UAE, a major oil-producing country, is spearheading a number of renewable energy projects in the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Masdar, the Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy company, has inaugurated the Shaikh Zayed Solar Power Plant, a utility-scale, 15-megawatt solar photovoltaic (PV) facility in Nouakchott, capital of Mauritania.

The largest solar PV plant in Africa, the Dh117.5 million ($31.99 million) facility accounts for 10 per cent of Mauritania’s energy capacity and will displace approximately 21,225 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
Since its inception, Masdar has been heavily involved in moving Abu Dhabi towards a low-carbon economy. With more than $5 billion (Dh18.3 billion) worth of renewable-energy projects underway across the globe, the company is regarded as a leader in the energy-efficiency field.
Shaikh Saeed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Abu Dhabi Ruler’s Representative, reaffirmed the UAE’s long-standing support for economic and social growth projects in developing countries.
Article continues below

“This inauguration underscores the important role renewable energy can play to drive comprehensive sustainable development in Africa,” Shaikh Saeed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan said in a statement.

http://gulfnews.com/business/investm...road-1.1172530

[m-man]

Abu Dhabi’s clean-energy company, Masdar, will team up with the UK Green Investment Bank (Gib) to explore opportunities in Britain over the next seven years.

The agreement for the joint venture was signed at an event hosted by Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, in Buckingham Palace.
The two companies will share investment opportunities with each other and other possible partners. Masdar has already invested more than Dh2.8 billion in the world’s largest offshore wind farm on the UK’s coastline.

Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-n...#ixzz2SCybkVHh
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[firoz bharmal]

Did you notice...vary left Shiekh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Makhtum...Chairman of Emirates Airline....!......and in Abu Dhabi.....

[m-man]

Masdar, Abu Dhabi's renewable-energy company, and the Export Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) - the official export credit agency of the United States - today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in which they will explore opportunities to structure and deploy up to $2bn worth of Ex-Im Bank's finance supporting U.S. exports to Masdar's future projects.

http://www.ameinfo.com/masdar-ex-imb...y-clean-341833

[m-man]

Masdar and the International Finance Corporation have penned an agreement that could see the World Bank subsidiary provide as much as US$1.5 billion in financing to the Abu Dhabi investor for clean energy projects around the world.

In a memorandum of understanding (MoU) announced yesterday and signed in Washington DC, the IFC and Masdar agreed to look at projects ranging from solar plants to carbon capture and storage facilities.
"We look forward to working with the International Finance Corporation to advance renewable energy and novel cleantech projects wherever they have the greatest social, environmental and economic impact," said Sultan Al Jaber, the chief executive of Masdar, Abu Dhabi's clean energy company.

Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/business/i...#ixzz2TWggYcYf
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