Dubai has an immense solar thermal desert, a colossus which cost 16 billion. The country of the United Arab Emirates has become very popular in recent times for the amazing projects it has been involved in, such as renewable energy for the national manufacturing sector.
Solar thermal energy has other names than solar thermal energy. For example, thermoelectric energy, concentrated solar energy or CSP (Concentrated Solar Power).
It is a method of producing solar thermal energy that uses mirrors or heliostats to concentrate solar radiation onto a central receiver.
Dubai’s Solar Thermal Desert is Amazing: Here’s Its Location
The United Arab Emirates, host country of COP28, inaugurated the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai a few months ago, the largest concentrated solar power (CSP) project in the world. It also includes the world’s tallest solar tower.
The fourth phase of the huge 950 MW solar park offers a combination of three hybrid solar technologies over 44 square kilometers: 600 MW of parabolic trough collectors, 100 MW of CSP tower and 250 MW of photovoltaic solar panels.
Its construction cost 15.78 billion dirhams, or approximately 4 billion dirhams in euros. Under these conditions, this is an impressive project with an impressive thermal energy storage capacity, the largest in the world. It has 5.9 gigawatt hours, and the tallest solar tower of over 263 meters. In its entirety, it has 70,000 heliostats, or solar panels, which follow the sun.
Who is responsible for Dubai’s solar thermal desert?
This ambitious proposal is branded by Noor Energy 1, a consortium led by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), which owns 51% of the entity, ACWA Power, which owns 25%, and the rondo Silk Road Fund, which holds 24%. Noor Energy 1 designed, built and operates the solar park.
A fifth phase of the solar park will add 900 MW of solar photovoltaic power. There will also be a sixth phase which will bring an additional 1.8 GW. The contract for this last phase was awarded to Masdar in August. DEWA awarded the contract to Masdar with an offer of $16.24/MWh.
This is the lowest levelized cost of energy for all DEWA proposals under the independent power producer model.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is located approximately 50 km south of Dubai and is part of the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions 2050 strategy, which aims to provide 100% of the Persian Gulf country’s total energy capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.
According to DEWA, the share of clean energy in Dubai’s energy mix is around 16.3% of the total installed capacity and is expected to increase to 24% by 2026 with the completion of the sixth phase of the project.
What can solar thermal energy be used for?
Solar thermal energy can be used in large-scale power plants and has the capacity to supply electricity to the grid to power communities and industrial areas. In addition to electricity generation, solar thermal energy can also be used for heating and cooling in industrial and commercial settings.
Finally, Dubai’s Solar Thermal Desert has the largest thermal energy storage capacity in the world, with 5.9 gigawatt hours, and the tallest solar tower ever seen (over 263 meters). If you want to know more about solar thermal energy, don’t miss our report on the subject.