Abu Dhabi's new solar plant project, has recently started its commercial operations as scheduled at Sweihan in Abu Dhabi, the capital of United Arab Emirates. 

Envisioned as a long-term energy strategy targeting 2050, the new project - called Noor Abu Dhabi Solar Plant - will have capacity of 1.177 gigawatts and consist of 3.2 million solar panels with a huge output. The project features another record at the time of bid submission, attracting the world's most competitive tariff of 2.42 cents per kilowatt hour.

The AED3.2 billion (US$871-million) project, made of all JinkoSolar's high efficient mono panels, will be the world's largest solar project and it is estimated the facility will offset one million metric tons of C02 emissions once at capacity  –or the equivalent of removing 200,000 cars from the road – and serve 90,000 people, reports MEP Middle East. 

Image © STR/AFP/Getty Images

The Door Abu Dhabi Solar Plant was jointly developed by the company, Japan's Marubeni Corporation and Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC). The high efficient mono panels of the solar plant are produced by Shanghai-based JinkoSolar Company, one of the largest and most innovative solar module manufacturers in the world.

The beginning of commercial operations at the Noor Abu Dhabi solar plant has been announced at the recent United Nations Climate Meeting held in the Emirate. Mohammad Hassan Al Suwaidi, Chairman of Emirates Water And Electricity Company, said the opening of the plant is another step towards achieving long-term targets. 

"The completion of the project marks a significant milestone in the UAE's Energy Strategy 2050, launched in 2017, to increase the contribution of clean energy in the total energy mix from 25% to 50% by 2050 while reducing the carbon footprint of power generation by 70%," said Mohammad Hassan Al Suwaidi, Chairman of EWEC.

"This is in line with the sectors transformation strategy by providing alternative sources of energy that can help us improve the sustainability of the water and electricity sector."

Image courtesy of gulfnews.com

There is a difference between solar parks and single-site solar plant. Solar parks are designed for solar production, creating grid connections in place, where an assortment of business or government interests are able to set up their own, independent solar projects, while taking advantage of shared infrastructure.

However, a single-site solar plant covers an entire site and has a huge footprint no matter how it is sliced up which can power millions of homes. Single-site solar plant projects are increasing in the world, such as China, Japan and Taiwan are only few of them who started to built its own single-site solar plant projects. 

Top image courtesy of engadget.com

> via MEP Middle East