Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) inaugurated the ‘Noor Energy 1 Visitors Centre’ at the fourth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.
A consortium led by DEWA and Saudi’s ACWA Power formed the project company, Noor Energy 1, to design, build, and operate the plant. DEWA owns 51 percent of the company while ACWA Power holds 25 percent, and the Silk Road Fund owns 24 percent.
The 950 megawatts (MW) phase has investments totaling $4.3 billion based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model and the inauguration was attended by Mr. Mohammad Abunayyan, Chairman of ACWA Power, and officials from DEWA and Noor Energy 1.
The Visitors Centre features an exhibition that explores the history of energy as well as future energy technologies. It showcases the latest technologies in Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), photovoltaic cells, and the future of green hydrogen. The exhibition uses Virtual Reality (VR) to tour the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park to understand the projects and technologies used to produce energy.
DEWA has launched pioneering initiatives and projects to diversify clean energy sources. These include multiple clean and renewable energy sources and technologies such as solar photovoltaic solar panels, CSP, green hydrogen production using solar power, pumped-storage water technology using clean energy in Hatta, and research into electricity generation from wind power
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer MD & CEO DEWA
“At DEWA, our strategy and plans are guided by the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to promote sustainability, innovation and the shift towards a green sustainable economy. DEWA’s projects at the solar park using the IPP model constitute one of the key pillars of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100 percent of energy from clean energy sources by 2050.”
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park’s fourth phase is the world’s largest single-site investment project that uses the IPP model to combine CSP with photovoltaic technology. It will utilize 700 MW of CSP, in which 600 MW is from a parabolic basin complex and 100 MW from a solar power tower, and 250MW from photovoltaic solar panels.
Once completed, the project will have the largest thermal storage capacity in the world of 15 hours, allowing for energy availability round the clock. The 4th phase will provide clean energy for around 320,000 residences and reduce 1.6 million tons of carbon emissions every year.
