The UAE was ranked third in the world in concentrated solar power (CSP) production in 2013, and since then solar panel popularity has only continued to rise. In 2014, roughly 140 MW of solar power was generated in the UAE. The government has predicted they can save between USD 1 billion and 3.7 billion by reaching their renewable energy target, and now claim that the savings can be even bigger with the altered outlook for conventional fuels and renewable energy costs.
 
Worldâs largest solar power plant
The UAE is building the worldâs largest solar power plant in Abu Dhabi due to its high solar panel popularity. This plant will expand Abu Dhabiâs energy field into renewable sources using only tier 1 solar inverters, increasing Abu Dhabiâs overall solar energy capacity and protecting the environment through lower CO2 emissions. The plant went into operation in the year 2022. The new plant will:
- Get rid of more than 2.4 million metric tons of CO2 emissions each year, equal to removing 470,000 cars from roads
- provide energy to around 160,000 homes across the UAE
- provide the most cost-effective tariffs for PV energy set at AED 4.97 for every kilowatt-hour
- increase Abu Dhabiâs solar energy capacity to about 3.2 gigawatts.
Shams 1 in Abu Dhabi
Shams 1 is the world’s largest CSP plant and the reason for the high solar panel popularity in Abu Dhabi. It was established by bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former President of the UAE, in March 2013.
It cost USD 600 million and is spread over 2.5 square kilometers which can send 100 MW of electricity into the public grid, using the most modern solar panel in UAE, enough to run 20,000 households and prevent emitting 175,000 tonnes of CO2 each year into the atmosphere.
You can find the plant in Western Abu Dhabi, which is considered the largest concentrated solar power (CSP) plant and also the first utility-scale solar plant in the Middle East and one of the biggest on the planet.
The plant includes many innovations, like modern booster heaters that use natural gas to increase the temperature from 380 degrees Celsius to 540 degrees Celsius, improving the steam turbinesâ efficiency and increasing energy production.
The CSP plant employs a dry cooling system to chill the exhaust steam, which can lower the amount of water the systems use in comparison with a similar facility.
Shams 1 is a joint venture between Abu Dhabi’s clean energy companies Masdar (60 percent), Total (20 percent), and Abengoa (20 percent).
It was recognized for its contribution to local communities and for raising solar panel popularity at the 2016 MENASOL Conference and Exhibition in Dubai.
Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project
As part of Dubai’s Clean Energy Strategy to generate 75 percent of Dubai’s power from clean energy by 2050, Dubai will build the largest Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project on a single location in the world, which is expected to start power production in the next five years.
The project will surpass the existing world’s largest CSP tower in Morocco, which has a power-generating capacity of 150MW.
The new CSP project will bring energy at less than 8 US cents for every kilowatt-hour as it is produced from this plant that is located at the existing Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.
The rings of solar mirrors also known as heliostats will guide sunlight into a collection tower where the rays would run a steam turbine to produce concentrated solar power.
Once done, the solar plant and solar park are expected to lower carbon emissions in Dubai by more than 6.5 million tonnes, helping Dubai and the UAE meet their commitment to the Paris Agreement to keep global warming increases less than 2 degrees Celsius. This will also provide people with the resources demanded as a result of the growing solar panel popularity.
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park
The 1 GW Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is going to be finished in phases and built by 2030 in Seih Al Dahal, 50 kilometers from southern Dubai, to meet its renewable energy supply target according to the solar energy statistics 2022 announced by the emirate of Dubai.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is the largest single-site solar park in the world, based on the IPP model and the main reason for the high solar panel popularity in Dubai. Itâll produce 1,000 megawatts by 2020 and 5,000 megawatts by 2030. The first phase of the project started in 2013 with a capacity of 13 megawatts. The second phase started operating in April 2017 with a capacity of 200 megawatts.
The third phase will be operational in 2020 with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts, while the fourth phase of the project will start operating by the last quarter of 2020 with a capacity of 5,000 megawatts. The project will have the tallest solar tower in the world, measured at 260 meters.
Dubai is turning into a city run solely on solar power day by day. The stats can prove the growing solar panel popularity in Dubai, so if youâre looking for a great investment, maybe itâs time to longi solar panels dubai.