While oil and gas have long fueled the economies of many Middle Eastern countries, there’s been a seismic shift to diversify national economies due in large part to climate change. As of 2022, Middle East countries generated approximately 12 gigatons of combined solar and wind energy. A Global Energy Monitor report, however, shows that ongoing projects in the region (114 solar power plants and 45 wind power plants) will expand the Middle East’s renewable generation capacity to 80 gigatons by 2030.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) ranks second behind Egypt with 2.6 gigatons of renewable energy capacity but leads all Middle East countries in utility-scale solar energy production. It’ll soon lead other countries in that capacity by a greater margin once the Al Dhafra solar PV plant is operational.
Named the third-most influential project in the Middle East in 2021 by the Project Management Institute, the Al Dhafra solar plant is a $1 billion development being constructed about 20 miles outside of Abu Dhabi City. Once complete, the 2-gigawatt plant will provide enough clean energy to power 160,000 homes and displace in excess of 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, which is about the same as removing around 470,000 vehicles from the road.
World’s Largest PV Plant
At 2 gigawatts, the Al Dhafra project will not only be the largest solar PV plant in the Middle East but the entire world. It’s also one of the most innovative PV projects in the world. The plant will feature roughly 4 million solar panels spread throughout a 20-square-kilometer area. The solar panels, provided by Chinese company Jinko Solar, feature transparent back sheet technology which allows them to capture solar irradiation from both sides. In January 2020, Jinko’s innovative solution set a new world record for solar conversion efficiency among bifacial modules at 22.49 percent.
Managed by the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), the Al Dhafra project was described by group CEO and managing director Jasim Husain Thabet as a “benchmark project for [UAE] and the global energy sector.” TAQA and Masdar, another Abu Dhabi government-owned utility company, maintains a 60 percent ownership share of the project under a public-private partnership scheme. Jinko and French electricity company EDF Renewables own the remaining 40 percent share of the project. These parties all agreed to a 30-year power purchase agreement with Emirates Water and Electricity Company.
Construction began for the Al Dhafra project in 2020 and the plant was expected to be operational sometime in 2022.
Collaboration with China
The Al Dhafra project isn’t the first time the UAE government has collaborated with China on green energy developments. While it leads all countries in carbon emissions, China is also a global leader in renewable energy production and investments. The Climate Council recently selected China as one of the 11 countries leading the global transition away from oil and gas toward more sustainable energy sources.
China previously worked with the UAE to help develop Noor Abu Dhabi, which will hold the distinction of the largest solar PV plant in the country until Al Dhafra is operational. Noor Abu Dhabi features more than 3 million solar panels and produces 1.2 gigawatts of solar energy.
“Regardless of whether it’s developing biotechnologies, renewable energy solutions, or other sectors enabled by advanced technologies when our countries collaborate to innovate, costs come down, economic opportunities go up, and society benefits,” explained UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Special Envoy for Climate Change Sultan Al Jaber during an interview at the 27th session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Egypt.
Other Solar Plants in UAE
In addition to the Al Dhafra and Noor projects, Abu Dhabi is home to the 100 megawatt Shams 1 solar plant. Launched in 2013, it was the first solar project in the Middle East and featured more than 760 parabolic trough collectors in a 2.5-square-kilometer area. It provides sufficient clean energy to power more than 20,000 homes.
Dubai, meanwhile, is home to the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which was inaugurated in 2020. The park is expected to have a solar power generation capacity of 5,000 MW by 2030. The Hatta wind farm project in the Hajar Mountains is another prominent clean energy project in the UAE. It will generate 28MW of clean energy when complete.
UAE Hosting UNFCCC COP 28
The Al Dhafra and other planned clean energy projects are part of the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, which has the goal of increasing the country’s renewable energy share from 25 to 50 percent of the total energy mix. The UAE is also hosting the UNFCCC COP 28 in December 2023. Coinciding with the UAE national day, the global climate summit will bring together more than 80,000 delegates, including national leaders and heads of state from more than 100 countries, and in excess of 5,000 media members.