In the last couple of years Dubai has become an international pioneer in developing clean and renewable energy. There are plenty of sun rays in Dubai and they like to do something with that. Also there is a lot of space in the desert with a lot of sun light. That’s why the government of Dubai started building a very large solar park a couple of years ago. Together with a team of experts, they continue to build a solar park that in 2050 could ultimately be completely self-sufficient to supply Dubai city with electricity.
Dubai already had a huge solar park, named after the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. This park covers an area of 77 square kilometres. The structure of the park is divided into phases. The first phase started in 2013 and the park already has 2.3 million solar panels with a capacity of 200 megawatts. At the end of phase three, the park should generate 800 megawatts. Dubai wants to expand this by another 700 megawatts. And Dubai’s intention is even that by 2030 the park covers 214 square kilometres and has a capacity of 5000 megawatts.
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park
The new solar power station will be one where mirrors direct the sun’s rays onto a 260-meter high central solar tower. There steam is produced that drives a turbine that produces the electricity. The next phase (the fourth) will start in 2020 and once that solar power station is established, the solar park will be the largest concentrated solar power (CSP) project in the world. A major advantage of such a CSP installation is that the system can store part of the energy in the form of heat, so that energy can be generated and supplied at night.
It sounds easy to realize this park in the sun, but it is not that easy. Extreme weather conditions are involved, and they also have to do with the sand from the desert that the solar panels could sandblast. Sand drifts, which means that a layer of sand is quickly deposited on the panels, so that less sunlight can be collected. This is considered at a high level how they can deal with this challenge. So they studying panel coating technologies and they are implementing a dry robotic cleaning system to clean the whole project in a very short time. So smart, they improve and adjust so that the best possible result can be achieved. They are working hard for a greener and cleaner environment for the city. Ambitious and progressive plans and that is how we like see it in our world. Dubai you are doing a good job!.
The Dubai solar project had already broken a couple of records: they offers the lowest LCEO in the world, highest solar tower in the world and in a few years the world’s largest solar park. They are working Ambitious.
