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Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park
Country	United Arab Emirates
Location	Seih Al-Dahal, Dubai
Coordinates	24°45′17″N 55°21′54″E / 24.7547°N 55.365°E / 24.7547; 55.365
Construction began	2012
Commission date	22 October 2013 (first phase)
Owner	Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)
Operator	ACWA Power
Solar farm
Type	Combined PV and CSP plant
Site resource	2150 kWh/(m, yr)
Site area	77 square kilometres (30 sq mi)
Power generation
Units operational	1,560 MWp
Units under const.	1300 MWp
Nameplate capacity	1,313 MW
Capacity factor	24.6%
Annual net output	appr. ~2800 GWh/yr
External links
Commons	Related media on Commons
[edit on Wikidata]

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is a solar park spread over a total area of 77 km (30 sq mi) in Saih Al-Dahal, about 50 km (31 mi) south of the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

It is one of the world's largest renewable projects based on an independent power producer (IPP) model. Besides solar farms using PV technology, the project includes concentrating solar power (CSP), with the total capacity of the entire project planned to reach more than 4,000 megawatts. It is estimated that the park will be generating 5 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030.

The plant was implemented by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA). The first phase of the project was commissioned on 22 October 2013. At the end of 2020 the solar PV complex reached a generating capacity of 1.013 GW with the aim to reach 5GW by 2030. The 4th (700 MW CSP + 250 MW PV, known as Noor Energy 1) and 5th phase (900 MW PV) are under construction.

The 200-megawatt second phase of the project drew global attention as the winning bid of the tender set a new record-low tariff of only US ¢5.89 per kilowatt-hour. This is about 20% lower than any previous, unsubsidized power purchase agreement (PPA) the world has seen before. The PPA is set to a 25-year time frame.

Thanks to a storage capacity of up to 15 hours, the plant can produce power day and night.

History

The solar park was announced by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in January 2012.

Phase 1

The first phase of the park was a 13 MW_p solar farm (DEWA 13) constructed by First Solar. It was commissioned on 22 October 2013. It uses 152,880 FS-385 black CdTe modules and generates about 28 GWh per year which corresponds to a capacity factor of 24.6%.

Phase 2

The second phase is a 200 MW_p photovoltaic plant built at a cost of US$320 million by a consortium led by ACWA Power and Spanish company TSK. The second phase was scheduled to be commissioned by April 2017. It was completed ahead of time, and commissioned on 22 March 2017. TSK served as the primary contractor for the project, while ACWA Power will operate the plant. The phase includes 2.3 million photovoltaic solar panels spread over an area of 4.5 km. ACWA Power secured a 27-year debt financing loan worth $344 million from the First Gulf Bank, the National Commercial Bank and the Samba Financial Group. The plant uses First Solar's CdTe modules.

The 200 MW_p second phase of the project caused worldwide attention, as the winning bid of the tender set a new record-low tariff of only US ¢5.89 per kilowatt-hour. This is about 20% lower than any previous, unsubsidized power purchase agreement (PPA) the world has seen before. The PPA is set to a 25-year time frame. Assuming the same capacity factor as for phase 1 (24.6%) the annual production will be approximately 430 GWh/yr.

Phase 3

In April 2015, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) publicly announced the third phase of 800 MW_p. A consortium led by Abu Dubai Future Energy Company (Masdar) was awarded the contract for phase three in June 2016. The third phase was completed in 2020.

Phase 4 (Noor Energy 1)

The characteristics of the 4th phase of the solar park changed several times during its conception. Originally, DEWA released a request for the Expression of Interest (EOI) for a 200 MW_e CSP project in October 2016 and announced the winning bid at 9.45 US cents/kWh purchase price in June 2017. Three months later in September 2017 the final project was revealed at 700 MW_e consisting of 600 MW_e parabolic trough and a 100 MW_e solar power tower both featuring large molten-salt thermal energy storage, while pointing out the record breaking purchase price of 7.30 US cents/kWh. However, analysts highlight that factors such as very low financing cost and an extraordinary long 35-year PPA contributed to this very low figure. Later in 2018 it was announced that 250 MW of solar PV would be added to the project now named Noor Energy 1.

The solar power tower is the tallest in the world, standing at 260 m (850 ft). The Noor Energy 1 solar complex will have 15 hours of energy storage capacity, and be able to deliver power 24 hours a day. It boasts of being "the largest single-site concentrated solar power plant in the world". It uses the technology known as concentrated solar thermal power, or CSP. Mirrors are used to concentrate the sun's rays, which are then beamed into the tower, which acts as a receptor. The plant is also the largest CSP in the world. It Noor Energy 1 covers 44 km (17 sq mi). Apart from the tower, there are three units other units, all 200-megawatt parabolic trough CSP units. Together these additional units generate 600 megawatts of electricity in the daytime and continue for 12 hours at night. Noor Energy 1 is able to deliver a gigawatt of power in total.

Noor Energy 1 cost US$3.8 billion to construct, but there are no ongoing fuel costs to consider, as there are with coal-fired power stations.

Phase 5

On 21 November 2019, DEWA announced the selection of ACWA Power and Gulf Investment Corporation as preferred EPC and financer respectively, to build and operate the fifth phase, a 900 MW solar power plant based on photovoltaic technology. The plant is scheduled to be commissioned in 2021.

Phase 6

DEWA awarded a contract for the sixth phase with 1,800 MW to Masdar in August 2023 with a bid price of $US16.24/MWh.

Phase by phase project execution table

See also

• Solar power in the United Arab Emirates

References

1. ^ "Dubai Electricity & Water Authority | Solar Park". Retrieved 24 March 2017.
2. ^ Hill, Joshua S. (17 August 2023). "UAE awards contract for huge 1.8GW solar park addition at record low prices". RenewEconomy. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
3. ^ Pincus, Ward (6 December 2023). "Welcome to the CSP resurgence". Siemens Energy. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
4. "Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA), ACWA Power, and Silk Road Fund reach financial closing on 950MW 4th phase of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park". www.dewa.gov.ae.
5. ^ http://ameinfo.com/ ACWA Power wins 200 megawatts (260MWp) phase II Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, 17 January 2015
6. Craig Morris (27 November 2014). "Solar in Dubai reaches record low price". RenewablesInternational.net. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
7. ^ "Dubai set for world's cheapest night-time solar power". 5 June 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
8. STATE OF REPORT: Dubai 2014, United Nations Development Programme, ISBN 978-9948-20-456-5 (Note: In the original document, the ISBN is printed as "5-456-20-9948-978", which reads right to left.)
9. DEWA 13 Solar Plant, First Solar
10. FirstSolar Factsheet, PDF
11. Dubai Doubles Power-Plant Size to Make Cheapest Solar Energy, Bloomberg, Anthony DiPaola, January 15, 2015
12. "UAE PM inaugurates second phase of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar plant". Power Technology. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
13. "First Solar Modules to Power Landmark 200MW Solar Photovoltaic Project in Dubai". MarketWatch. 23 June 2015.
14. Craig Morris (27 November 2014). "Solar in Dubai reaches record low price". RenewablesInternational.net. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
15. SolarServer.com DEWA announces 800 MW third Phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park Archived 2015-07-11 at the Wayback Machine, 21 April 2015
16. "ACWA Power / Shanghai Power Win Dubai Solar Auction with 7.3 Cents.CSP". 16 September 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
17. Lilliestam, J. & Pitz-Paal, R. (2018) Concentrating solar power for less than USD 0.07 per kWh: finally the breakthrough? https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ref.2018.06.002
18. "Dubai Electricity & Water Authority | Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park adds 250MW to its 4th phase to reach 950MW taking total investment to AED 16 billion". www.dewa.gov.ae.
19. "ACWA POWER | Noor Energy 1". 17 February 2021. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021.
20. "About". Noor Energy. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
21. Leeuwen, Hans van (7 December 2023). "COP28: Aussie companies bring vast Dubai energy solution Down Under". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
22. Mercer, Daniel (10 December 2023). "In the UAE desert, a shining beacon looms large. Experts say it could help Australia go green". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 11 December 2023.
23. "Acwa Power consortium to build 900MW MBR Solar Park Phase 5". Construction Week Online Middle East. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
24. ^ "Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | will add 600MW of clean energy to its network from July 2019 to January 2020". www.dewa.gov.ae. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
25. "MD & CEO of DEWA announces that the share of clean energy is around 9% of Dubai's energy mix". www.dewa.gov.ae. Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA). Retrieved 17 June 2020.
26. "ACWA-led consortium signs PPA for 900-MW solar project in Dubai". Renewablesnow.com. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
27. "Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | MBR Solar Park Phase 5". www.dewa.gov.ae. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
28. ^ "Mohammed bin Rashid inaugurates 300MW first stage of the fifth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park". www.dewa.gov.ae. Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA). Retrieved 18 August 2021.
29. ^ "DEWA raises production capacity of the first project of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park's fifth phase to 330MW". www.dewa.gov.ae. Retrieved 25 January 2022.

• Solar power stations in the United Arab Emirates
• Energy infrastructure completed in 2013
• 2013 establishments in the United Arab Emirates