- UAE’s Masdar announces plans to create a new solar and battery energy facility costing around USD 6 billion.
- The project aims to tackle the challenge the irregular nature of renewable energy supply poses for grid operators.
- The project expects to start operations by 2027 and to cover 90 square km.
Renewable Energy
UAE’s Masdar announced plans to create a new solar and battery energy facility. They expect that the project will deliver 1 gigawatt of uninterrupted clean power and cost around USD 6 billion. Masdar is a UAE state-owned renewable energy firm that focuses on innovation in solar, wind, energy, storage, waste to energy and geothermal energy.
“This will, for the first time ever, transform renewable energy into baseload energy. It is a first step that could become a giant leap.”
HE Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, COP28 President, and Chairman of Masdar
Facing Challenges
The project aims to address the challenge that the irregular nature of renewable energy supply poses for grid operators. In doing so, they partnered with Emirates Water and Electricity Company, to combine 5 GW of solar capacity with 19 GWh of storage. This is in order to guarantee uninterrupted delivery of 1GW of electricity.
Masdar’s Chief Operating Officer Abdulaziz Alobaidli added that it they expect operations to start by 2027 and cover 90 square km in “the desert of Abu Dhabi.”
Al Jaber states that rapid growth energy hungry AI applications like ChatGPT could increase energy demand by 250% by 2050. Thus, highlighting the need for diverse power sources and the importance of sustainable energy solutions.
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