Concentrated solar, molten salt storage featured in next phase of Dubai green energy project.

The fourth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, that Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) is building, will have the largest energy storage capacity in the world of 15 hours on completion, allowing for energy availability around the clock.

The 950MW 4th phase is the largest investment project in the world that combines Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) and photovoltaic solar power with investments totaling Dh15.78 billion based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model.

It uses three hybrid technologies to produce clean energy: 600MW from a parabolic basin complex (three units of 200MW each), 100MW from a solar power tower (based on Molten Salt technology), and 250MW from photovoltaic solar panels.

A consortium led by Dewa and ACWA Power formed a project company, Noor Energy 1, to design, build, and operate the plant. Dewa owns 51 per cent of the company while Acwa Power holds 25 per cent, and the Silk Road Fund owns 24 per cent. The fourth phase will be operational in stages starting from Q3 2021.

The project, which covers a total area of 44 square kilometres, has broken many world records, including the lowest Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE) of $7.3 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for the 700MW CSP and $2.4 cents per kWh for the 250MW photovoltaic solar panels.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is the largest single-site solar park in the world. With a planned total capacity of 5,000MW by 2030, it features an investment of Dh50 billion. The total capacity of operational projects at the Solar Park, which uses photovoltaic solar panels, is 1,013MW. Dewa is creating an additional capacity of 1,850MW using solar panels and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP).

1 December 2020

IEEFA