December 1 (Renewables Now): The first unit of Dubai’s 700MW solar thermal and 250MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant is now feeding electricity into the local power grid, marking another development milestone of the UAE’s flagship Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar project.
The installation of Trough Unit No. 1 was connected to the grid on Nov. 29, Shanghai Electric (SSE:601727), which is acting as the project’s EPC contractor, said in a statement.
The solar thermal plant consists of three trough units with a power of 200 MW each and a tower unit of 100 MW. It is the world’s largest solar thermal project in terms of installed capacity, investment and molten salt reserve heat, according to Shanghai Electric.
Once all four units are operational, the system will be able to generate power continuously for up to 13.5 hours at night and 15 hours in adverse weather conditions.
The solar thermal plant and 250 MW of photovoltaic modules are part of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park which will eventually reach 5,000 MW of installed capacity by 2030.
In November, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), which is developing the megaproject, selected a consortium of companies led by Ernst & Young (EY Consulting) to provide consulting services for the park’s 900MW sixth phase solar .
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