The Noor Abu Dhabi solar park (Credit: EWEC)
The 1.17 gigawatt (GW) Noor Abu Dhabi solar park, believed to be the largest project of its kind anywhere in the world, entered commercial operation this week.
Its developer Abu Dhabi Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) announced on 2 July that construction on the gargantuan project had been completed on schedule and under budget, and it is now supplying power for AED0.08888 per kWh ($0.024).
Chairman Mohammad Hassan Al Suwaidi said: “The completion of the project marks a significant milestone in the UAE’s Energy Strategy 2050, launched in 2017, to increase the contribution of clean energy in the total energy mix from 25% to 50% by 2050 while reducing the carbon footprint of power generation by 70%.
“This is in line with the sectors transformation strategy by providing alternative sources of energy that can help us improve the sustainability of the water and electricity sector.”
CEO Othman Jumaa added: “Noor Abu Dhabi will generate renewable energy and will enable us to improve the use of our natural resources.
“The fact that a project of such scale has been successfully completed on time and on budget highlights our commitment to ensuring sustainable energy for the future and it is a true testament of the Emirate’s delivery capabilities to execute world-class energy projects.”
The world’s largest solar project
The Noor Abu Dhabi solar park, which EWEC also claims offers the world’s cheapest solar power, uses high-efficient mono solar panels developed by Chinese firm JinkoSolar, which also worked on the project in addition to Japan’s Marubeni Corporation.
JinkoSolar shipped more solar panels than any other company last year and accounted for almost 13% of the market.
It registered 11.6GW in 2018 solar photovoltaic module shipments, topping second-ranked JA Solar’s 8.8GW, according to market insight firm GlobalData’s analysis.
“It is our privilege to participate and contribute to the winning and successful execution of this prestige project that will help power the sustainable economic growth of Abu Dhabi,” concluded CEO Kangping Chen.
“We are thankful to the government team that created a tender program of world class, for the high-level professionalism, as well as the strong support throughout the process.
“The project won’t be where it is without seamless collaboration among our partners and other stakeholders. We are grateful to such wonderful team-work.”