Renewable energy is an attractive option for UAE to use to meet energy needs. The country can take full advantage of solar technology because it receives ten hours of sunlight per day, 350 days per year. And while it’s one of the world’s most oil-rich countries, it has been investing heavily in solar and nuclear power. It has set a target to meet over 50% of its electricity needs from clean sources by 2050, while the capital Abu Dhabi intends to generate half by 2030. It will have to invest US $163 billion into renewable technologies to reach these goals.
Zoheir Hamedi, IRENA’s Regional Program Officer for the Middle East and North Africa, said:
“If we look at the broader picture, which is the benefits that renewable energies can bring to the economy and the environment, I think that here we can see that the cost-to-benefit issue is much more in the advantage of renewables energies than fossil fuels.”
One of the largest solar plants, called the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, is located in a desert just south of Dubai. It spans nearly 4,000 acres and consists of thousands of rows of solar photovoltaic panels. The park currently powers 160,000 homes and offsets around 1.4 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, but it’s still under construction. By 2030, it will generate enough energy to power 800,000 homes and offset 6.5 million tons of CO2 emissions.
A couple of other impressive solar endeavors include the first utility-scale solar plant in the Middle East (Abu Dhabi’s Shams Solar Park) and the world’s first solar plane to fly a full circle around the globe. Read more…
