UAE announces giant solar farm with batteries
UAE announces giant solar farm with batteries
By AFP
The United Arab Emirates announced on Tuesday plans to build a giant solar farm with battery storage capable of providing continuous renewable energy.
State-owned renewable energy company Masdar said the project would feature five gigawatts of solar capacity alongside 19 gigawatt-hours of storage.
The setup will enable the delivery of one gigawatt of uninterrupted power, said the company's chief Sultan al-Jaber, who is also the UAE's industry minister.
The solar farm is scheduled to be fully operational in 2027, with an estimated cost of $6 billion, according to Masdar.
"This is a first step that could become a giant step," Jaber said.
While solar power is growing in the UAE, the country still generates most of its electricity by burning natural gas.
The Gulf country is among the world's largest exporters of oil, but is investing heavily in clean energy.
In 2023, it hosted the UN's COP28 climate summit which called for a gradual phase-out of fossil fuels.
Jaber said, however, that battery storage currently represents only "a tiny fraction of the overall power demand", which is rising due to trends like electrification and AI-driven data centres.
He added that "prematurely" reducing reliance on other energy sources would be "self-defeating".
