Masdar connects 10MW PV plant to Abu Dhabi grid

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, His Highness Sheikh Diab bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) inaugurated Masdar's 10MW power plant.

The state-of-the-art PV plant will generate 10MW of clean electricity, which is an annual carbon savings of 15,000 tons - the equivalent of taking 3,300 cars off Abu Dhabi's roads each year.

The solar power plant will provide clean energy to the temporary Masdar site administration facilities, and power the ongoing construction activities of Masdar City.

In addition, the plant will supply all the energy needs of The Masdar Institute of Science Technology, a graduate-level scientific institution dedicated to renewable energy study, which opens in late 2009.

"Masdar's 10MW solar power plant is a testament to our leadership's dedication to the advancement of renewable energy. The connection of this plant marks an important milestone in the development of Masdar City and in our emirate's history," said Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar.

"We believe this is just the first delivery of the rich potential of solar energy and we will continue to deliver clean sources of energy to Abu Dhabi and beyond."

The connection of the 10MW solar power plant to Abu Dhabi's electrical grid was a joint effort by Masdar, Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC) and the Emirate's regulatory body, the Regulation and Supervision Bureau.

ADDC, Abu Dhabi's main grid holder is responsible for operating and developing the distribution networks within the emirate.

"Bringing new, clean sources of energy to the people of Abu Dhabi is an exciting advancement for Abu Dhabi Distribution Company," said Mr. Ahmed Al Mureikhi, Managing Director of Abu Dhabi Distribution Company.

"We know that the next generation of electricity distribution means better integration with renewable energy sources and we are proud to have taken that step with Masdar"

The Regulation and Supervision Bureau, which regulates and awards licensing for power generation sources in Abu Dhabi, supplied Masdar with its first licence for renewable energy power.

"This is a great example of entities in Abu Dhabi working together to find solutions that will advance the emirate's goal of providing clean energy on a large scale. " We are proud to be part of this landmark achievement," said Mr. Nick Carter, Director General, Regulation and Supervision Bureau.

The 10 MW plant, consisting of 87,777 panels (50% thin film and 50% crystalline silicon) is projected to generate 17,500 MWh of clean energy each year (with a single kWh of clean energy being the carbon-offset equivalent of 0.8 kg depending on an area's network and its energy-producing source.)

With the construction costing Dhs185m ($50m) at an installed power capacity of 10 MW, the plant is also one of the most cost-efficient PV installations in the world in terms of its projected power output.

Construction on the 212,000 square meter plant commenced in August and was designed and constructed by Enviromena Power Systems.

The 10MW plant was built using sustainable construction practices, including innovative techniques such as using concrete with a high slag content (GGBS) for civil works, reusing materials extensively across the site and avoiding environmentally unfriendly construction materials such as bitumen and polystyrene.

Rigorous engineering design also minimized the total amount of steel used across the site.