Today's Edition
AMEINAH ALZEYOUDI (ABU DHABI)
Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) is at the forefront of the UAE’s energy transition, driving the development of state-of-the-art projects, said Abdulrahman Bafaraj, Project Development Director at EWEC.
In interview with Aletihad, on the occasion of “UAE Innovates 2025”, marked throughout February across the country, Bafaraj noted that EWEC’s leading projects include the world’s first large-scale “Round the Clock” gigascale project launched in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC – Masdar.
Located in Abu Dhabi, the project will feature a 5.2GW (DC) solar photovoltaic (PV) plant, coupled with a 19 gigawatt-hour (GWh) BESS, delivering a continuous 1 gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy, he noted.
“The project effectively addresses the intermittency limitations of solar energy and reaffirms the UAE’s position as a global pioneer in renewable energy deployment. This landmark project embodies EWEC’s unwavering commitment to decarbonising the energy sector while driving the UAE’s socio-economic growth, alongside our other transformative projects including the world’s largest single-site solar plant, Al Dhafra Solar PV (1.5GW AC).
“These projects attract global talent and investment in renewable energy technology, further establishing the UAE as a global leader in renewable energy and shaping the future of the energy sector,” Bafaraj said.
Bafaraj also highlighted the role of UAE’s solar projects in cementing the nation’s global leadership in sustainability, pointing to the commissioning and deployment of cutting-edge renewable energy technology at “an unprecedented scale, inspiring other nations to accelerate their clean energy transition”.
“EWEC’s strategic planning and deployment of renewable and clean energy projects are forecast to significantly reduce our average carbon dioxide intensity of electricity generation from 330 kg/MWh in 2019 to 150 kg/MWh by 2030,” he said.
Discussing the most prominent innovations being implemented in the UAE in the renewable energy field, Bafaraj highlighted the Noor Abu Dhabi and Al Dhafra Solar PV projects.
“EWEC commissioned the development of one of the world’s largest single-site solar power plants, Noor Abu Dhabi (1GW AC), which uses fixed mono-facial PV panels. For Al Dhafra Solar PV, the world’s largest single-site solar power plant, we innovated further by using the latest in crystalline, bifacial solar panels with tracking technology, which enables the plant to provide more efficient electricity by capturing solar irradiation from both the front and backside of the panel. Both plants also make use of robotic cleaning systems for the solar panels, offering a water-free and automated solution for panel cleaning,” he said.
“The scale of projects like Al Dhafra Solar PV, and future projects including Al Ajban Solar PV, Khazna Solar PV and Zarraf Solar PV, creates economies of scale, driving down costs and enhancing solar power’s competitiveness. Continuous innovation in solar and BESS technologies further fuels efficiency improvements and cost reductions,” he added.
Bafaraj stressed that by the end of this decade, Abu Dhabi will be home to seven of the world’s largest solar power plants.
“EWEC has forecast that it will generate over 50% of Abu Dhabi’s electricity from renewable and clean sources by 2030, increasing solar photovoltaic capacity to 10GW by 2030 and 18GW by 2035. This strategy aligns with the Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Strategic Target 2035 for Electricity Production in Abu Dhabi, which will see 60% of the Emirate’s electricity being generated from renewable and clean sources.”
The UAE Innovation Month, “UAE Innovates 2025”, launched on Saturday, celebrates a decade of innovation in the UAE and coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation.
