Who needs oil? World’s largest solar power plant with 258,000 mirrors opens in Abu Dhabi
Worldwide, Daily news | ankakh | March 19, 2013 19:52
You might think that as one of the world’s top oil producing nations, theUnited Arab Emirateswould have little use for solar energy.
But that hasn’t stopped theMiddle Eaststate from unveiling the largest concentrated solar power plant in operation anywhere in the world.
The 100-megawatt solar-thermal project inAbu Dhabiwill power thousands of homes in the country and, it is hoped, displace approximately 175,000 tons of CO2 per year.
The $600million (£398million) project dubbed Shams 1 took three years to build.
Incorporating the latest in parabolic trough technology, the plant features more than 258,000 mirrors mounted on 768 tracking parabolic trough collectors, covering an area of 2.5 sq/km, or 285 football fields.
By concentrating heat from direct sunlight onto oil-filled pipes, Shams 1 produces steam, which drives a turbine to generate electricity.
The project also includes a dry-cooling system that significantly reduces water consumption – a critical advantage in the arid desert of westernAbu Dhabi.
In the sweltering heat of the Arabian sun, Shams 1 generates electricity to power 20,000 homes in the UAE.
Masdar,Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, partnered with French energy company Total andSpain’s energy infrastructure company Abengoa to build the plant.
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