The world’s largest photovoltaic farm has been launched
The United Arab Emirates has launched the Al Dhafra solar farm, which is now the world’s largest solar farm, just ahead of the COP28 summit.
The 2-gigawatt Al Dhafra solar farm, located 35 km from Abu Dhabi, will feature nearly 4 million bifacial solar panels. It is set to power nearly 200,000 homes and eliminate more than 2.4 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
The largest photovoltaic farm – project development
At its peak, the Al Dhafra solar farm project created 4,500 jobs and saw solar panels installed at an average rate of 10 megawatts per day.
Al Dhafra is a joint venture between Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), French energy company EDF Renewables, and Chinese solar developer JinkoPower. TAQA holds a 40% stake, while Masdar, EDF Renewables, and JinkoPower each hold 20%. Under a 2020 agreement, the solar farm will supply power to Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC).
The launch of Al Dhafra increases the UAE’s solar energy production capacity to 3.2 gigawatts. EWEC announced a tender in September to develop a 1.5-gigawatt solar farm at Al Khazna, near Abu Dhabi. The UAE aims to triple its renewable energy production capacity to 14 gigawatts by 2030.
Source: electrek.co