The world’s largest solar power plant

The new factory is part of a huge project built in the capital of the United Arab Emirates by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, Masdar, and Emirates Electricity and Water Company. This will be the first 24/7 solar power plant in the world to come with a corresponding Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), New Atlas reported on January 22.

The plant in Abu Dhabi can provide power even when sunlight is not available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Between the 5.2 GW solar power plant and BEST 19, 1 GW of base power will be provided to provide energy even when the Sun is not shining, enough to serve 750,000 households.

The US Department of Energy estimates that 1,887,000 photovoltaic panels are needed to produce just one GW of electricity. Accordingly, Abu Dhabi’s 5.2 GW plant may need nearly 10 million photovoltaic panels to operate. Compared to it, the Al Dhafra solar power plant inaugurated in Abu Dhabi in November 2023 has 4 million panels installed on 21 square kilometers. Therefore, Masdar’s new project likely requires 52.44 km2, nearly equal to 10,000 football fields.

The project costs $6 billion, expected to be delivered in 2027. Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO of Masdar, said the facility will be managed through a smart integrated solution that allows deployment anywhere. any time during the day or night. With a capacity of 5.2 GW, the plant also beats China Power Construction Group’s 3.5 GW solar farm in Xinjiang.