UAE leads progress in renewable energy ideas

The UAE played a significant role in tremendous growth of renewable energy during the past decade that witnessed a manifold increase in installation of clean energy projects, a top official said yesterday.

“In 2009 there were less than 14 gigawatts [GW] of installed solar capacity around the world. Today, there are nearly 400GW — representing a 28-fold increase,” said Dr Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Chairman of Masdar, in his opening remarks at the official opening ceremony of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW).

Wind power has demonstrated similar growth, expanding from 121 to 539 gigawatts. With wind and solar both becoming increasingly price-competitive, each is on a path to break 1,000 gigawatts of power within the next five years, he said.

“As early adopters and developers of some of the largest solar power plants in the world, from Shams 1 to the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the UAE has injected confidence in the renewable energy industry within our region, and far beyond our borders,” the minister said.

He said this progress was achieved after establishment of International Renewable Energy Agency [Irena] with its headquarters in Abu Dhabi around ten years ago.

He revealed: ‘Last week, Masdar, along with a consortium of partners, won the bid to build the first utility scale wind farm in Saudi Arabia, with the price of 2 cents per kilowatt hour.”