The UAE on Tuesday launched what it called the “world’s first” facility that can provide renewable energy at scale around the clock.
Abu Dhabi clean energy company Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company) will combine 5 gigawatts of solar capacity with 19 gigawatt hours of battery storage to produce 1 gigawatt of “uninterrupted clean power”, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and chairman of Masdar, said at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week - ADSW.
The project is being carried out in partnership with the Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC).
“For decades, the biggest barrier facing renewable energy has been intermittency. It has been the moon shot challenge of our time. How can we power a world that never sleeps with energy sources that do? How can we transform renewable resources into reliable power?” Dr Al Jaber said.
“This will, for the first time ever, transform renewable energy into baseload energy. It is a first step that could become a giant leap.”
The move comes amid increasing pressure on the international community to boost efforts to meet the global goal of tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030.
