World’s Largest Concentrated Solar Power Plant In UAE 

Shams 1, the first part out of three solar plants, will cost $600 million, and will have the capacity of 100-125 megawatts. Concentrated solar power (CSP) systems use lenses or mirrors to focus a large area of sunlight onto a small area. These systems use the sun’s rays to heat up liquid to generate steam power, much like gas or coal plants would.

The project will be developed by Abu Dhabi Future Future Energy Company (Masdar), Abengoa Solar of Spain, and Total S.A. of France. Masdar will have 60% in the project, while the other two European companies will have 20% each.

The plant would take about two years to complete. It will be located 75 miles (120km) southwest of Abu Dhabi,  in Madinat Zayed. Work is supposed to begin around the 3rd quarter in 2010. Costs to build the plant will be 20% lower, because of the drop in price of the materials to build it.

Shams 1 solar power station will be a concentrated solar power plant. Shams 2 and Shams 3  stations will follow. Will the UAE outdo Europe and the United States with the production of renewable energy? More >>