The UAE, on Tuesday, unveiled what it described as the "world's first" facility that can produce renewable energy on a large scale, 24/7.
At Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and chairman of Masdar, announced that the clean energy company will generate 1 gigawatt of "uninterrupted clean power" by combining 5 gigawatts of solar capacity with 19 gigawatt hours of battery storage.
The project is being executed together with the Emirates Water and Electricity Company (Ewec),
The action was taken in response to mounting pressure on the international community to step up efforts to achieve the global target of doubling energy efficiency and tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030.
The targets are essential to preserving the 1.5°C cutoff point set in the 2015 Paris Agreement, a deal in which 195 countries committed to combating climate change.
The UAE has doubled its renewable energy capacity in the last two years, according to a statement made last week by Dr. Amna Al Dahak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, which aims to produce 19.8 gigawatts of clean energy overall by 2030.
The UAE will invest between Dh150 billion ($40.84 billion) and Dh200 billion by 2030 to meet energy demand and maintain economic growth in the Emirates, according to the amended goals of the UAE Energy Strategy 2050.
The proposal includes the second phase of Dubai's waste-to-energy project, the 1.8-gigawatt sixth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, and two significant photovoltaic projects in Abu Dhabi: the 1.5-gigawatt Al Ajban plant and the 1.5-gigawatt Al Khazna.
By 2030, Masdar alone wants to increase its renewable energy capacity from roughly 20 gigawatts to 100 gigawatts.
