Masdar Puts Solar Power To The Test for the Abu Dhabi
By SolarPromoter - 30.12.2007
I came across an interesting article about a proposed field test in the United Arab Emirates. The test is actually a competition amongst 22 companies. The UAE is not prone to sitting back hitting golf balls into the Persian Gulf and entirely relying on oil revenues, it is working to build a capital city that is powered by renewable energy, and has zero wastes and carbon emissions.
Dr. Al Jaber said: “Few studies of this size and with this level of participation have been undertaken outside of the laboratory. Our involvement will generate a wealth of original data and strengthen ties with the leading names in the PV industry. It will also position Abu Dhabi as an ideal location for the testing and verification of PV, spanning all crystalline and mature ‘thin film’ technologies.”
The competition site may be a modest plot of land at Masdar City near Abu Dhabi International Airport, but the implications are profound for the companies taking part. The results will help determine how renewable power is ultimately realised for Masdar’s zero carbon, zero waste city, which will one day be home to as many as 50,000 residents and hundreds of renewable energy businesses.
The site houses 26 one-kilowatt at peak (1KWp) PV modules mounted on aluminum structures; the equipment has been designed and installed by a major PV system integrator. The long-term testing will be carried out in cooperation with TÜV Rheinland of Germany, a leading authority on PV system performance and certification.
The generated electricity is converted into alternating current and fed directly into the local grid, representing the first grid-connected solar power system in Abu Dhabi history.
Masdar is at the forefront of research into larger scale applications of solar power and recently signed a contract with the Tokyo Institute of Technology to explore solar tower ‘beam down’ technology, an advanced solar thermal process that offers lower electricity generation costs and higher efficiency.
Photovoltaics is solar power technology that uses solar cells, either made from silicon or ‘thin film’, to convert sunlight directly into electricity. Masdar Puts Solar Power To The Test
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan is the hereditary ruler of Abu Dhabi (UAE). He is the son of Sheikh Zayed Al Nahayan, the first president of the United Arab Emirates.
