The Turkmen delegation visited the Solar Park in Dubai – clean energy and water from the desert
25.04.2023 | 22:11 |Within the framework of the International Forum on Attracting Investments in the Energy Sector of Turkmenistan, which opens tomorrow in Dubai, the Turkmen delegation, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Ashyrguly Begliyev and the heads of the concerns Turkmengaz, Turkmenneft, and the Ministry of Energy, visited the world's largest Solar Park - a large-scale network of solar power plants localized in a single software space and not only.
The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority - DEWA, carry out the implementation of this innovative project. It is one of the key points of Dubai's Strategy to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050, aimed at providing the entire emirate with energy extracted from environmentally friendly sources. Now electricity production here reaches 5000 MW, in the future it will reach 1.5 GW.
It is planned to reach 5 GW of output by 2035, and if today the Solar Park covers 11% of Dubai's needs, then by 2035 it will provide 25%.
The peculiarity of this center is that here solar energy is obtained in two ways – through light and through heat. Electricity "extracted" through sunlight is cheaper, but it needs to be immediately sent to the general network. Whereas electricity, which is obtained from heat, is more profitable for storage, it can be stored for about 12-18 hours. Accordingly, it is more rational to use thermal energy in the evening and solar energy in the daytime.
The Solar Park, spread over an area of more than 44 square kilometers, houses an Innovation Center and a Research and Development Center. The Turkmen delegation was also invited to a museum dedicated to key inventions and innovations in the energy sector, starting from Tesla, when he developed his first lamps, and Einstein (as it turned out, it was he who made the first technology for creating solar panels, having developed the theory of light reflection).
As the guests of the park were told, in 2000, when the cost of panels was high, the cost of kWh of energy was very expensive compared to traditional energy sources. Now we have achieved such a result that 1 kWh costs 1.69 cents, that is, much cheaper than from traditional sources. That is, DEWA set a world record by receiving the lowest price offer at this stage. Now there are plans to increase the area of the park at the next stage of the project to 140 sq. km.
Another interesting point is that within the framework of the pilot project, private households have the opportunity to install solar panels at home for free to cover their needs. At the same time, it was soon discovered that generating electricity in this way allows them not only to satisfy their own needs, but also to sell surplus electricity to the general network and receive money for it.
It is not surprising, therefore, that this project has gained great popularity and attracted many applications, it continues to spread throughout Dubai and we can expect that all houses in the metropolis will soon be covered with solar panels.
Even within the framework of the informative tour, the Turkmen delegation clearly demonstrated new developments in the field of green hydrogen production from water, a unique 3D printer that printed the building, the innovation center itself, which was printed completely with a 3D printer. Now electric cars are starting to be printed on 3D printers.
That is, what began as a solar farm just a few years ago has grown and is absorbing many other innovative areas, including water desalination.
Members of the Turkmen delegation representing various industries and spheres showed an active interest in these technologies for their adaptation to our cities, including in the city of state significance Arkadag. The interest is not idle, but with a practical aim, which was evident from the questions asked. For example, the solar panels in this park are located in the desert, which means constant problems with their sand drift. How to clean these panels? It turned out that specially programmed robot drones equipped with sensors are involved for this purpose, helping them to perform their task in a timely manner.
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