Dubai identifies site for UAE’s first wind farm
Using preliminary data, Dubai has identified an area in Hatta to develop the UAE’s first wind farm, which is expected to have a capacity of 28MW
Dubai is conducting a feasibility study to develop a 28MW wind farm in the Hatta area of the emirate.
Using preliminary data, Dubai has identified an area in Hatta to develop the UAE’s first wind farm, which is expected to have a capacity of 28MW. The site has been selected following wind studies and field visits, with actual wind speed currently being measured for a full year using a 150m tower.
The study will enable state utility Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa) to assess the total capacity of the wind farm and technical elements such as number of turbines and average annual operating hours.
“The project to generate electricity using wind power is part of our efforts to diversify clean and renewable energy sources in Dubai. These include photovoltaic solar panels technology, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), green hydrogen production using renewable energy, and pumped-storage technology in the hydroelectric power station in Hatta,” said Saeed Mohammed Al-Tayer, MD & CEO of Dewa.
The wind farm was announced during the commissioning of the first 300MW capacity of the 900MW fifth phase at the Mohamed bin Rashid (MBR) solar park in Dubai, which brings the installed capacity of clean energy in Dubai to 1,310MW.
“DEWA’s production capacity has increased to 13,200MW of electricity and 490 million imperial gallons of desalinated water per day (MIGD). By the end of 2021, clean energy capacity will increase to 13.3 per cent of Dubai’s total energy mix after adding 517MW from solar photovoltaic panels and CSP in the fourth phase of the solar park. These include 100MW from the world’s tallest CSP tower at 262.44 metres, 200MW from first project of the parabolic trough, and 217 MW using photovoltaic solar panels,” Al-Tayer added at the launch of the latest solar capacity.
The Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 aims to provide 75 per cent of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.
“The project to generate electricity using wind power is part of our efforts to diversify clean and renewable energy sources in Dubai. These include photovoltaic solar panels technology, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), green hydrogen production using renewable energy, and pumped-storage technology in the hydroelectric power station in Hatta,” said Al-Tayer.
Plans for wind energy in the UAE were much later to take off than solar due to previous concerns that there was not enough wind in the emirates to make it worth developing the technology. However, the change in perception became evident in 2019 when Dewa received proposals for the Hatta wind feasibility study.
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