The most prominent Emirati "Masdar" projects in the world
By Maria Maalouf
The UAE is moving forward in its new fifties towards the future under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in terms of investing in a knowledge economy that does not depend on oil but instead harnesses its revenues to employ them in the alternative economy and alternative energy.
"Masdar," headed by Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, President of COP28, received the leadership's directives and worked to implement them and disseminate the pioneering Emirati experience in the transition to clean energy and make it a model to be followed not only in the Arab Gulf countries but also in the world.
The UAE strategy is applicable anywhere on Earth. In 2017, the UAE launched its Energy Strategy 2050, which is the first plan of its kind that creates a sort of balance between energy production and consumption, takes into account international standards for the environment, and provides appropriate continuity for all sectors of the economy in the UAE.
The Emirati strategy aims to raise the efficiency of individual and institutional consumption by 40% by increasing the contribution of clean energy to the total energy produced in the UAE from 25% to 50% and achieving savings equivalent to 700 billion dirhams until 2050.
What is remarkable about the strategy is that it takes into account the reduction of carbon emissions from the electricity production process by 70% over the next thirty years. What are the types of renewable energy adopted by the UAE, including solar energy, which experts classify as the second most important source of electric energy in the UAE?
The UAE has established more than one solar power plant in the area of the Emirates, and some turbines generate energy from wind, which is one of the most widespread methods in the world, in addition to converting energy from waste, as well as an environmentally friendly nuclear power.
The UAE endeavored to generalize the experience to the countries of the world through qualitative projects and investments made by "Masdar", the decision was to implement a strategic project to generate electric power in Yemen, relying on clean and renewable energy through the establishment of a solar power plant in Aden, to be operational in June 2023. It will have a capacity of 120 megawatts, and the project bears the name "Using renewable energy to improve the quality of life in Yemen."
What is the map of “Masdar" projects covering the world? We will enumerate some of them, namely the “Victoria Port Wind Power Plant” in the Republic of Seychelles, and three solar and water projects in the Republic of Palau in the Pacific Ocean, which are a 100 kW photovoltaic power plant, a 150 kW low load diesel generator, a 100 kW photovoltaic power plant and a generator Diesel with a capacity of 100 kilowatts, and a project in Highwind Scotland, which is considered the first floating station for offshore wind energy in the world, and the “Dudgeon” renewable energy project in Britain. In addition, the Red Sea solar energy stations in Egypt.
Based on these projects and the direction of the UAE through Masdar to spread the culture of clean and renewable alternative energy, the UAE is leading the world to a clean and renewable energy future.