First Solar said it has signed an agreement to supply its photovoltaic (PV) modules to power the 200 megawatt (MW) AC second phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai, UAE.

First Solar is a leading global provider of comprehensive PV solar systems based in Arizona, US.

Earlier this year, a consortium led by Acwa Power, a leading water and power developer, owner and operator based in Saudi Arabia, and TSK, a Spanish engineering and construction company, was selected by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) to develop, construct, own and operate the independent power project.

According to the consortium, the project’s tariff of 5.84 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWH) establishes a new global benchmark, reducing the cost of solar electricity by more than 20 per cent.

Significantly, the utility scale solar plant will be the largest facility of its kind in the Middle East, when completed in early 2017.

The plant will produce enough energy to power 30,000 average homes in the UAE and will displace over 469,650 tons of carbon dioxide per year.

The project will be powered by over 2.36 million First Solar modules, compared to the 152,880 that were installed in the 13-MW AC first phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. The plant will be built over an area of almost 4.5 million sq m, sufficient to cover as many as 100 soccer pitches.

Paddy Padmanathan, the president and CEO of Acwa Power, said: "Our commitment to deliver reliable and sustainable electricity at the lowest kWH tariff is reflected clearly in the win it has secured in the second phase of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park."

"The technology we plan to implement has a proven advantage over conventional solar panels, delivering more annual energy for the same nameplate watts under the specific project conditions of the Dewa project," stated Padmanathan.

"The organic performance growth programme that First Solar is developing with their PV modules sets a benchmark in the PV industry, allowing us to benefit from a long-term reliable and durable power generation technology for projects of this scale," he added.

Alfonso Targhetta, the procurement managing director and board member, TSK, said the milestone Dewa project will establish a new benchmark for the reliable, affordable and sustainable generation of solar energy in the Middle East and around the world.

“By combining our world-class engineering and construction capabilities with First Solar’s high-performance modules, this project will help define how utility-scale PV plants are developed throughout the region and beyond,” he noted.

“This project’s impact on the global energy transition cannot be overstated. It has effectively driven down the cost of solar electricity, marking a new milestone in solar PV’s evolution as a mainstream energy resource,” stated Targhetta.
 
Ahmed Nada, the vice president and region executive for the Middle East, at First Solar, said: "In this competitive environment, the decision to power the project with First Solar technology is testament to the ability of our high performance modules to reliably deliver energy, even in challenging operating conditions."

"In fact, with this win, First Solar will have earned the position of being the leading PV solutions provider in the Middle East, with a projected installed capacity of at least 270 MW across the region by 2017," he added.

First Solar modules already power the 13-MW AC first phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park and will be installed at the 52.5-MW AC  Shams Ma’an solar PV plant, currently under construction in Jordan and scheduled for completion in the second half of 2016.-TradeArabia News Service