Phases of energy production

First Phase:

On 22 October 2013, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minster of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, inaugurated the 13MW first phase of the solar park. The project uses 152,880 photovoltaic cells connected to 13 step-up transformers in inverter buildings. The output voltage is transformed to 33 kilovolts and generates over 28 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. It decreases carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes annually.

Second Phase:

On 20 March 2017, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minster of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai inaugurated the 200MW second phase of the solar park. It is the first and largest project of its kind in the region, based on the IPP model. The second phase generates clean energy for 50,000 residences in Dubai and reduces 214,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year. This phase installed 2.3 million photovoltaic solar panels over 4.5 square kilometres. DEWA set a world record, obtaining the lowest price globally for the second phase of the solar park, at USD 5.6 cents per kilowatt hour at the time of the bid.

Third Phase:

On November 2020, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minster of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, inaugurated the 800MW third phase of the solar park.

This phase is the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa, with an advanced solar tracking system that increases generation by 20%-30%, compared to fixed installations, this project has 3 million modules with advanced photovoltaic technologies The third phase generates clean energy for over 240,000 residences in Dubai and reduces around 1.055 million tonnes of carbon emissions a year.

Fourth Phase:

On December 2023, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minster of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai inaugurated the 950MW fourth phase of the solar park.

The fourth phase is the largest investment project that uses three hybrid technologies: 600MW from a parabolic basin complex, 100MW from the CSP tower, and 250MW from photovoltaic solar panels. Built at an investment of AED15.78 billion, using the independent power producer (IPP) model, the project features the tallest solar tower in the world, at 263.126 metres, and the largest thermal energy storage capacity with a capacity of 5,907 megawatt hours (MWh), according to the Guinness World Records.

The fourth phase of the solar park uses three hybrid technologies to produce clean energy: 600MW from a parabolic basin complex (three units of 200MW each), 100MW from the world’s tallest solar power tower (based on Molten Salt technology), and 250MW from photovoltaic solar panels. The project integrates 70,000 mirrors (heliostats) that track the sun’s movement.

The Molten Salt Receiver (MSR) on top of the solar power tower is the core and most important part of the CSP plant. It receives solar radiation and turns it into thermal energy. The MSR contains over 1,000 thin tubes that enable the absorption of sun rays and their transfer to the molten salt within these tubes.

This project generates clean energy for approximately 320,000 residences with clean and sustainable energy. It will reduce carbon emissions by about 1.6 million tonnes annually.

Fifth phase:

On June 2023, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minster of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, inaugurated the AED2 billion 900MW 5th Phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park using photovoltaic panels. The fifth phase of the project will provide clean energy to around 270,000 residences in Dubai. DEWA achieved a world record by receiving the lowest bid of $1.6953 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) for the fifth phase.

Sixth phase:

The total capacity of the sixth Phase is 1800MW using photovoltaic solar panels, based on the Independent Power Project (IPP) model. The sixth Phase will reduce around 2.36 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually and provide clean energy to 540,000 residences in Dubai. Through phase VI, DEWA has achieved the lowest Levelised Cost OF Energy (LCOE) of USD1.6215 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh). The 6th phase will become operational in stages between 2024 and 2026.