Masdar Wins 200 MW of Solar Tender in Armenia
Masdar has won 200 MW Utility Solar tender to build in Armenia. The 200 MW plant will be located in the Talin and Dashtadem communities of Armenia, in an area where solar radiation is both high and land is unusable for agricultural purposes. The US$174 million plant is span over 500 hectares and expected to create numerous jobs. The tender was part of the Joint Development Agreement signed between Masdar and the Armenian National Interest Fund CJSC (ANIF) in November 2019, to develop renewable energy projects with a total capacity of 400 MW in Armenia. The project will be developed on a design, finance, build, own, and operate (DFBOO) basis and the project company will be 85 percent owned by Masdar, with ANIF holding 15 percent.
TAQA, Abu Dhabi Ports To Build Green Hydrogen Facility Paired with 2 GW Solar Plant
Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (TAQA), one of the largest listed integrated utilities in the region, and Abu Dhabi Ports, announced they are discussing the development of an industrial scale green hydrogen to ammonia export project in Abu Dhabi. A partnership on a green hydrogen to ammonia project on this scale between TAQA and Abu Dhabi Ports, would be a significant step towards placing Abu Dhabi at the heart of a new emerging global market for green energy. The companies will work together on developing proposals for a green ammonia export facility to be based in Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD). The new plant would be fuelled by hydrogen produced by an electrolyzer facility paired with a 2 GW solar photovoltaic power plant. The green hydrogen would be turned into liquid ammonia to supply ships converted to use ammonia as a bunker fuel and for export from Abu Dhabi Ports via specialized gas carriers. Ammonia, which is relatively easier to transport than pure hydrogen, has a number of industrial uses and can also be easily turned back into hydrogen.
UAE and Saudi Arabia To Lead Distributed Energy Market in the Gulf
Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis on the distributed energy market in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) finds that it is gathering momentum with declining technology costs, resource availability, and favorable policies. This encourages customers to self-generate electricity through distributed renewable sources and sell excess electricity back to the grid, transforming customers into prosumers (an individual who consumes as well as produces goods or services). The region’s total distributed energy market, which encompasses distributed solar photovoltaic (PV), distributed wind power, hybrid systems, diesel gensets, and gas gensets, is estimated to garner a revenue of $602 million by the end of 2021 from $480 million in 2020, registering strong double-digit growth at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.4%. This will be driven by the recovery in the diesel gensets market along with strong growth in rooftop solar PV and hybrid power systems. The UAE and Saudi Arabia will lead the market for distributed energy, with Oman set to emerge as the fastest-growing market in the region.
PV Cleaning Expert SunBrus Mobil Partners With UMHE in Middle East
The construction machinery group United Motors & Heavy Equipment Co LLC (UMHE) from United Arab Emirates – U.A.E. is now exclusively selling SunBrush mobil cleaning machines in the Middle East. As a full service partner, UMHE is also responsible for installing and commissioning as well as servicing and maintaining all cleaning machines of the German PV expert in the United Arab Emirates. The first three SunBrush mobil TrackFlex cleaning machines will be commissioned by UMHE at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park in Dubai at the end of August. Thanks to its total capacity of 5 gigawatts – which it will reach by 2030 – the power plant will be the largest solar energy project in the world.
Clean Energy to Play Vital Role in Azerbaijan’s Prosperous and Climate-resilient Future
Azerbaijan would benefit from energy market reforms, efficiency requirements and more clean energy to prepare for energy transitions both at home and abroad, according to a new policy review by the International Energy Agency. Azerbaijan’s government has recently drafted proposals for electricity and gas market reforms, as well as laws on energy efficiency and renewable energy. The report encourages Azerbaijan to move swiftly to adopt all these proposals and to ensure their effective implementation. Successful electricity and gas market reforms would also attract new entrants and investment in the renewable electricity sector. Azerbaijan has recently started to develop its world-class potential for solar and wind power. The IEA policy review recommends Azerbaijan to be ambitious, and welcomes the government’s plans to raise the share of renewable energy in total generating capacity from 16% in 2018 to 30% in 2030.
