This supports the key element of the country’s vision to generate 7% of Dubai’s power from clean energy sources by 2020; 25 percent by 2030, and 75 percent by 2050. 

The 400/132 kilovolt (kV) gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) substation has been built for Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA), the UAE’s leading power utility, to connect the second phase of the MBR Solar Park and integrate 200 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the transmission grid. The utility scale solar photovoltaic plant, which covers 4.5 square kilometers, will produce enough electricity to serve more than 130,000 people. Its addition to the UAE network displaces the need for power from fossil fuels that would have produced about 250,000 tons of carbon emissions annually.

Further expansions are planned and the Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park, when completed by 2030, will be spread across a 70 square kilometer area, which, according the company, will make it the largest single-site solar project in the world with a capacity of 5,000 MW. This is equal to serving the energy needs of 800,000 homes and will help mitigate the impact of around 6.5 million tons of carbon dioxide per year, says ABB. This development supports the UAE’s goal to be a global center of clean energy and a green economy by 2050.