UAE firm announces solar ambitions

UAE hopes solar panel villages will help it reach 2020 energy targets Abu Dhabi – Jamal Al Majaida UAE Total, the Emirati arm of the multinational oil firm, has announced its commitment to renewable energy during the sixth World Future Energy Summit [WFES] in Abu Dhabi. The company presented the latest technologies in efficient energy, with new developments for markets in the Middle East and North Africa. Sultan Al Hajji, UAE Total’s Vice President of institutional development, stressed the importance of participating in this year’s summit, which has been organised by Masdar. “Sustainable development requires a more responsible use of energy, as well as ways and means of clean production,” he said. Speaking in a press statement, Hajji claimed the global oil company had operated in UAE’s oil and gas sectors for 75 years, reiterating its commitment to supporting the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 initiative, which aims to cut reliance on fossil fuels in favour of more sustainable means. “The biggest proof of Total’s commitment to investing in the energy of the future is its partnership with Masdar to build a solar station in western Abu Dhabi,” Hajji claimed. The new solar energy station will be called Sun 1, housing a 100-megawatt capacity, making it the largest station of its kind in the world. Sun 1 is due to be launched during the first quarter of 2013. It is hoped clean energy programmes like this one will push Abu Dhabi towards its goal of securing seven percent of its total energy supply from renewable sources by 2020. Sun 1 concentrates solar power by collecting sunlight through hundreds of thousands of mirrors. They reflect the Sun's rays into oil-filled vessels, which are then heated to generate electricity through a steam cycle. Sultan Al Hajji said that the American Sun Power Corporation, which specialises in the production of solar panels, is working with Total on the project. Hajji hoped Total’s determination could lead to new solar energy projects across the UAE