Latest CSP in Construction: 2023
DEWA “NOOR” 700 MW Tower & Trough CSP project
SolarPACES-NREL database: CSP plants in the United Arab Emirates
The world’s largest CSP complex will be the 700 MW solar project at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, about 95% complete as of 2023. The 100 MW tower CSP segment came online in 2023, and the three trough segments totaling 600 MW are expected in early 2024 for a total of 700 MW.
View across the 600 MW Trough portion of the CSP project IMAGE@ACWA Power.
The NOOR CSP project was commissioned by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), the UAE’s largest electric utility. The 700 MW combines both central tower and parabolic trough concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies, like the 550 MW NOOR I, II, and III in Morocco (Noor means “light” in Arabic). The NOOR I tower segment that came online in 2023 is 100 MW. The three trough segments are 200 MW each.
The thermal energy storage totals 15 hours daily. In this near-GW-scale energy project, even the molten salt melt to supply 26 thermal energy storage tanks is a massive undertaking.
At the 700 MW DEWA CSP project, salt waits to be melted for thermal energy storage in molten salts IMAGE@Herlogas
The entire solar complex at the fourth phase of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park includes 150 MW of PV with the 700 MW of CSP for 950 MW of solar energy. The goal by 2030 is for the site to host 5 GW of solar energy, with the first 1 GW (950 MW) online in 2024.
The developer, ACWA Power, broke a CSP price record on this project at 7.30 cents per kWh without a subsidy. At this price, it is competitive with fossil-fueled electricity in Dubai, though the UAE is the 10th largest oil producer in the world.
DEWA actively sought out CSP to deliver renewable energy reliably through the night for the city of Dubai to meet the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050. The international consortium included ACWA Power, BrightSource, Worley, Shanghai Electric, Shanghai Lanbin, and AGC Glass.
Site of the 700 MW DEWA Noor CSP project at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park includes 150 MW of PV with the 700 MW of CSP for nearly 1 GW of solar energy, 20% of the 5 GW of solar energy planned at the location by 2030
Earliest Online: Shams 1 – 2013
SolarPACES-NREL database: All plant details on the 100 MW Shams CSP project
Located in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi, Shams 1 was the largest renewable energy project in operation in the Middle East when launched in 2013
CSP Potential
Country data
| Area |
83,600_km2
|
| Population (2023) |
10.2 million
|
| GDP (2023) |
507 US$ bill.
|
| Installed power capacity (2021) |
43.5 GW
|
| Electricity consumption (2021) |
122 terawatt-hours (TWh)
|
