Qatar: Gas-rich Qatar launched the first solar power facility in Qatar, which spans the desert and is expected to generate up to 10% of the tiny Gulf country’s energy needs. It was officially opened on Tuesday.
One of the biggest solar farm in the Middle East.
According to Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, the Energy Minister for the Emirate and the Head of Qatar Energy, the solar farm near al-Kharsaah, west of the capital Doha, is “one of the biggest” in the Middle East.
It was started in 2016 as part of a larger effort by Qatar, one of the major producers of liquified natural gas in the world, to invest in solar energy. This was done in collaboration with France’s TotalEnergies and Japan’s Marubeni.
The project, which cost 1.7 billion Qatari riyals (about $467 million), has 1.8 million solar panels and spans more than 10 sq kilometers.
The facility, which has been in operation since June, has an 800 megawatt capacity and, according to Kaabi, will “grow” even more in the upcoming years.
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The facility is a part of Qatar’s “strategic initiatives to create projects that help to reducing gas and thermal emissions,” according to Kaabi.
Robotic arms clean the dust at night while sun-tracking technology rotates the panels throughout the day to ensure maximum solar exposure.
Qatar will host the first World Cup that is “net zero,” which starts on November 20.
The massive solar project has been used by the FIFA World Cup organisers as evidence that Qatar will host the first World Cup that is “net zero,” which starts on November 20.
However, Kaabi claimed he was unable to certify that the al-Kharsaah plant will supply the stadiums with electricity for the tournament’s matches in November and December.
Qatar has set a goal of having five gigawatts of solar energy capacity by 2035, while trailing other Gulf states in the solar race.
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In August, it unveiled two big solar projects that, when completed in two years, will more than double the amount of electricity it produces from sustainable sources.
Saudi Arabia also stated that it would like to reach five gigawatts of solar energy capacity by 2030. Solar power facilities have been present in the United Arab Emirates for over ten years.
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