plant to reduce the impact of windblown sand on the mirrors.


In the harsh desert conditions, the facility must be able to cope with extremes of wind and temperature. Designing the project involved incorporating environmental data (wind speed, humidity and solar availability) taken from satellite and ground observations to build up a picture of typical conditions. However the dust in desert conditions impedes collection of accurate satellite data, and it is only now that the operating team is learning about the way that dynamic factors - sun, cloud and wind - affect the solar field, posing challenges not found in conventional fossil fuelled power plant.


The $600m project was designed and developed by Shams Power Company, a joint venture between Masdar Clean Energy (60 percent), Total (20 percent) and Abengoa Solar (20 percent). It started operations in 2013. The site was selected because of the strength of the solar irradiance and proximity to an existing grid connection (the substation is 1km away).


The western region of Abu Dhabi is the centre of the country’s oil and gas industry, and will also house the Emirate’s new nuclear power station at Barakah where four reactors will be operational by 2020.


Innovation needed to realise Saudi Arabia’s ambitions


Saudi Arabia’s rapid economic growth is putting increasing pressure on the country’s hydrocarbon


“The government wants to establish local manufacturing centres for renewable energy and plans to include a requirement for local content in procurement contracts.”


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resources. It currently produces around 12 million barrels of oil per day of which a quarter are used domestically. Population and industrial growth will see this figure increase, affecting both export volumes and government revenues. Hence, the Saudi plan is for nuclear and renewable electricity to play important roles in the future energy mix. The ambitious target is 54GW of renewable energy capacity by 2032.


King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (K.A.CARE) was set up in 2010 to spearhead development of alternative energy capacity, and to ensure that local companies geared up to support this. The government wants to establish local manufacturing centres for renewable energy and plans to include a requirement for local content in procurement contracts.


The thousands of mirrors at Shams 1 were precision manufactured by Flabeg a long established German engineering company which has equipped more than 40 CSP plants. In 2013 Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Holding acquired Flaberg strengthening its position in the CSP sector.


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