Shams 1 - Concentrated Solar Power Plant Opens In Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is now the home to the world's largest concentrated solar power plant on the Earth called 'Shams 1'. Shams is the Arabic word for 'Sun' - and it's spread over an area of 2.5 square kilometers housing about 250k mirrors mounted on 768 parabolic trough collectors. The mirrors are focused on the pipes filled with oil. The collected heat is then used to heat water to produce steam and then produce electricity with the help of steam turbines. The lower latitude of the region and lower percentage of clouds in the sky makes Abu Dhabi one of the most suitable sites for such power plant. Shams 1 is designed to produce 100 MW CSP, enough to power over 20000 homes in UAE.



The construction of Shams 1 began in the mid of 2010 with an investment of about $595 million. The project will also help cut down UAE's CO2 emissions by about 175k tonnes every year, which is equivalent to taking off 15,000 cars off the road.

Here's the official video of construction of the Shams 1 solar power plant, check it out -


Related: Gujarat Solar Project Produces 214 MW Electricity Every Day