It's no news that solar panels have come to revolutionize the way we consume energy. Renewable sources of production are the future, and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is already experiencing this innovation. The park is named after the city's current ruler, the Emirati politician and royal of the same name, who also serves as the country's vice president, prime minister and defense minister.
Under the independent power production (IPP) model, it ranks as the largest solar park in the world. The park plans to have a generating capacity of 5,000 megawatts by 2030, with investments totaling 13.6 billion dollars. It also plans to stop emitting 6.5 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year once the project is completed. It's a goal that comes from a country widely known for having oil as the main engine of its economy.
Under the independent power production (IPP) model, it ranks as the largest solar park in the world. The park plans to have a generating capacity of 5,000 megawatts by 2030, with investments totaling 13.6 billion dollars. It also plans to stop emitting 6.5 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year once the project is completed. It's a goal that comes from a country widely known for having oil as the main engine of its economy.
The major development secured the UAE's Best Sustainable Project award in 2014, the first time a renewable energy project has been awarded in the Middle East. The strategic plans Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and Dubai Net Zero Emissions Strategy 2050 aim for 100% of energy production capacity from renewable sources by the year 2050 - a bold project, but one with a great chance of realization. The plans aim to make the city of Dubai the metropolis with the smallest carbon footprint in the world, even in a country whose per capita carbon emissions reached 6th place in the world ranking in 2009.
