Solar solution provider ALEC Energy has confirmed the successful delivery of a ‘unique energy solution’ for the Visitor Centre of Noor Energy 1. Noor Energy 1 is said to be the world’s largest CSP installation (Concentrated Solar Power) and is located within the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park (MBR Solar Park) in Dubai, UAE.
Billed as the first of its kind in the world, the energy system is described as an ‘off-grid micro-grid’ with Azelio’s long-duration energy storage system. Leveraging a groundbreaking energy storage solution from Azelio, combined with 300kW of solar PV, the system delivers power to the facility, reducing the need for conventional power generation during night-time and overcast conditions, the statement from ALEC Energy explained.
“As the world’s largest single-site CSP, Noor Energy 1 is a landmark project that sets global benchmarks in clean energy production. The solution we have implemented here has the potential to revolutionise how clean power can be supplied to factories, agricultural facilities, and hotels or resorts in remote locations in the UAE and beyond,” stated Basar Kayali, General Manager of ALEC Energy.
In June 2022, ALEC’s Sustainability Committee said that the built environment has “several great opportunities” to reduce GHG emissions.
The NOOR Energy 1 Visitor Center, part of Phase 4 of the MBR Solar Park, is nestled between millions of square meters of solar panels. ALEC Energy began implementing the micro-grid in June 2021 and completed the entire project in just 15 months.
The off-grid micro-grid with energy storage is significantly more cost efficient than the traditional alternatives of connecting to the national grid or relying on conventional powered generator sets, the company explained.
Azelio’s CEO Jonas Wallmander remarked, “The hybrid system supplying power to the Noor Energy 1 Visitor Center project is a milestone installation demonstrating how our long-duration energy storage system can form a vital part of a micro-grid for around-the-clock clean power, while serving as a reference project for our solution in the MENA region. The TES.POD was installed in 2021, and I am now delighted to see the complete micro-grid system fully operational, and I am looking forward to more projects in the region.”
In August 2022, ALEC Energy announced that it had won a solar power contract for DEWA’s headquarters.
Hashim Al Ghabashi, Execeutive Managing Director of NOOR Energy, remarked, “We are excited to incorporate the world’s First off-grid micro-grid with Azelio’s long-duration energy storage system at the Noor Energy 1 Visitor Center. Our facility showcases the latest technologies in concentrated solar power, and photovoltaic cells, and therefore it is of immense importance that the centre itself is powered by a cutting-edge clean energy solution.”
He concluded, “I’m proud of the collaboration between Noor Energy & ALEC Energy that has enabled both teams in bringing this pioneering idea from an ambitious vision to reality. The passion, expertise, and professionalism demonstrated by ALEC Energy and Azelio was exemplary, and we believe that the success achieved together will pave the way for further innovations in the future.”
In August 2022, ALEC Energy and Stantec signed a MoU to establish roadmap towards achieving decarbonisation and sustainable energy goals.