The world's largest single-site solar power plant, featuring 4 million bi-facial solar panels, is now operational. The Al Dhafra photovoltaic farm in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), covers more than 20 km² of desert and is estimated to provide enough power to power nearly 200,000 households while displacing 2.4 million tons of carbon emissions annually.

Constructed by Masdar, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, EDF Renewables and JinkoPower, the 2 GW solar farm supplies power to the Emirates Water and Electricity Company. The crystalline bi-facial technology captures solar radiation on both sides of the panels to maximize yield.

Part of the 2 GW Al Dhafra photovoltaic solar plant. Source: Masdar

Completed in a single phase, the project also broke cost records for utility-scale solar projects. Initially, the project resulted in one of the most competitive solar electricity tariffs, equivalent to $1.35/kWh, which was later improved to $1.32/kWh when the project started commercial operation.

According to the latest data published by The Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy, the UAE ranks second globally in terms of per capita solar energy consumption. The recent inauguration of the Al Dhafra facility boosts the solar power production capacity in Abu Dhabi to 3.2 GW.