provide a significant contribution to climate stabilisation goals . The plant is expected to save 2.4mn tonnes of greenhouse gases each year .”
The construction and development of the solar tower has been awarded to another consortium , this time consisting of ACWA Power from Saudi Arabia and Shanghai Electric from China , and it will be completed over three stages with the first due for completion in 2020 . Approximately 3,750 hectares will be covered in mirrors , concentrating the sun ’ s rays towards the tower . Just like traditional fossil fuel power plants , the energy provided by this plant will be available all times of the day – a challenge that few renewable energy plants have managed to overcome sustainably . This tower will be adapting a strategy employed by a similar solar plant , the Crescent Dunes power plant in California .
The Crescent Dunes plant pioneered a unique methodology and became the first solar plant capable of providing cost-effective power without being dependent on available sunshine . Crescent Dunes uses the mirrors at its plant to heat a tank of sodium and potassium nitrates , pushing their
‘ The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park ’ s new tower will extend the plant ’ s huge footprint to 134 sq km and is designed to reduce carbon emissions by a staggering 6.5mn tonnes every single year ’
temperatures as high as 565 ° C . To generate electricity , the hot salt is used to boil water that produces highpressure steam which then turns the turbines . This results in electricity on demand . When the salt isn ’ t needed , it is stored underground in its molten state until required . The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park tower will use a similar methodology , with troughs collecting the heat from the tower and storing it in molten salt . Alongside its sheer size and scope , there is another aspect to the project that makes it stand out - its cost .
“ This park will be generating MWs
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