Photovoltaic Power

Masdar utilises the three most commercially viable types of solar panels to convert the sun’s energy into electricity. These photovoltaic (PV) technologies include monocrystalline silicon panels, polycrystalline silicon panels, and thin-film panels. Depending on the solar potential, geographical location, and financial requirements of a specific solar PV project, a suitable PV system is implemented to meet the project’s needs.


The 10-megawatt (MW) Masdar City Solar PV plant employs 5MW of polycrystalline silicon modules manufactured by Suntech and 5MW of thin-film solar modules manufactured by First Solar, while the first 200MW of Phase 3 of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (MBR) Solar Park employs polycrystalline solar PV modules manufactured by Canadian Solar. Other examples of Masdar’s solar PV projects include the Abu Dhabi Solar Rooftop Programme, the Sheikh Zayed Power Plant in Mauritania and the Siwa Solar PV plant in Egypt.  


Masdar also implements advanced technologies to further enhance the performance and efficiency of its solar PV plants. The first 200MW stage of Phase 3 of the MBR Solar Park is one of the largest solar power projects in the world to use technology that tracks the path of the sun to maximise output and the largest of its type in the Middle East and North Africa. It also uses 50 custom-made robots that clean the panels without the need of water, further improving the plant’s performance while reducing its dependence on water - a precious resource in the desert.