Infinity will develop utility-scale and distributed solar energy and wind power projects in Egypt and Africa. Egypt's 2035 Integrated Sustainable Energy Strategy targets 20 pct of the electricity mix coming from renewables by 2022 and 42 pct by 2035.
Infinity Energy completed the development and construction of Egypt's first large-scale solar power plant in February 2018, followed by another three plants in Benban Solar Park, which is considered the largest solar park in the world to date. Infinity Energy now operates its six solar plants with a total capacity of 235MW.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) recently committed an investment in Infinity Energy of up to S$60 million in the form of capital increase in the company to finance the development, construction and operation of renewable energy projects and associated ancillary business including electricity distribution and electric vehicle charging stations in Egypt and across Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries. (Source: Masdar, Infinity Energy, Arabian News, 16 Jan., 2020) Contact: Infinity Solar, Nayer Fouad, CEO,+20 2 25054345,
info@infinitysolar.com, www.infinitysolar.com; Masdar, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO, Shaima Al Jarman, Marketing & Communications, +971 02 8109365, saljarman@masdar.ac.ae, www.masdar.ca.ae
More Low-Carbon Energy News Masdar , Infinity Energy, Renewable Energy, Wind, Solar,
The Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), a member of the consortium developing the project, owns 30 pct of the project and guarantees the EBRD loan. Other consortium members include: EDF Renouvelables which holds 35 pct of the project and the Moroccan company Green of Africa with 10 pct; Moroccan Sustainable Energy Agency (Masen) owns the remaining 25 pct of the Noor Midelt I hybrid solar project. The Noor Midelt I power plant will combine PV solar energy and concentrated solar energy.
The project, which is expected to come in at €740 million,
will be designed and constructed by Gijon, Spain-based TSK and is expected to be completed in 2022.(Source: EBRD, Afrik21, 9 Dec., 2019)Contact: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, +44 (0) 207 338 6000, www.ebrd.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Solar,
The 149 MW Rocksprings project in Texas incorporates 53 General Electric 2.3MW wind turbines and 16 1.72MW turbines. The Sterling project in New Mexico incorporates 13 General Electric 2.3MW tirbines.
Financial details of the deal were not announced.
(Source: Masdar, Stock Daily Dish, 24 Nov., 2019)
Contact: Masdar, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO, Shaima Al Jarman, Marketing & Communications, +971 02 8109365, saljarman@masdar.ac.ae, www.masdar.ca.ae
More Low-Carbon Energy News Masdar, Wind, General Electric Wind,
Cibuk 1 was developed by Vetroelektrane Balkana (WEBG), a Serbian company which is wholly owned by Tesla Wind, a joint venture between Masdar (60 percent), the Taaleri SolarWind I fund, managed by Finnish renewable energy infrastructure fund manager and developer Taaleri Energia (30 pct), and German development finance institution Deutsche Investitions und Entwicklungsgesellschaft GmbH (10 pct).
The project supports Serbia's pledge to produce 27 pct of its domestic power needs from renewable energy sources by 2020, while helping to reduce its dependence on coal-fired power generation.
(Source: Masdar, Arabian Business News, 13 Oct., 2019)
Contact: Masdar, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO, Shaima Al Jarman, Marketing & Communications, +971 02 8109365, saljarman@masdar.ac.ae, www.masdar.ca.ae
More Low-Carbon Energy News Masdar, Wind,
The project will be executed by the UAE-CREF in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, ADFD, and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), responsible for project design and implementation.
The plant will displace an estimated 260,000 litres of diesel fuel per year, saving the Government of Antigua and Barbuda $320,000 and offsetting 690 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
(Source: Emirates News Agency, 22 Sept., 2019) Contact: UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund, www.sustainabledevelopment.un.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund,
The $500 million, 400-MW utility-scale project, which will be located 560 miles north of Riyadh in the Al-Jouf region, will generate sufficient power 70,000 homes in the kingdom.
The project, which is part of the Kingdom's planned move away from fossil fuels as a source of electricity, reduce carbon emissions by up to 880,000 tpy. The project is expected to come online in Q1, 2022.
Commercial operations are due to start in the first quarter of 2022. The Saudi government is planning to develop 30 solar and wind energy projects over the next nine years.
(Source: MEP Middle East, 1 Aug., 2019) Contact:
EDF Renewables, www.edf-re.com; MASDAR Shaima Al Jarman, Marketing & Communications, +971 02 8109365, saljarman@masdar.ac.ae, www.masdar.ac.ae
More Low-Carbon Energy News Solar, Wind, EDF Renewables , Masdar,
The first 800MW phase was awarded to a consortium of France's EDF, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (MASDAR), and Green of Africa in May. Initial plans were for the first phase to consist of two separate hybridised CSP and PV plants. The CSP component of each project was planned to be around 150-190MW and the PV component 150-210MW, making a maximum of 400MW for each plant. A similar structure was contemplated for the second phase but this appears to have been rejected in favour of a single plant.
The second phase preferred bidder will design, finance, build, operate and maintain the plant, which will be constructed roughly 20 km north of Midelt on plains around the Moulouya River.
The project company will also sign a 25-year PPA with MASEN and will be owned by a lead member, expected to hold at least 35 pct , as well as a technical member holding 5 pct. MASEN will likely take a 25 pct stake in both the project company and the operations and maintenance company. The second phase is expected to be built on a turnkey basis through a lump sum fixed-price engineering, procurement and construction contract.
MASEN notes the Noor-Ouarzazate I solar project achieved 32 pct industrial integration, while Noor Ouarzazate II and III both reached 35 pct.
(Source: African Energy Live Data, ESI Africa, July, 2019) Contact:
African Energy Live Data, www.africa-energy.com/live-data; Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy, www.masen.ma/en;
Masdar, Shaima Al Jarman, Marketing & Communications, +971 02 8109365, saljarman@masdar.ac.ae, www.masdar.ac.ae
More Low-Carbon Energy News Noor Solar, MASDAR,
The Dumat Al Jandal project was awarded to the consortium by the Renewable Energy Project Development Office (REPDO) in January 2019 by the Saudi Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources (MEIM). Once operational, it will produce electricity under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC). (Source: Vestas Mediterranean, PR, 16 July 2019) Contact: Vestas Mediterranean, Eduardo Medina, Andres Dominguez,
Communications Consultant, +34 649294007
ANDMS@vestas.com, www.vestas.com, www.twitter.com/vestas; Masdar, Shaima Al Jarman, Marketing & Communications, +971 02 8109365, saljarman@masdar.ac.ae, www.masdar.ac.ae;
EDF Renewables, www.edf-re.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Vestas Mediterranean, Wind, EDF Renewables, Masdar,
The three projects, all of which broke ground in November, 2019, will deliver 2.35MW of solar and 637kWh of battery storage capacity, while displacing more than 2.6 million tpy of CO2 and saving over 895,000 lpy, worth about $1.1 million, in diesel fuel.
The UAE-CREF was launched in 2017 and intends to deploy renewable energy projects in 16 Caribbean countries in three cycles to reduce energy costs, increase energy access, and enhance climate resilience. UAE foreign aid for renewable energy projects now totals almost $1 billion since 2013, supporting more than 40 countries.
(Source: UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund, PR, April, 2019) Contact: UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund, https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/contact, www.sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnership/?p=14199
More Low-Carbon Energy News Renewable Energy, UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund ,
The biofuel was produced in the UAE by the not-for-profit Masdar Institute of Science and Technology's Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC), a part of the Khalifa University of Science and Technology.
The biofuel fuel was derived from oil in Salicornia plants grown on the two-hectare Seawater Energy and Agriculture System (SEAS) farm -- a desert ecosystem designed to produce fuel and food in saltwater -- in Masdar City.
(Source: Etihad Airways, Trade Arabia News, 17 Jan., 2019)Contact: Etihad Aviation Group, Corporate Affairs, +971 50 818 9596, www.theetihadaviationgroup.com, www.etihad.com; Masdar Institute of Science and Technology Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC), Masdar Institute, Shaima Al Jarman, Marketing & Communications, +971 02 8109365, saljarman@masdar.ac.ae, www.masdar.ac.ae
More Low-Carbon Energy News Etihad Airways, Green Fuel, Jet Biofuel, Aviation Biofuel,
The kingdom's 2017 renewable energy development strategy, which plans to generate 10 pct of the country's power from renewable sources by 2023, calls for the developement of 30 solar and wind projects across the country at an expected cost of between $30 billion to $50 billion.
(Source: Saudi Arabian Energy Ministry Renewable Energy Project Development Office, Gulf Business, 10 Jan., 2019) Contact: Saudi Arabian Energy Ministry Renewable Energy Project Development Office, www.powersaudiarabia.com.sa; EDF Energies Nouvelles, ; Masdar, Shaima Al Jarman, Marketing & Communications, +971 02 8109365, saljarman@masdar.ac.ae, www.masdar.ac.ae
More Low-Carbon Energy News Masdar, Wind, EDF Energies Nouvelles,
The advanced course is intended to instruct and train construction and energy industry professionals on the key elements of retrofiting existing buildings and to support their technical capacity for more effective post-retrofit maintenance and preventive care, according to the EmiratesGBC release.
The course covers the limitations, financial implications and risks and benefits of the retrofit measures. The training programme is based on the EmiratesGBC Technical Guidelines for Retrofitting Existing Buildings and serves as a handbook for all industry stakeholders to achieve higher levels of energy and water efficiency by retrofitting existing buildings.
Course graduates are qualified as
EmiratesGBC-certified Building Retrofit Specialists.
(Source: EmiratesGBC, PR, TradeArabia News Service, Nov., 2018) Contact: Emirates Green Building Council, +971 4 346 8244, www.emiratesgbc.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Emirates Green Building Council, Energy Efficiency,
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have already pledged to provide €215 million for the project, partially through a syndicated loan.
The wind farm is being developed by Vetroelektrane Balkana, owned by Tesla Wind, a joint venture between an Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy developer Masdar and Cibuk Wind Holding, a branch of the U.S.-based wind energy developer Continental Wind Partners.
The GE 57 turbine park will generate sufficient energy for approximately 113,000 households.
(Source: Business Insider UK, Reuters, 5 June, 2018) Contact: European Investment Bank, Green for Growth Fund, www.ggf.lu/about-green-for-growth-fund; EIB, www.eib.org; Vetroelektrane Balkana, www.wpc.rs/en
More Low-Carbon Energy News EBRD, Wind, EIB,
DEWA CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer
noted that the plant is the first in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to use a single-axis solar tracking system, over 800,000 self-cleaning solar cells, and increases Dubai's renewable energy power production to 4 pct of total capacity.
(Source: AETOSWire, Business Wire, 6 May, 2018) Contact:
DEWA,
Mosaad Abdelrahman,
+971508057573, +97145151784,
Mosaad.abdelrahman@dewa.gov.ae, www.dewa.gov.ae
More Low-Carbon Energy News ubai, Solar, DEWA,
A consortium led by Abu Dhabi's Masdar and France's EDF Group are expected to complete for the 2020 third phase of the project and have reportedly arranged $650 million in financing to that end.
(Source: DEWA, The National, 3 May, 2018) Contact:
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Saeed Al Tayer, CEO, +971-4-601-9999, www.dewa.gov.ae
More Low-Carbon Energy News Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, CSP Solar, Solar ,
To date, ADNOC has stored approximately 240,000 metric tons of CO2 collected from Emirates Steel Industries (ESI).
Starting in 2021, the company will increase the utilization of CO2, expecting to reach 250 million standard cubic feet per day by 2027 by capturing additional CO2 from its gas processing plants and injecting it into different onshore oil fields.
In 2016 ADNOC and Masdar together launched the first commercial-scale CCUS facility in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
(Source: ADNOC, PR, Al-Bawaba, 17 Jan., 2018)
Contact: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, www.adnoc.ae; Masdar Institute, Shaima Al Jarman, Marketing & Communications, +971 02 8109365, saljarman@masdar.ac.ae, www.masdar.ac.ae
More Low-Carbon Energy News Masdar, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company , CCS, CCUS, CO2, Enhanced Oil Recovery,
The Krnovo Wind Farm incorporates 26 GE wind turbines and supplies approximately 45,000 households under a 12-year power purchase agreement with the state utility operator.
Akuo Energy SAS develops, finances, builds and operates solar, wind, biomass and hydro power plants and operates in 13 countries. (Source: Akuo Energy,ME Construction News, 14 Jan., 2018)
Contact: Akuo Energy , Eric Scotto, CEO, + 33 1 47 66 09 90, akuoenergy@akuoenergy.com; Masdar, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, +971 2 810 9238, Shaima Al Jarman, Marketing & Communications, +971 02 8109365, saljarman@masdar.ac.ae, www.masdar.ac.ae
More Low-Carbon Energy News Masdar, Wind, Akuo Energy,
Hywind Scotland, 15 miles off the coast of Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, is operated by Statoil on behalf of partner Masdar. Statoil holds an ownership share of 75 pct and Masdar 25 pct. (Source: Statoil, Elec. Light & Power, 28 Nov., 2017) Contact: Younicos Energy, James P. McDougall, CEO, Philip Hiersemenzel, 011 +49 174 908 8188, www.younicos.com; Statoil Energy Ventures, Gareth Burns, Irene Rummelhoff, VP, +47 51 99 00 00, www.statoil.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Younicos, Batwind, Statoil, Wind, Floating Wind,
In their recently published study -- Biodiesel Production from Oils Extracted from Date Pits -- the researchers extracted date pits from the popular Khalas date variety, cleaned them, then sun dried them for two days before grinding and sieving them. A solvent extracted the oil, with the yield relative to the weight of the pits reaching up to 11.7 pct. This is of a quality similar to vegetable oils used to create biodiesel, and it can be converted into biodiesel with an efficiency of about 90 pct, according to the study.
Date pits contain smaller quantities of oil than some oil crops -- oilseed rape, for example, may have an oil content of more than 40 pct.
(Source: NTI, UAE University, 18 Nov., 2017) Contact: UAE University, Dr Sulaiman Al Zuhair, www.researchgate.net/profile/Al-Zuhair_Sulaiman
More Low-Carbon Energy News Biodiesel, Biodiesel Feedstock,
.
The clean Salicornia oil is to be processed at the Takreer Research Center for conversion into aviation biofuel to be mixed at low concentration with regular jet fuel.
(Source: Masdar, 30 Oct., 2017) Contact: Masdar Institute, Shaima Al Jarman, Marketing & Communications, +971 02 8109365, saljarman@masdar.ac.ae, www.masdar.ac.ae
More Low-Carbon Energy News Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Jet Biofuel, Avioation Biofuel, Biofuel,
The project utilizes 5 Siemens turbines measuring 584 feet high and 505 feet in diameter. The facility's onshore operations and maintenance base is in Peterhead, while the operations center is in Great Yarmouth. Batwind, a 1-MW lithium battery storage system for offshore wind energywill be installed to mitigate intermittency and optimize output. (Source: Statoil, Commercial Property Exec., 30 Oct., 2017)
More Low-Carbon Energy News Statoil, Masdar, Wind, Offshore Wind, Floating Wind,
According to a Statoil statement, existing fixed turbines were only best for water depths of 20 to 50 meters. The new floating design is suitable for water depths of 100 meters or more where average wind speeds are often around 10 meters per second.
(Source: Statoil, Inquirer, 22 Oct., 2017) Contact: Masdar Abu Dhabi Future Energy, www.masdar.ae; Statoil, Irene Rummelhoff, Exec VP New Energy Ventures, Stephen Bull, Snr, VP, Offshore Wind, Leif Delp, Hywind Project Dir., +47 51 99 00 00, www.statoil.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Floating Wind, Offshore Wind, Wind, Statoil, Mardar,
The Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm 32 km off the North Norfolk, UK coast, is 35 pct owned by Statoil and 35 pct by Masdar while Statkraft holds 30 pct. (Source: A2SEA, Windtech, Others, 11 Sept., 2017)Contact: A2SEA, +45 7592 8211, a2sea@a2sea.com, www.a2sea.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News A2SEA, Offshore Wind, Dudgeon Offshore Wind,