UAE's expertise shines in Spain

Under the hot sun of Andalusia, expertise of the UAE is at work. Through a cooperative agreement between the UAE and Spain, 25,000 homes in the Spanish region are being powered by clean, renewable solar energy, commented a UAE daily. The project was inaugurated on Tuesday by His Highness Gen. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and King Juan Carlos I of Spain at Torresol Energy's Gemasolar plant. The Masdar-inspired and led project will be responsible for reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 30,000 tonnes a year. "This project also marks a tangible result from the UAE's role in hosting the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), and shows that the nation is truly a world leader in providing viable and sustainable clean energy", said Gulf News in its today's editorial. The plant's innovative technology allows energy generated during hours of sunshine to be stored and used up to 15 hours later. This technology removes a practical barrier to solar power. By concentrating mirrors at a single tower and then using molten salt to absorb the heat, the solar energy plant is essentially able to produce power round the clock. All involved in the innovative project should be glowing today, the paper added.