UAE has activated the Al Dhafra Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant in Abu Dhabi — reaching 3 gigawatts of installed capacity to become the world's largest single-site solar facility, supplying 10 percent of Abu Dhabi's total electricity demand from a single desert installation covering 40 square kilometres.
Al Dhafra uses 4 million bifacial monocrystalline silicon panels tracking the sun across dual-axis mounts to maximise energy capture throughout the day. The plant achieved a record low levelised cost of electricity at 1.35 US cents per kilowatt-hour during its tender — the cheapest solar electricity ever awarded at the time of contract. Abu Dhabi's combination of extreme solar irradiance at 2,400 kilowatt-hours per square metre annually, near-zero land cost in the desert interior, and low-cost financing from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority creates competitive conditions unmatched at any other solar development site worldwide.
The 3-gigawatt facility powers approximately 900,000 Abu Dhabi homes and displaces 2.4 million tonnes of CO2 annually. UAE has approved expansion to 5 gigawatts through additional panel density at the same site, targeting 15 percent of Abu Dhabi electricity supply from a single solar complex without acquiring any additional desert land beyond the existing 40-square-kilometre footprint.
Source: Masdar Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, Nature Energy, 2025
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