Masdar powers up UAE’s first wind farms, using low wind speed technology

Abu Dhabi based renewable energy giant Masdar has inaugurated the first wind farms in the United Arab Emirates, just in time for its hosting of the UN climate conference in late November.

The four wind farms consist of a 45MW facility on Sir Bani Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, which is paired with a 14MW solar farm; a 27MW wind farm on Delma Island, another 27MW wind farm in Abu Dhabi, and a 4.5MW wind farm in Al Halah, Fujairah.

The wind farms – collectively known as the UAE Wind Program – utilise the latest technology to capture low wind speeds at utility scale – a step that the developers and country hope will pave the way for more wind energy projects.

The combination of technology innovation into generating energy from low wind speeds – led in part by Masdar and the UAE – and the discovery of a unique weather phenomenon that generates high wind speeds at night, have helped to make the UAE Wind Program both scalable and economically viable.

“For a viable energy transition, the world must triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 to meet the Paris Agreement goals,” said Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE minister of industry and advanced technology, who is also set to serve as the COP28 President and is the chairman of Masdar.

“As we look forward to hosting COP28, today’s inauguration shows the UAE’s firm commitment to this target, boosting clean energy investments both at home and abroad.”