Ghadir Shaar’s stunning aerial photo of Mohammed Bin Rashid Solar Park in Dubai earned him this year’s Middle East Solar Award for Solar Energy Picture of the Year.

The Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (DEWA) has decided to build a hydrogen plant at its Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest solar project in the United Arab Emirates, and the Middle East region, to date.

The utility is seeking developers for the construction of the hydrogen plant and associated facilities through a specific tender. The 1 GW solar park, which is now on the verge of entering phase V, is now also hosting a pilot storage project based on NGK’s NAS Batteries.

The Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park currently consists of two operational PV plants – phase I, totaling 13 MW, and the 200 MW Phase II. An 800 MW facility and a 200 MW CSP plant are also under development.

The first phase of the project was completed by First Solar in late 2013, while phase II was built by Saudi Arabian group Acwa Power and Spanish engineering services provider TSK.

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Work on phase III began in January 2017, with completion scheduled for the end of this year. A 200 MW section of phase III came online in May and at the time, French project developer EDF said the following two 300 MW units would be commissioned in 2019 and 2020.

The 200 MW CSP section is due to be operational by 2021 and another 1 GW CSP section may be included in the final 5 GW solar park, according to DEWA.