Solar-powered waste recycling facility in Abu Dhabi will lower carbon footprint

Abu Dhabi: The second phase of the solar power plant at the Construction and Demolition Waste Recycling Facility in Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi has become operational, the Centre of Waste Management (Tadweer) in the capital said on Monday.

The facility is first of its kind in the world to be 90 per cent solar-powered, is aligned with the country’s plans to mitigate climate change including the UAE Green Agenda Programmes (2015-2030) and the National Climate Change Plan of the UAE (2017-2050).

It aims at lowering the facility’s carbon footprint in the emirate.

With the completion of the second phase, Tadweer has enhanced the facility’s solar energy utilisation by increasing its capacity to 600 kilowatts per hour, up by 350 kilowatts per hour.

It will help lower its carbon footprint by avoiding more than 1,300 tonnes of carbon emissions, equivalent to planting 4,133 trees, and saving 480,000 litres of diesel on a monthly basis.

This will significantly contribute to protecting the emirate’s environment and cutting harmful emission, the centre said.

To raise the efficiency of the power plant, Tadweer installed 1,656 solar cells at an area covering 11,000 square metres, with a capacity to produce a total of 600 kilowatts, equivalent to generating 878,000 kilowatts energy from diesel, saving an annual diesel consumption of up to 480,000 litres. This will help prevent an average of 1,300 tonnes of carbon emission per year.

As part of its continued efforts to promote sustainable energy at its various facilities, Tadweer has adopted a strategy to increase the use of clean energy sources at its current and future projects, and has outlined ambitious plans to achieve its sustainable objectives, the centre said.

Dr Salem Al Kaabi, Director General of Tadweer, said: “Since its inception, Tadweer has put in place effective operational plans for various sectors of integrated waste management to ensure a safe, healthy and sustainable environment in Abu Dhabi to support the leadership’s vision of promoting sustainable development.”

“In adopting clean energy, Tadweer’s construction and demolition waste recycling plant has become a vital facility in consolidating the UAE’s environmental credentials at the regional and international levels, while leveraging the advantages of solar energy to protect the emirate’s environment,” he said.

Opened in Ghayathi in 2008, Tadweer’s Al Dhafra Construction and Demolition Waste Recycling Facility articulates the ambitious plans of the Abu Dhabi Government to divert 75 per cent of waste from landfills.