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Dh18bn Solar Island prototype to be fully operational by 2009
posted on 26/10/2008
 The prototype for a Dh18 million "Solar Island" announced in Ras Al Khaimah in January this year to produce around 250 KW of electricity will be fully operational by the beginning of 2009, according to the company managing the project.
The island, 88 metres in diameter, is built inland but floats on water for cooling purposes, Philippe Mueller, Construction Manager at the Swiss Centre for Electronics and Micro Technology (CSEM), the builders of the project, told Emirates Business.
"That is why we are calling it Solar Island. By the beginning of 2009, we will be able to have a reality test of the plant – the first of its kind in the world," Mueller said. The project successfully passed simulation testing last month and all civil works on it are complete, he added.
For the emirate suffering from a shortage in power supply, especially with new developments springing up, the project is expected to be a welcome addition to its power infrastructure.
CSEM, which is working in a partnership with the RAK government, is very ambitious about the solar initiative, which it hopes to spread widely within the UAE and abroad in the future. Its clients for such plants are not only governments, but also companies and even individuals, said Mueller
A few units of the solar plant might be implemented in RAK's coastal waters to generate hydrogen, which will be transported to inland plants to produce electricity, says Mueller. He added that the waters off RAK are perfect for the project as there are no big waves or hurricanes or other natural obstacles, making it safe and cheap to maintain the plants. "There is also sunshine for over 350 days a year."
The electricity produced by Solar Island will be significantly cheaper than energy produced in traditional plants, but Mueller refused to give an estimate about the unit cost of electricity until the project is operational next year.
CSEM UAE is a joint venture between the RAK government and the Swiss research centre CSEM. The company was officially created in February 2005 and is operational since September of that year. The CSEM UAE Innovation Centre is working on developing new technologies in the fields of environmental applications (energy and water), system engineering (intelligent building, smart wireless networks, electronics) and mechatronics (automated industrial process, robotics). – Emirates Business 24|7
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