{"id":246704,"date":"2026-01-22T20:31:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T20:31:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/246704\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T20:31:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T20:31:17","slug":"in-the-desert-theyre-building-an-artificial-sun-to-power-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/246704\/","title":{"rendered":"In the desert, they\u2019re building an \u201cartificial sun\u201d to power cities"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Deep in the United Arab Emirates, construction is underway on Khazna Solar PV, soon to become the world\u2019s largest solar power plant. With unmatched capacity to produce and store energy, this project marks a major step toward a cleaner, more sustainable future.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a global first. Developed by Masdar, Engie, and EWEC (Emirates Water and Electricity Company), the facility stretches across 90 square kilometers of the Abu Dhabi desert. By 2027, Khazna Solar PV will generate 1.5 gigawatts of carbon-free <a href=\"https:\/\/www.futura-sciences.com\/en\/wood-gas-or-electricity-whats-the-most-cost-effective-heating-method_22799\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">electricity<\/a> around the clock\u2014no interruptions, no downtime. So far, nothing else on Earth operates at this scale.<\/p>\n<p>3 million panels powering day and night<\/p>\n<p>To keep energy flowing day and night, the mega plant will combine three million photovoltaic panels, capable of producing 5.2 GW, with an enormous 19-gigawatt-hour Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). This setup\u2014currently the world\u2019s most powerful\u2014uses modular lithium-ion battery containers, an inverter that shifts direct current to alternating current and back again, and advanced control software that manages energy flow with precision.<\/p>\n<p>Because of its vast and flexible storage capacity, Khazna Solar PV will finally solve the problem of intermittence that has long plagued renewable energy. It will generate clean, reliable power both day and night, every day of the year.<\/p>\n<p>When fully operational, the plant will supply electricity to about 160,000 homes across the Emirates. In doing so, it will prevent more than 2.4 million tons of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.futura-sciences.com\/en\/researchers-confirm-it-a-new-food-surpasses-meat-in-protein-and-cuts-its-carbon-footprint-by-ten_21799\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">carbon emissions<\/a> annually\u2014the same as taking 470,000 gas-powered cars off the road.<\/p>\n<p>Solar energy is experiencing strong growth worldwide. \u00a9 G\u00e9opolitis<\/p>\n<p>Cutting-edge technology at every level<\/p>\n<p>Efficiency is at the heart of the project. Every solar panel will feature solar tracking technology that automatically tilts and rotates to follow the sun\u2019s path across the sky.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, IoT sensors and Big Data analytics will monitor real-time information such as temperature, weather, panel performance, and inverter health to keep the plant operating at its best.<\/p>\n<p>Cloud-based monitoring systems and robotic cleaning tools will also ensure each panel stays spotless, avoiding any loss of performance caused by dust or sand buildup\u2014crucial in a desert environment.<\/p>\n<p>A model for the world\u2019s energy future<\/p>\n<p>With all these innovations combined, Khazna Solar PV proves that technology can make <a href=\"https:\/\/www.futura-sciences.com\/en\/the-five-types-of-renewable-energy-explained_9398\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">solar energy<\/a> reliable and continuous. Its scalable design means similar plants could spring up anywhere in the world, showing that renewable energy isn\u2019t just part of the future\u2014it\u2019s ready to meet our growing demand for power today, especially as AI and other modern industries drive consumption higher than ever.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/auteur-fs-100x100.webp.webp\" class=\"attachment-100x100 size-100x100\" alt=\"author-fs\" itemprop=\"image\"  \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Deep in the United Arab Emirates, construction is underway on Khazna Solar PV, soon to become the world\u2019s&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":246705,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[273,111,139,69,147],"class_list":["post-246704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246704"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246704\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}