Dubai’s decision to integrate concentrated solar power (CSP) power into its ambitious 5,000MW Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum solar park further illustrates the emirate’s commitment to diversifying its energy mix.

With Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa) having tendered more than 1,000MW of photovoltaic (PV) solar to date, the decision to move ahead with a CSP scheme may seem surprising to many. Most other solar markets have developed the opposite way, moving from initial CSP schemes to PV solar as the price of PV panels and installation has dropped dramatically. The price of PV solar has dropped by 80 per cent over the past seven years, and the direct conversion of solar energy into electricity without the need for heating technology has become the preferred option.

However, Dubai’s decision to go for CSP is a strategic one. CSP has a greater potential for storage, so solar energy can be utilised for greater periods of time after sunlight hours. A mix of CSP and PV solar will provide the best solution for solar storage as new technologies are developed.

The decision to push ahead with a CSP scheme also further diversifies the emirate’s energy production, a key aim of the government’s energy security strategy.

With 95 companies having originally expressed interest in Dubai’s 800MW PV solar project, it will be interesting to see how much interest the CSP scheme stokes in the regional and international power markets.

While developers are generally willing to bid on any fuel technology scheme, Dubai’s next solar project will interest companies that specialise in CSP solar and have been increasingly left out of some of the region’s most recent renewable energy programmes.