New record in Dubai in the price of solar thermal energy

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has announced the bidding prices for the four consortia bidding for the development of the 200 megawatt fourth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park. The lowest bid submitted for this concentrated solar energy project it is 9,45 US cents (about 8.5 euro cents) per kWh.

This price represents a new record, since the previous one was 40% higher than the lowest price offered so far. Two other offers they also presented lower prices at 10 euro cents per kWh.

The tender for the fourth phase of the solar park of a thermosolar plant with tower technology includes energy storage for up to 12 hours, which means that this complex will be able to continue supplying electricity throughout the night, and it is the first phase of a development that plans to have 1.000 MW of solar thermal energy with tower technology.

Unfortunately, in Spain we cannot say the same, as a result of the cuts made to the solar thermal power plants, there are no longer Spanish companies among the main promoters, although Protermosolar hopes that they can participate as outsourcer in the project that is finally awarded.

These price levels will encourage many countries to plan the incorporation of solar thermal power plants in Spain after many years with no facilities, It seems that the demands of the EU also animate the market.

These exchanges are necessary to incorporate new capacity that provides network manageability and stability that other technologies apparently cheaper, they are not able to give.

For most executives of solar companies, "solar thermal is the only manageable technology with advantages for grid stability with more than enough resources to cover electrical needs of any country with regular sun. In addition, after many years of R&D effort, the technology has matured a lot, currently it can compete in price with any technology.

The President of Protemosolar considers that at present "the generation costs of the kWh of the thermosolar plants with six hours of storage are considerably cheaper than those of the photovoltaic power plants. But, in addition, the solar thermal still has a great margin of cost reduction when comparing its 5 GW installed worldwide, with the 500 GW of wind or the 300 GW of photovoltaic. Does anyone remember PV prices when I only had 5 GW installed globally? This tender in Dubai is good proof that year after year the solar thermal reduces its price, and increases its competitiveness ”.

For several executives of CSP companies, “It is exciting to see how CSP technology with storage offers usable solar energy. day and night competing with alternatives based on fossil fuels or non-renewable ”.

However, the president of Protermosolar laments "the myopia of the current energy managers in our country who only consider the generation costs of the technologies instead of analyzing the value that each one contributes to the system in a scenario of progressive closure of the thermal and nuclear power plants; and of the repercussions that having the most advanced technological references would have for our industry in the face of the huge world market that is beginning to open up ”.