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Sharjah launches its first utility-scale solar farm, while a new passive cooling tech boosts PV performance in Saudi Arabia
9/7/2025
News
The Emirate of Sharjah has inaugurated its first utility-scale solar PV plant to power a neighbouring gas plant and supply excess clean energy to the grid. Meanwhile, researchers in Saudi Arabia have unveiled a new passive cooling material for solar panels, shown to boost power output by 13% and extend panel life by over 200% – with no external energy input.
The 60 MWp capacity SANA solar project provides power during the day to Sharjah National Oil Corporation’s (SNOC) Sajaa gas plant, exporting excess power to the Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA) grid. The Sajaa plant will draw on the SEWA grid at night in order to maintain uninterrupted operation, making it one of the first large-scale oil and gas processing facilities globally to meet its own energy needs through on-site solar generation.
The solar project has been developed by in collaboration with SEWA and Emerge, a joint venture between Masdar and EDF Group of France. It comprises more than 98,000 solar panels on 13,000 flexible solar tracking poles, which allow the panels to follow the sun’s path and maximise energy capture during the day.
The solar farm was officially inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Petroleum Department, who said it marked ‘an important step forward in the Emirate’s quest for sustainable energy’.
Noting that the project reflected SNOC’s commitment to decarbonise its operations by adopting cleaner energy practices and diversifying its energy sources, Khamis Al Mazrouei, SNOC CEO, said it also represented an ‘investment in the country’s talented workforce’.
Abdulaziz Al Obaidli, Chairman of Emerge, added that the project not only boosted Sharjah’s energy security, but also supported the Emirate’s broader environmental goals and the wider UAE’s net zero emissions by 2050 target. Emerge will manage operations and maintenance at SANA for the next 25 years.
New passive cooling technology to enhance solar cell performance
Meanwhile, in related news, a new passive cooling technology that enhances the performance of solar cells has been developed by a team of international researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia.
Commercial solar panels convert about 20% of the sun’s rays into electricity. The rest is absorbed as heat or reflected. However, the heat produced by the concentrated light reduces the performance and lifespan of solar cells, meaning they must be replaced constantly. Cooling the solar cells is vital, but cooling systems like fans and pumps themselves need electricity. Passive cooling, on the other hand, does not.
The scientists developed a composite material that absorbs air moisture at night and releases it during the day. They found that affixing the material to solar cells operating in coastal Saudi Arabia kept the cells cooler while increasing their power output by nearly 13% and extending their lifespan by over 200%. Furthermore, passive cooling reportedly reduced the cost of electricity generation by the solar cells by 18%. The material functioned for weeks.
In addition to Saudi Arabia, experiments were done in some the coolest parts of mainland US under rainfall to demonstrate that that the passive cooling technology works in any environment.
The study has been published in Materials Science and Engineering.
