Solar power plant in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Approximate location 23.5711, 53.7143.
SolarAbu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates
Shams is a 100 MW solar power station in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is operated by Masdar (60%) Abengoa Solar (20%) Total SA (20%). Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 42,548 homes (estimated). It ranks #47 of 52 United Arab Emirates power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2013, it is around 13 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 8.6% of United Arab Emirates's electricity; the national grid averages 468 gCO₂/kWh (31.7% low-carbon) (2024).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023591.
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Operated by Masdar (60%) Abengoa Solar (20%) Total SA (20%).
This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 23.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 100% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.
Climate heat-demand index: 13/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.
In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.
Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 3.7% at warm-season highs here (estimate).
Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.
The #4 largest solar power plant of 6 in United Arab Emirates by capacity.
United Arab Emirates has 6 solar power plants in this dataset, together about 840 MW of capacity.
Coordinates 23.5711, 53.7143 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
