Driven by the global energy transition, China's new energy companies are rising at an astonishing speed to become an important force in the global clean energy field. On January 19, 2025, Masdar, a leader in clean energy in the United Arab Emirates, announced the world's first large-scale, all-weather gigabit solar and battery storage project at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW). This milestone project not only demonstrates the great potential of combining renewable energy and energy storage technology, but also demonstrates the strong competitiveness of Chinese new energy companies in the international market.
1. The birth of the world's largest photovoltaic storage project
Jointly developed by Masdar and Emirates Hydropower Company (EWEC), the $6 billion project aims to deliver 1 gigawatt (GW) of baseload power 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The project consists of a 5.2 gigawatt (GW) solar photovoltaic plant and a 19 gigawatt-hour (GWh) battery energy storage system (BESS), making it the world's largest photovoltaic energy storage project. This project is not only an important step for the UAE to move towards the goal of the "2050 Energy Strategy", but also provides stable and clean energy for the world's first AI+ zero-carbon green data center.
2. Technological strength of Chinese companies: CATL, JinkoSolar and JA Solar
CATL, JinkoSolar and JA Solar are the main suppliers of this mega project, leveraging their technological leadership. JinkoSolar and JA Solar will each provide 2.6 GW of high-efficiency PV modules using the latest TopCon technology. By optimizing the cell structure and materials, TopCon technology significantly improves the photoelectric conversion efficiency, enabling the project to achieve efficient and stable power generation performance over the next 30 years, further advancing the technological progress of the global photovoltaic industry.
As a core supplier of battery energy storage systems, CATL will provide 19 GWh of TENER technology battery energy storage systems. TENER technology is known for its superior safety, long life and high level of integration, ensuring reliable operation throughout the entire life cycle of the project. In particular, the "five-year zero attenuation" Tianheng energy storage system provided by CATL has become the world's first energy storage system to achieve zero attenuation of power and capacity for five years. This technological breakthrough solves the problem of intermittency in renewable energy production and lays a solid foundation for the popularization and application of energy storage technology.
Pictured: Masdar announces the world's first gigabit-scale all-weather solar storage project at ADSW
3. Strategic significance: Advancing the global energy transition
The implementation of the project is of far-reaching strategic importance. First of all, it proves that the integration of solar energy and energy storage technology can effectively solve the problem of unstable energy supply and promote the realization of all-weather stable power supply. Through the combination of large-scale solar power generation and high-efficiency energy storage systems, the project provides a viable solution for the global energy transition. Second, the project highlights the importance of international cooperation. Chinese companies catl, jinkosolar, ja solar and powerchina actively participated in the event, demonstrating china's technological superiority in the field of new energy and promoting energy cooperation between china and the middle east under the belt and road initiative.
As a pioneer in the clean energy sector in the UAE, Masdar has successfully implemented several projects in more than 40 countries around the world since its inception in 2006. The company aims to increase its renewable energy portfolio capacity to 100 GW by 2030 and become a significant producer of green hydrogen. The success of this project has laid a solid foundation for it to achieve these goals.
4. Implications for the global market: Large-scale projects drive collaboration and innovation
The world's largest PV storage project offers a number of implications for the energy market. First, the project demonstrates the potential of combining renewable energy with energy storage technology and demonstrates the feasibility of its global rollout. As technology continues to advance, the cost of solar and energy storage systems is expected to continue to fall, and similar projects will become widespread around the world in the coming years. Second, the success of the project shows that the implementation of large-scale energy projects requires the cooperation of multiple parties, including the joint participation of technology suppliers, engineering contractors, financial institutions, etc. This cross-disciplinary cooperation model can effectively improve the success rate of projects and promote the innovation and industrialization of related technologies.
In addition, the success of the project demonstrates the dominance of Chinese companies in the global energy transition. In the global context of climate change, similar large-scale clean energy projects will provide reference for other countries and regions, and help promote the green transformation of the global energy structure.
5. The rise and global influence of China's new energy enterprises
The rise of China's new energy enterprises in the international market is not only due to technological innovation, but also inseparable from the support of national policies. In recent years, China has made remarkable technological progress in the fields of photovoltaics, energy storage and new energy vehicles, and has gradually become a global leader in the field of renewable energy. The successful implementation of the Abu Dhabi project once again proves the hard core strength of Chinese enterprises in the field of new energy and demonstrates their strong international competitiveness.
In the context of global energy transition, the success of China's new energy enterprises has not only brought considerable economic benefits to the country, but also made important contributions to global sustainable development. Through in-depth cooperation with the international market, Chinese enterprises can not only further improve their technological level, but also contribute more wisdom and strength to the global energy transition.
6. Conclusion: Towards the future and driving the global energy transition
Abu Dhabi's mega-solar and battery storage project is not only the culmination of technology and innovation, but also an important symbol of the global energy transition. With the support of Chinese companies such as CATL, JinkoSolar, and JA Solar, the project has set a new benchmark for the green transformation of the global energy mix. With the gradual advancement and implementation of projects, global renewable energy will occupy a more important position in the future energy landscape. In the context of the global response to climate change, China's new energy enterprises will continue to contribute wisdom and strength to the global energy transition with excellent technology and innovation capabilities.
