The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MOEI) of the UAE, along with Etihad Water and Electricity (EtihadWE), recently led a delegation to Spain. The purpose of the visit was to study advanced energy technologies and explore research partnerships in solar and energy storage.
The UAE group was led by Sharif Al Olama, Undersecretary for Energy and Petroleum Affairs, and Yousif Ahmed Al Ali, CEO of EtihadWE. The focus was on supporting UAE goals in clean energy transition and enhancing local infrastructure with international experience.
One area of interest was the Saud bin Saqr Energy and Innovation Park in Ras Al Khaimah. EtihadWE is involved in this national project, which will focus on new energy research and application.
The delegation visited CIEMAT, Spain’s Centre for Energy, Environmental and Technological Research. CIEMAT operates under the Ministry of Science and Innovation. The UAE delegation held talks with CIEMAT Director-General Yolanda Benito Moreno. They discussed future collaboration across different energy fields.
A visit to Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA), Europe’s largest research facility for concentrated solar power was also organized. At PSA, the UAE officials examined technologies related to thermal energy storage and how to simulate desert conditions that would aid to the development of solar energy in UAE climates.
The Gemasolar Thermosolar Plant stores thermal energy to generate electricity even when the sun is not shining. This concept is under study for possible use in the UAE, where continuous renewable power generation is a growing area of interest.
Besides the Spain visit, UAE has also been working on other smaller clean energy initiatives. In the northern emirates, EtihadWE has installed pilot rooftop solar units at several government-owned facilities. These small-scale projects aim to feed clean power directly into local grids. The pilot includes solar panel systems of 100 to 500 kilowatts per building, designed and tested in-house.
