Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, the deputy ruler of Sharjah and the chairman of the Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC) and Sharjah Petroleum Department, officially opened "SANA," the first solar power plant in the emirate, on Wednesday morning. The expansive 850,000 square meter new plant, which is adjacent to the Sajaa Gas Plant, has the capacity to produce 60 megawatts of renewable energy. This is equivalent to lowering about 66,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually and powering almost 13,800 houses.
According to Sheikh Sultan, the launch marked a significant turning point in Sharjah's transition to cleaner, more sustainable energy. He claimed that it demonstrates the emirate's dedication to environmental preservation and prudent water and energy planning, which is consistent with the objectives of the Sharjah Energy Council.
One notable feature of the SANA plant is its smart, sun-tracking architecture. It maximizes energy collection by using more than 98,000 solar panels affixed to 13,000 flexible poles that move with the sun, throughout the day. If the plant produces more electricity than SNOC requires, the Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA) will get the extra energy. A balanced, effective energy system will be created at night when SEWA returns electricity to SNOC.
