In a city famed for its ambitious architecture, including man-made islands and the world’s tallest building, Dubai’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is just as impressive. As the site grows, Bahmani Group and Perkins are at the heart of keeping sustainable energy flowing to residents in the Emirate’s most populous metropolis.
With nearly 10 hours of virtually guaranteed sunshine every day, Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is harnessing its immense potential with the continued development of The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.
The site is a symbol of the city’s growing commitment to clean energy, which aims to provide 75 percent of Dubai’s total power output from sustainable sources by 2050.
The park is developed and operated by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), a public service infrastructure business founded in 1992 by Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Sustainability and innovation are among DEWA’s guiding principles.
Located 50 km south of the city, the solar park uses a range of photovoltaic and concentrated solar power technologies to capture the sun’s energy and convert it into clean power for the city’s residents to put to use. With ambitious plans to grow, the site is forecast to produce 1000 mW of power by 2020, and 5000 mW by 2030.
For the latest chapter in the solar park’s development the company required a complex electric power solution. During construction, the installation would need to provide the prime power to fulfil all electricity requirements. Once construction was complete and the new equipment was operational, generator sets would be required to provide standby support for its new substations and office buildings.
The customer’s site consultants and engineers recommended Bahmani Group as the business to take the back-up power part of the project forward, so the park’s representatives approached them for support.
Bahmani Group has been operating in Dubai for more than 30 years and is highly regarded for providing sustainable energy solutions to customers with an eye for corporate responsibility. Alongside manufacturing PV solar panels and inverters, the company is one of the UAE’s largest manufacturers of Perkins-powered diesel generators.
Collaborating closely with Perkins on the project, Bahmani Group designed a two-stage solution. Seven generator sets powered by Perkins® 1103A-33TG1 engines, one fitted with a Perkins® 1506A-E88TAG3 and 28 further portable generators would each provide 12 hours of prime power a day during construction. These units would be supplied on a rental basis.
Going forward, three permanent generator sets would be installed to provide the necessary back-up power to keep the facilities flawlessly operating. A Perkins® 2206C-E13TAG2 powered generator set and a Perkins® 2506C-E15TAG2 powered unit would provide standby power for the site’s substations, while a smaller generator powered by a Perkins® 1106A-70TG1 would meet the power needs of the site office.
Both the 12.5 litre, 6 cylinder 2206C-E13TAG2 and 15 litre, 6 cylinder 2506C-E15TAG2 provide proven performance, reliability and economy for the customer. With low oil usage, low wear rates and high compression ratios, the engines achieve reliable, clean and rapid starting in all conditions.
The more compact 1106A-70TG1, meanwhile, provides cost-effective power coupled with high load acceptance.
The number of Perkins-powered generator sets on site has been steadily increasing as the project has progressed and the customer has been impressed with their performance.
Thanks to the dependable power solution delivered by Bahmani Group and Perkins, Dubai’s future can grow ever greener.
