Middle East's largest smart solar project completed in Bahrain

DUBAI: The largest smart solar plant in the Middle East, having a capacity to deliver 8,000 Megawatt-hour of clean renewable energy, has been successfully installed in Bahrain.

Petra Solar, a subsidiary of Petra Systems in collaboration with the partner Caspian Renewable Energy, Inc, successfully completed the installation of the plant.

The plant will save 6,900 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year.

The project will be owned by Bahrain Petroleum Company ( BAPCO), a subsidiary of National Oil and Gas Authority, and deliver 8,000 MWh of clean renewable energy.

A Megawatt-hour is equal to 1,000 kilowatts of electricity used continuously for one hour.

The 5 Megawatt project marks the first phase of the "Let Bahrain Shine" initiative, a consortium led initiative to assist the country meet up to 10 per cent of its energy demands by 2010 through clean renewable energy.

"BAPCO is very excited about this project, being the first of its kind in the Middle East, it will be a proud showcase. We expect that this project will be the first step in Bahrain's march towards a solar future," said Adel Almoayyed, Chief Executive Officer of BAPCO.

"In addition to the technological value created as a result of this bilateral cooperation, this project marks an important milestone in the public-private partnership between Bahrain and the United States," said M Marty Youssefiani, Chief Executive of the Washington DC-based Caspian Renewable Energy, Inc.

"The completion of this BAPCO project marks a significant and exciting moment for us and our partners in Bahrain," said Steve Rhoades, Chief Executive Officer of Petra Systems.

"The installation demonstrates the evolution of solar power generation from passive power systems to dynamic and intelligent generation, sensing, and control assets that provides valuable insight into grid health and can be used to improve grid quality," Rhoades said.