More than 200 school students cheered on the arrival of the Petroleum Institute’s solar-powered car as it reached Shams 1 – Abu Dhabi’s large-scale concentrated solar power plant – located in Al Gharbiya. The Petroleum Institute’s car and its team are representing the United Arab Emirates as part of the Abu Dhabi Solar Challenge.

Part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, and the first event of its kind in the region, the four-day solar-car challenge brings innovation to life and underscores Abu Dhabi’s role as a leader in the clean technology sector. More than 20 international teams are competing in the timed road competition and winners will be announced tomorrow, January 19.

Masdar’s global reputation as a renewable-energy pioneer helped bring the solar challenge to Abu Dhabi. The company’s mission to advance clean energy, along with Abu Dhabi’s role as an international energy hub, makes the emirate an ideal location for the competition.

One of the largest concentrated power plants in the world, Shams 1 powers more than 20,000 homes across the UAE and displaces 175,000 tons of CO2 per year. Inaugurated March 2013, the plant covers a land area of 2.5 km² and is made up of 768 parabolic trough collectors.

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