Abu Dhabi’s EAD partners with TotalEnergies to deploy solar energy at Plant Genetic Resource Centre

The tie-up envisages a 20-year solar power equipment lease agreement with TotalEnergies, which covers solar installation, operations and maintenance and the production of solar energy at EAD’s plant.

The plant will have 680 photovoltaic panels to generate around 500 MWh of clean energy annually, covering an area of 1,360 square metres of car park shades.

This will allow EAD to reduce its annual carbon footprint by 200 tonnes of CO₂ – the equivalent to the power requirement of around 25 homes’ energy use in one year.

Ahmed Al Hashmi, Executive Director of the Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity Sector at EAD, said the lease agreement will help EAD to lower carbon emissions significantly, in alignment with the Abu Dhabi Climate Change Strategy.

Gipin Mani, UAE and Oman Country Director, TotalEnergies Renewables DG Middle East and Africa, said the partnership project represents a fusion of technological excellence and environmental stewardship.

“By Integrating renewable energy solutions into critical infrastructure like the Plant Genetic Resource Centre, we are paving the way with our partners for a sustainable future, preserving biodiversity and reinforcing the UAE’s position as a global leader in environmental conservation,” he said.

EAD is expected to launch its Plant Genetic Resource Centre by the end of 2023, promoting the UAE as a leader in plant conservation.

It is the region’s largest and most complex centre of its kind and will use various methods of long-term conservation for seeds, plant parts, tissues, and full-grown plants, supplemented by genomic and genetic conservation studies.

The aim is to conserve UAE flora and its genetic diversity for generations to come.

Recently, an agreement was made between TotalEnergies UAE and EAD on research initiatives to manage coastal habitats for resilience to climate change.