First Solar will supply the modules and build the array some 50km south of Dubai, with the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) to then to take over operations.

The installation is expected to generate some 22 million kWh of electricity per year – enough for 500 local households.

Far more important than the electricity generated, however, will be the impact on the minds of local policymakers in a market many consider among the best suited in the world for solar energy.

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