UAE to quintuple solar PV capacity to 32.3GW by 2035

• Solar PV is now the fastest-growing technology in the UAE, driven by record-low tariffs, high irradiation, ample land, and policy certainty
• Gas-fired capacity is forecast to edge from 44.4GW in 2025 to nearly 46GW by 2035, while nuclear capacity remains around 5.3GW at Barakah, providing approximately 34TWh annually.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will expand solar photovoltaic capacity from 6.7GW in 2025 to 32.3GW by 2035, a compound annual growth rate above 17 per cent, according to GlobalData. Solar generation is projected to rise from 15.8TWh in 2025 to 75.4TWh by 2035.

Major projects underpin growth, including Al Dhafra Solar PV, billed as the world’s largest single-site facility; the 1.2GW Noor Abu Dhabi Solar Park, estimated to cut about 1 million metric tonness of CO2 annually; and Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, targeting enough output to power nearly 800,000 homes by 2030.

Under the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, the country plans about $54 billion in clean and alternative energy investments. The 2023 update aims to triple renewable capacity to roughly 14GW by 2030, with targets of 50 per cent clean electricity and a 70 per cent reduction in the power sector’s carbon footprint by mid-century.

GlobalData analyst Mohammed Ziauddin said solar PV is now the fastest-growing technology in the UAE, driven by record-low tariffs, high irradiation, ample land, and policy certainty.

Gas and nuclear will continue to anchor reliability. Gas-fired capacity is forecast to edge from 44.4GW in 2025 to nearly 46GW by 2035, while nuclear capacity remains around 5.3GW at Barakah, providing approximately 34TWh annually.

The UAE plans to integrate large-scale solar with grid stability measures, including gas flexibility, nuclear baseload, and storage such as pumped hydro and batteries, Ziauddin said.