FIRST Solar, a leading global provider of comprehensive photovoltaic (PV) solar systems, has successfully completed and handed over a 13 MW (MWDC) PV power plant in Dubai.

The facility, the company’s first utility-scale project in the Middle East, is the largest operating solar PV plant in the region.

First Solar – selected by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority for its engineering, procurement and construction services, as well as advanced thin-film modules – successfully connected the plant to the emirate’s electricity grid 195 days after breaking ground in March, said the company.

Powered by 152,880 First Solar FS Series 3 Black PV modules, the plant will generate 24 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year. The power generated by the plant will displace 15,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, equivalent to removing about 2,000 cars from the road every year.