Every night, when the sun sets across Abu Dhabi, solar panels go dark. Every time the wind stops blowing, turbines stand still. For decades, this simple reality that renewable energy only works when nature cooperates has been the industry's most logically stubborn obstacle.

Abu Dhabi broke ground on what could be the solution. The emirate just launched construction on the world's first gigascale project capable of delivering round-the-clock baseload power from renewable sources alone. When operational in 2027, the Dh22-billion facility will produce one gigawatt of continuous clean electricity-enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes by pairing what will become the world's largest battery storage system.

The scale is staggering: The project spans an area comparable to Manhattan and features a 19-gigawatt-hour battery-large enough to store energy generated during peak sunlight and dispatch it seamlessly through the night and cloudy days. It's the energy equivalent of never letting the lights flicker, regardless of the weather.

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"This project aligns with the UAE's leadership vision to decarbonise and innovate," Ibraheem Al Mansouri, Director of Engineering at Masdar, told Khaleej Times. "This marks the start of a new era for renewable energy globally."

Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes' Affairs, witnessed the groundbreaking of the facility developed by Masdar and Emirates Water and Electricity Company.

The timing addresses a critical global challenge. Renewable energy intermittency has limited solar and wind adoption because the bulk power system requires continuous current to literally "keep the lights on." Traditional power plants burn coal or gas around the clock, providing stable baseload power. Solar and wind couldn't do that until this project.

"Being part of Masdar's journey from the early days and continuing to deliver first-of-its-kind projects globally is inspiring," Al Mansouri told Khaleej Times. "This project changes the mindset about renewable energy and proves what's possible."

Development will create more than 10,000 jobs and establish new manufacturing facilities across the UAE. The project represents one of the largest capital investments in renewable infrastructure globally.

The breakthrough builds on Masdar's two-decade track record developing renewable projects across 40 countries. Founded in 2006, the company is targeting 100 gigawatts of clean energy capacity by 2030. This Abu Dhabi facility represents its largest and most ambitious project to date.

When operational in 2027, the project will avoid approximately 5.7 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually equivalent to removing over one million cars from roads while delivering electricity at globally competitive tariffs.

"Ten years from now, I hope people will remember this as the start of a new era," Al Mansouri told Khaleej Times. "We proved renewable energy can deliver continuous, reliable power-supporting the growing demand driven by AI and digitalisation."

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