UAE to get its first agricultural solar-powered desalination project

A pilot project deploying solar-powered desalination technology will be launched to produce pure water for irrigation and provide a sustainable cooling option for greenhouses.

UAE-based Silal, one of the region’s largest holding companies, has partnered with Netherlands-headquartered solar thermal desalination company, Desolenator for the launch of the project.

Causing zero environmental harm, the unique project aims to contribute to the decarbonisation of food production in desert climates by significantly lowering the carbon footprint of the desalination process.

The project is supported by a AED 100 million research and development fund launched in 2022 by ADQ. The fund forms part of Growth Lab, a community of innovators across ADQ’s portfolio that realises the company’s commitment to accelerating innovation and R&D, focusing on unlocking growth opportunities, and driving value creation and sustainability across priority sectors of the UAE’s economy.

The project aims to demonstrate how innovative partnerships can address the water-food-energy nexus and model sustainable agriculture for countries worldwide. It also marks a paradigm shift in handling the vital water-food-energy nexus and is a testament to the power of collaborative innovation in advancing global sustainable development goals.