For this year’s festival, we took a bold step by introducing an innovative solution to a unique challenge: providing reliable electricity for Liwa Village, an event that operated not only during the day but well into the night, in one of the most remote and extreme environments. This risk paid off, proving that renewable energy could meet the demands of a large-scale event without compromising sustainability or reliability.
From 13 December 2024 to 4 January 2025, the Liwa Festival welcomed visitors to an enchanting celebration of UAE heritage and culture. Set amidst the breathtaking dunes of the Liwa Desert, the event offered a unique blend of exciting activities, captivating performances, and moments to remember. Designed to bring families together, the festival created a vibrant village atmosphere, showcasing the rich traditions and dynamic energy of the region.
The Challenge
Powering an 18-day event in the remote Liwa Desert required a solution that was both sustainable and reliable. With no access to conventional power grids, the event needed a self-sufficient energy source capable of generating and storing electricity to meet 24-hour demands for lighting, cooling, sound systems, and more. The extreme desert conditions—including intense sunlight and reflective sand—needed to be leveraged rather than avoided to maximize energy production.
Our Solution
To ensure uninterrupted power throughout the festival, we designed a solar system with built-in redundancies to minimize risks and avoid disruptions. The system consisted of 550 bifacial solar panels, divided into three separate arrays, each managed by its own inverter.
Each solar panel measured 2.24 meters by 1.13 meters, allowing for an efficient design that maximized energy capture. The bifacial panels utilized the high reflectivity of the desert sand, which enhanced energy production by 20-27%. This natural advantage made the system even more effective in the sun-drenched desert environment.
This design provided critical advantages:
• Risk reduction: If one array or inverter experienced an issue, the remaining two continued operating seamlessly, ensuring no interruptions to power supply.
• Minimized generator use: By creating a resilient system, we reduced reliance on backup generators, which were only needed in rare, emergency situations, lowering both fuel costs and emissions.
Key technical features included:
• High-performance panels: The bifacial technology allowed panels to capture sunlight from both sides, enhancing overall efficiency and reliability during peak sunlight hours.
• Rapid energy storage: The solar farm generated over 300 kW at peak times, charging batteries fully within 2.5 hours. This stored energy reliably powered the festival overnight, eliminating the risk of interruptions.
The Results
The solar-powered energy solution delivered exceptional performance over the course of the 18-day festival:
• Continuous 24-hour power: The combination of three solar arrays and inverters ensured uninterrupted energy, meeting the festival’s demands without any power cuts.
• Enhanced system resilience: The three-array system allowed for redundancy, enabling the event to avoid downtime even if one component faced a fault.
• Optimized for the desert environment: The reflective nature of the bright sand amplified energy generation, turning a potential challenge into a key advantage.
• Sustainability at scale: By harnessing renewable energy and minimizing generator use, the festival significantly reduced its environmental impact.
Conclusion
The Liwa Festival 2025 demonstrated that renewable energy can reliably power even the most demanding events, regardless of location or environmental challenges. The carefully designed three-array system with separate inverters not only kept the festival running smoothly for 18 days but also showcased how innovative designs can maximize environmental advantages.
By taking a bold step and introducing this innovative energy solution, we proved that sustainable practices can deliver exceptional results, even in the harshest conditions. The Liwa Festival now stands as a shining example of how innovation and sustainability can come together to create unforgettable experiences—powered entirely by the sun.