Masdar Update: The Green City in the Middle East Struggles With Dust and Departures : Greentech Media

Ship sinking; band instructed to keep playing.

Recently, it has been tough sledding for Masdar, the green city under development in Abu Dhabi.
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Act 1: Wide-eyed optimism
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The vision: a modern-day Garden of Eden...
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Act 2: Cracks in the armor
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One of the concerns is sandstorms, and the resulting dust that would accumulate in the air and on the panels, thus hampering output. For example, in August 2009, when the amount of suspended dust in the air was between 1,500 and 2,000 parts per million (more than 10 times higher than normal), the Masdar solar plant was functioning at 40% below its capacity. Within a week, the panels were cleaned and back to normal output, but the concern remains, as frequent sandstorms would require more cleanings, which would in turn increase the operating and maintenance costs.