JA — the solar module brand that dropped "Solar" from its name last month — has shipped the first batch of modules for the Round-the-Clock (RTC) project in Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra area, PV Tech reports.
Key facts
- Project: a 5.2GW PV array paired with a 19GWh battery energy storage system, engineered to deliver 1GW of baseload power around the clock rather than variable daytime-only output
- Developers: Masdar and the Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC)
- Modules: JA is supplying 3GW of 'DeepBlue' modules for the project; this shipment is the first batch
- Timeline: broke ground October 2025, reached financial close July 2026, targeted for full operation in 2027
- JA highlighted high-load operation capability, extreme-climate resilience and reduced maintenance as the module credentials behind the order
Why it matters
RTC is billed as the world's first giga-scale 24/7 renewable project, and it is explicitly framed around AI data-center power demand — a market that needs firm, always-on capacity, not just cheap daytime megawatt-hours. Pairing a 5.2GW array with 19GWh of storage to guarantee 1GW of round-the-clock output is a template other Gulf and data-center-heavy markets are likely to copy if it performs as designed.
For the module supply chain, a 3GW order is a large single-project commitment for one supplier, and it lands as JA works to establish its new standalone brand — a visible proof point as it competes for the next wave of Middle East giga-projects.
Sources
- PV Tech coverage - July 20, 2026
SolarXList summary based on publicly available industry sources checked on July 20, 2026.