- Certified for unrivaled reliability, DesertBlue sets a new benchmark for powering large-scale solar PV projects in harsh climates.
BEIJING, Aug. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- JA Solar recently launched DesertBlue, a leading PV module engineered specifically for desert and semi-arid regions. Designed to withstand dust, heat, and high winds, DesertBlue delivers up to 650W of power with 24% efficiency, establishing a new global standard for reliable solar PV performance in extreme conditions.
Leading design institutes, EPC firms, and certification bodies attended the launch event, demonstrating the demand for specialized solutions for large-scale PV development in challenging environments.
"DesertBlue represents a strategic milestone in global solar development," said Yang Aiqing, Executive President of JA Solar. "By directly addressing the unique challenges of desert deployment, we enable customers worldwide to unlock the full potential of renewable energy in regions considered too hostile for large-scale solar PV projects."
Surge in Desert Solar Creates Unique Needs
Developers in China, the Middle East, and Africa are accelerating investment in desert-based solar bases, creating growing demand for rugged PV solutions. With deserts covering nearly one-quarter of Earth's land surface, this trend could extend for decades.
Desert environments pose unique stressors for PV modules, including fine dust that reduces light transmission, abrasive sand that erodes coatings, strong winds that strain structural integrity, and extreme heat that degrades performance over time.
DesertBlue is engineered to meet these challenges head-on. Its nano-scale self-cleaning coating features dense microstructures and antistatic properties that reduce dust adhesion, allowing natural wind to assist in surface cleaning.
Delivering Value Across the Lifecycle
DesertBlue is engineered to create value from construction to operation. Key features include:
- Anti-dust nanocoating: 32% less transmittance loss; extends module life by up to 5 years.
- Sandstorm resilience: Up to 14% less power loss in abrasive conditions.
- Reinforced frame: Withstands 6000 Pa front/4000 Pa rear loads.
- Thermal stability: Operates up to 5°C cooler; produces 0.6% more power at 85°C.
In large-scale projects, DesertBlue reduces upfront costs, slashes cleaning Opex by up to $0.98M over 25 years and has already demonstrated 4.5% higher energy yield in field projects.
Certified Reliable
DesertBlue has also earned global recognition for its reliability in harsh environments. TÜV Rheinland awarded it the world's first "Desert Module" certification after rigorous testing, including UV exposure, thermal cycling, and sand abrasion. TÜV SÜD further validated its LC2-level sand resistance, confirming durability under 11,000 robotic cleaning cycles with a sand load of 110kg/m²—resulting in less than 1% power degradation.
As the global energy transition accelerates, JA Solar's DesertBlue is poised to power the next wave of desert PV expansion.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
JA Solar Debuts DesertBlue to Power the Global Desert Solar Surge
ALULA, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the official opening of Desert X AlUla 2026, the landmark fourth edition of the international, open-air biennial exhibition. Arts AlUla, in collaboration with Desert X, welcomes visitors to experience a stellar line-up of Saudi and international multi-generational artists whose site-responsive earthworks, sculptures, and installations will engage in a powerful dialogue with the awe-inspiring landscapes and layered heritage of AlUla.
As a premier destination rich in ancient history and breathtaking nature, AlUla, located in Northwest Saudi Arabia, solidifies its position on the global stage as a dynamic, emerging land art destination with Desert X AlUla, the region's first public art biennale, and a key highlight of the AlUla Arts Festival.
The 2026 edition of Desert X AlUla brings together 11 acclaimed artists whose diverse works reflect a wide spectrum of ideas, materials, and traditions. From monumental kinetic sculpture to sound-based explorations above and below ground, each commission is deeply rooted in relationships to AlUla's distinctive environment, further cementing Desert X AlUla's reputation as a globally significant platform for site-responsive land art.
Desert X AlUla runs until February 28, 2026, as a cornerstone of the annual AlUla Arts Festival. Curated by Wejdan Reda, Zoé Whitley, with artistic direction by Neville Wakefield, and Raneem Farsi, its fourth edition explores 'Space Without Measure.' Inspired by Kahlil Gibran, the theme fosters contemplation of imagination within AlUla's natural settings. The exhibition, set in the desert canyons of AlUla, serves as a pre-opening programme for Wadi AlFann, offering a pivotal glimpse into AlUla's plans to create a permanent land art 'Valley of the Arts.'
Hamad Alhomiedan, Director of Arts & Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), said: "At Desert X AlUla 2026, audiences will engage with art that deeply converses with AlUla's unique landscapes and rich heritage. These compelling commissions highlight AlUla's dynamic transformation into a major global destination, where ancient and contemporary expressions converge. This exhibition is part of our broader revitalisation of AlUla as a culturally rich destination to live, work and visit and integral to positioning AlUla in the global dialogue of contemporary art and as a precursor to monumental projects like Wadi AlFann."
Participating artist/artworks are:
- Sara Abdu, A Kingdom Where No One Dies: Contours of Resonance
- Mohammad Alfaraj, What was the Question Again?
- Mohammed AlSaleem, The Thorn, AlShuruf Unit, The Triangles, Flower Bud, and Al Ahilla (courtesy of Royal Commission for Riyadh City)
- Tarek Atoui, The Water Song
- Bahraini-Danish, Bloom
- Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Imole Red
- Agnes Denes, The Living Pyramid
- Ibrahim El-Salahi, Haraza Tree
- Basmah Felemban, Murmur of Pebbles
- Vibha Galhotra, Future Fables
- Héctor Zamora, Tar HyPar
For further information, please contact:
Sabrine.Shaw@bursonglobal.com
AlUlaArtsFestival@bursonglobal.com
Multimedia gallery:
High-resolution photos of all 11 artists and their artworks can be found here.
About AlUla and Arts AlUla
Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.
The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and Jabal Ikmah, an open air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages. AlUla Old Town Village, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes was developed from at least the 12th century and has been revitalised as the vibrant hub for visitors and residents.
The creation of Arts AlUla within The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is a commitment to crafting the next chapters in a millennia of artistic creation – celebrating cultural inheritance and shaping a future inspired by artists built be artists. The work of Arts AlUla seeks to preserve this legacy: fuse the old with the new; the local with the international, keeping the arts central to the spirit of AlUla as a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage.
Wadi AlFann, meaning 'Valley of the Arts,' will be a global cultural destination for land art, unveiling from 2028 onwards, where era-defining works by artists from around the world will be permanently sited in the monumental landscape of AlUla, the extraordinary desert region of north-west Saudi Arabia.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Desert X AlUla 2026: monumental land art exhibition opens in the ancient oasis of AlUla
