The role of swro in peak load reduction and grid stability

Abstract

The marked development of renewable energy has been able to offer in the GCC market the possibility to pave the road for a sustainable energy development in the area. In particular recent tariffs of 2.5–3 cents/kWh achieved in recent PV tenders in the UAE and the record tariff of 1.75 cents/kWh achieved in the tender of Sakaka project in Saudi Arabia underpins a continuous development of renewable energy technology and tariff that are more competitive than conventional energy supply [1]. One of the aspects that often is at odds with installing more renewable energy and in particular PV systems in the GCC is the objective difficulty in the energy storage and in harmonizing the energy production with the energy demand pattern and stabilizing the grid operation. In the UAE where the weather conditions are stable and predictable for the great part of the time, photo voltaic power generation operates practically at base load. This poses several objective difficulties for instance during the winter months there may not be sufficient electricity generation at co-generation stations to maintain water production of the existing thermal plants. Moreover the peak energy production from PV plants does not correspond with the peak energy consumption from the grid and daily peak load remains still to be catered by peaking stations operating inefficiently and with large CO2 emissions [3]. This paper aims at demonstrating how judicious use of SWRO technology can offer a great contribution to energy savings and peak load reduction as well as in the stability of the grid operation when a large PV capacity is installed.