CASE STUDY
Currently, there is no infrastructure on the islands; it needs construction from scratch. The goal is to offer an eco-friendly energy supply solution through the utilization of solar power, promising cost-effective operation.
Across the islands, envisioning panels installed on rooftops, facades, implementing tracker installations, and interconnecting the islands to ensure stability.
4.5 MW
dieselgenset installled
24/7
operation time
35 GWh
yearly consumption
Dubai boasts excellent conditions for harnessing the power of photovoltaics, offering a more consistent energy supply throughout the day and across the year, with less significant variations compared to regions like Europe.
In this setup, photovoltaics would heavily rely on electrical energy storage devices for both short-term and long-term storage, ensuring energy availability at later times.
Moreover, these storage devices play a crucial role in providing flexibility, maintaining technical parameters of the network (such as frequency, power factor, and voltage on phases), and ensuring a reliable energy supply for local consumption.
“Thanks to the optimal conditions in Dubai, the year-round production process, coupled with measured output from photovoltaics, serves as a significant asset in constructing an island microgrid solution.”
The current solution, utilizing diesel generators as sources, is suboptimal due to challenges in fuel transport, maintenance, and their inefficient operation. Their inflexibility, where fuel consumption is not directly proportional to production, further exacerbates the issue.
The primary focus is on implementing photovoltaics to the fullest extent, utilizing tracker systems and bifacial panels to maximize production.
The comprehensive solution and energy security are ensured through short and long-term storage devices, including Li-ion battery systems and hydrogen storage. Li-ion batteries offer excellent flexibility (<200ms), high efficiency (>90%), and sufficient capacity.
Hydrogen serves as a long-term energy storage option with slightly lower usable efficiency, making it suitable for extended energy storage with minimal losses.
BATTERY STORAGE (3.5 MW / 14 MWh)
This facility serves as short-term energy storage while simultaneously maintaining the technical parameters of the grid and providing necessary flexibility during production drops. It accumulates energy generated during the day for use during nighttime.
HYDROGEN (1 MW / 2500 kg)
As a long-term energy storage solution, hydrogen is produced via an electrolyzer powered by PV energy. The setup includes a storage tank capable of sustaining continuous operation for up to 5 days and a fuel cell to convert hydrogen into usable energy.
PHOTOVOLTAICS (4.7 MWp)
This solution entails a roof-integrated installation paired with a tracker system, boasting a production capacity of up to 1725 kWh/kWp. It serves as the fundamental and sole source of energy production.
The proposed solution is grounded in TCOE (total cost of energy) with the objective of achieving long-term cost optimization. Despite the significant initial investment, leveraging the free photovoltaic source as the sole production device keeps overall energy costs low.
The technologies are engineered to operate for a minimum of 15+ years, ensuring a sustainable technical solution to meet energy requirements. This includes accounting for system degradation, storage capacity, and losses in the local distribution grid.
