The UAE should deploy 300MW/300MWh of battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity in the next three years, according to one of its main utilities EWEC.
The recommendation was made in the ‘Statement of Future Capacity Requirements 2023-2029: Summary Report’ by Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC), the utility for the capital emirate of Abu Dhabi.
It said the BESS resources would need a one-hour depth of storage and should be deployed to provide operating reserves and other grid services, improve system operability and enhance the overall stability of the electric network.
It also said that the nation should increase its solar PV generation capacity sixfold by 2030, rising to 7.3GW.
The capacity addition is necessary because of a rise in power demand and growing supply chain insecurity following the COVID pandemic and war in Ukraine, EWEC said, and solar PV additions were identified as providing “a significant system cost and emissions reduction benefit”.