DEWA completes ‘first of its kind’ virtual power plant project
DEWA’s R&D Centre implemented the VPP by connecting real physical assets and managing them as a single mixed portfolio of generation and load connected to the grid. Image courtesy DEWA.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has completed its first virtual power plant (VPP) project, which uses a digital twin of the network to evaluate its performance.
According to the Dubai public service infrastructure company, the VPP is a first of its kind in the region and uses advanced digital technology, including aggregation, orchestration, AI forecasting and optimisation to integrate and control various types of DERs, supporting the smart grid.
In a release, DEWA CEO Saeed Mohammed Ahmad Al Tayer noted that DEWA is currently testing the VPP using a digital twin of the electrical network to evaluate its performance as a potential enabler for large-scale system flexibility in energy transmission and distribution.
DEWA has identified and aggregated potential sites on the network to enhance operational efficiency and reliability.
Have you read:
Tech Talk | Decentralising energy management and VPPs
DEWA achieves 100% smart water metering deployment
DEWA’s VPP
The Government of Dubai-owned utility’s VPP is a smart network and digital platform that connects various distributed small and medium-scale DER units.
This connectivity allows DERs to support network operations and maximise their value to the grid operator and end customers by providing grid services such as peak shaving, PV oversupply management, power factor correction, frequency regulation, energy balancing and renewable firming.
DEWA’s R&D Centre implemented the VPP by connecting real physical assets and managing them as a single mixed portfolio of generation and load connected to the grid.
Through the VPP, DEWA integrated the following DERs:
- EVs at the R&D Centre with a total consumption of 132kW
- Two battery energy storage systems with Sodium Sulfur (NAS) and Lithium-ion (Li-ion) technologies, with a combined total power capacity of 2.41MW and total energy capacity of 15.81MWh
- A chiller system at the R&D Centre representing flexible loads with a total power consumption of 390kW
- An outdoor testing facility at the R&D Centre with a 12kW PV inverter
- Residential PV inverters of 9kW
- A smart grid station with a 200kW PV solar inverter and EV charging stations of 44kW
- A 120kW battery energy storage
The total flexibility provided by the VPP in this pilot project is approximately 3.3MW.
According to Waleed Bin Salman, DEWA’s executive vice president of business development and excellence, the R&D Centre shared knowledge of the VPP project at eight international scientific conferences and in peer-reviewed journals.
DEWA also conducted a techno-economic feasibility study for the widespread deployment of the VPP on its grid, defining key use cases for its distribution and transmission networks and plans to implement these on a larger scale.
Said Al Tayer: “We leverage innovation, research, our smart grid and the latest disruptive technologies to ensure energy security and sustainability in line with the highest global standards.
“This supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to achieve 100% clean energy production capacity by 2050.
“Our commitment to enhancing the UAE and Dubai’s competitiveness in the energy sector involves reshaping and digitising utilities, as well as consolidating DEWA’s position as a leading global utility.”
