DEWA Completes Region’s First Virtual Power Plant To Boost Energy Sustainability

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), announced the successful completion of DEWA’s pilot Virtual Power Plant (VPP) project, marking a pioneering achievement in the region. This innovative initiative is set to revolutionize the management of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and enhance energy sustainability, playing a crucial role in Dubai’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

The VPP leverages advanced digital technology, including aggregation, orchestration, Artificial Intelligence (AI) forecasting, and optimization, to integrate and control various types of DERs. This supports the development of a smart grid, enhancing the resilience and reliability of Dubai’s energy distribution network.

Al Tayer highlighted the importance of a resilient distribution network for ensuring a reliable and sustainable energy supply, essential for accelerating the transition to net zero by 2050. “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,” said Al Tayer.

DEWA is currently testing the VPP using a digital twin of the electrical network to evaluate its performance as a digital technology enabler for providing 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.

Waleed Bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence at DEWA, noted that DEWA’s Research and Development (R&D) Centre has shared knowledge of the VPP project at eight international scientific conferences and in peer-reviewed journals. This aligns with DEWA’s efforts to exchange successful experiences with stakeholders domestically and internationally. DEWA has conducted a comprehensive 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.

DEWA’s VPP is a smart network and digital platform that connects various distributed small and medium-scale DER units, including photovoltaic solar systems, battery storage systems, electric vehicle charging stations, and other flexible loads. This connectivity allows DERs to support network operations and maximize 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.

The R&D Centre has 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 has integrated the following DERs:

• Electric Vehicles at the R&D Centre have a total consumption of 132 kW.

• Two Battery Energy Storages with Sodium Sulfur (NAS) and Lithium-ion (Li-ion) technologies, with a combined total power capacity of 2.41 MW and total energy capacity of 15.81 MWh.

• A Chiller system at the R&D Centre representing flexible loads with a total power consumption of 390 kW.

• An Outdoor Testing Facility at the R&D Centre with a 12 kW PV Inverter.

• Residential PV inverters of 9 kW.

• A Smart Grid Station with a 200 kW PV Solar inverter.

• A 120 kW Battery Energy Storage.

• EV charging stations at the Smart Grid Station with 44 kW.

The total flexibility provided by the VPP in this pilot project is approximately 3.3 MW, demonstrating significant potential for future scalability and integration into Dubai’s energy grid.

DEWA’s VPP project underscores Dubai’s leadership in adopting cutting-edge technologies to ensure a sustainable energy future, reinforcing its position as a global hub for innovation and clean energy.