Qatar’s first storage project relies on Tesla batteries

The Qatar General Electricity and Water Corp (Kahramaa) has installed a 1 MW/4 MWh storage system at its 11 kV Nuaija station through a secondary substation.

The facility, built in partnership with Qatari conglomerate Al-Attiyah Group and US electric car maker and battery provider Tesla, is intended to store power during off peak hours or when the station reaches minimum load as well as to improve network voltage.

The QAR10 million ($2.7 million) project was implemented in one year, with the Al Attiyah Group responsible for the installation of the storage systems and Tesla for providing the batteries.

“Kahramaa succeeded in completing the project ahead of schedule and beginning operations to benefit from it during the summer period, which is one of the highest periods of energy consumption in the State of Qatar compared to the rest of the year,” the utility said.

The project relies on Tesla Powerpack batteries, which are a scalable AC-connected storage solution for large-scale applications. According to the manufacturer, each Powerpack is a storage device with a capacity of 232 kWh and containing 16 individual battery pods, a thermal control system and hundreds of sensors that monitor and report on cell level performance.

Qatar launched a new strategy to diversify its energy mix with solar and renewables at the end of 2017. With abundant solar irradiation, solar is considered the most viable way towards a cleaner and lower-cost energy mix for Qatar.

The Middle Eastern country in January concluded an 800 MW solar tender that delivered a final price of QAR0.0571/kWh ($0.016/kWh) – at the time the lowest winning bid ever registered in an auction for large scale renewable energy.

It also hosts a 300 MW module production facility in Doha, which is run by local manufacturer Qatar Solar Energy (QSE).