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The MENA region is starting to witness a drastic increase in large-scale battery energy storage systems (“BESS”) projects, accompanying a soaring penetration of renewable energy. This has happened at a pace, which seems to have surprised many market analysts. In the past, forecasts for the MENA region showed a few GWh for the coming years at best.
The universal benefits of BESS apply just as strongly to the MENA region: they can support in harnessing the full potential of renewable energy by storing & shifting record low-cost PV or wind power generation to times of the day when demand for electricity is at its highest.
Most of the BESS systems are composed of securely sealed battery packs, which are electronically monitored and replaced once their performance falls below a given threshold. Batteries suffer from cycle ageing, or deterioration caused by charge–discharge cycles.
The rapid growth rate of energy storage in the MENA region, led by the GCC, is surprising many analysts. Saudi Arabia, in particular, is set to be the third biggest global BESS market after the USA and China in 2026.
Some BESS suppliers mandate uninterrupted power to maintain the operation of thermal management systems, ensuring battery temperatures remain within desired limits to minimize degradation. BESS fire safety standards, such as NFPA 855, outline minimum requirements for backup power for fire safety systems.
For certain projects, backup power must be provided for the BESS auxiliary load as required by the BESS supplier or fire codes. Some BESS suppliers mandate uninterrupted power to maintain the operation of thermal management systems, ensuring battery temperatures remain within desired limits to minimize degradation.
Project owners are also responsible for the electricity costs associated with the BESS auxiliary load during operation. The electricity cost for auxiliary loads depends on the energy consumption (kWh) and the pricing structure set by independent system operators or utilities. For example:
BESS auxiliary loads typically fall into the following three categories: ● Control and communication equipment, such as the battery management system and network switches; ● Thermal management systems, such as HVAC or chillers; ● Fire safety systems, such as fire alarms, control panels and gas ventilation systems (if present).
Due to the wide range of BESS capabilities as mentioned above, Korean power system plans to provision BESS to relieve generation curtailment and to provide FR service in the short-term applications, and to maintain frequency stability by providing FFR service in a low-inertia system for the long-term applications.
Market mechanism Korea's BESS sector has experienced significant growth, with an installed capacity of 1.6 GW at the end of 2019 (Yoen, 2022). Despite initial economic challenges, government policies have driven BESS market expansion by fostering technology development and policy initiatives.
In total, 14 companies were involved, including HD Hyundai Electric, Hyosung Heavy Industries, LS Electric, Samsung SDI, LG Energy Solution, and others. HD Hyundai Electric announced the completion and start of operation of its 336MW BESS for the utility a couple of months ago.
(Li et al., 2023) BESS utilize several types of battery technologies, including Li-ion, lead-acid, redox flow, sodium-sulphur, zinc-bromine flow batteries, and solid-state batteries, with new ones continuously being introduced (Rahman, 2020).
