June 26, 2018 | News Brief | NGK Insulators, Ltd. received an order for a NAS battery for use in an energy storage technology demonstration project to be conducted in Dubai. The 1.2 MW/7.2 MWh NAS battery was ordered last August, installed in March, and will enter full service soon this summer. It was the first installation of a large-scale energy storage system in Dubai.
Dubai has accelerated its investment in renewable energy to eliminate its dependence on fossil fuels. Dubai is building the world’s largest solar park, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, in the south of the Emirate. The Emirate is targeting introduction of 5,000 MW of photovoltaics (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) by 2030, which will raise the ratio of renewable energy to 25 percent of total generation capacity.
In anticipation of the large-scale introduction of renewable energy in the future, the NAS battery system was installed alongside a 13 MW PV plant in the solar park. The NAS battery will be used to stabilize fluctuations in solar power output, plus other grid applications including energy time-shifting and frequency control. The large capacity of the NAS battery makes it well suited for this set of applications.
NGK’s NAS battery system is the only battery system that has proven operational success in the Middle East. The NAS battery is a high-temperature battery and thus uniquely suited for operation in locations with extreme ambient temperatures, such as the heat of the Middle East. The rapid increase of solar power in Middle Eastern countries is driving the need for large-scale battery storage projects.
