Applicability of Hydropower Generation and Pumped Hydro Energy Storage in the Middle East and North Africa

Energies

Haya Aljaghoub¹  Shaima A. Alnaqbi¹  Shamma Alasad²  Abdul Ghani Olabi²  Mohammad Ali Abdelkareem²  Abdul Hai Alami² 

[1] Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management Department, University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates;Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering Department, University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates;

关键词: pumped hydro storage;    energy storage;    MENA region;    EnergyPLAN;    renewable energy;   

DOI  :  10.3390/en15072412

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Energy storage for medium- to large-scale applications is an important aspect of balancing demand and supply cycles. Hydropower generation coupled with pumped hydro storage is an old but effective supply/demand buffer that is a function of the availability of a freshwater resource and the ability to construct an elevated water reservoir. This work reviews the technological feasibility of hydropower generation and also pumped hydro storage and its geographical distribution around the world. There is also an emphasis on installations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in terms of available capacity as well as past and future developments and expansions. A discussion is presented on a project taking place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Hatta region, which has a water reservoir that would be fit for utilization for pumped hydro storage applications. Once the project is commissioned in 2024, it will provide an estimated 2.06 TWh per year, helping the UAE achieve the goal of relying on 25% renewable energy resources in their energy mix by 2030. These results were obtained by using EnergyPLAN software to project the effect of utilizing various energy resources to face the expected demand of ~38 TWh in 2030.

【 授权许可】

Unknown