Siemens will deploy the Middle East’s first microgrid designed for industrial use, enabling Qatar Solar Energy (QSE) to reduce electricity costs, curb carbon emissions and benefit from a more stable power supply. The microgrid at QSE’s factory in Doha will comprise a mix of energy sources — the local grid, solar panels, battery storage, back-up generators and cooling system. Generating as much as 1 megawatt from the sun, the hybrid network will enable QSE to trim its electricity bills by maximizing use of solar power and storing energy in batteries to satisfy on-peak demand. Siemens will provide the microgrid’s control panel, power meters, photovoltaic inverters, and Siemen’s software for Distributed Energy Optimization (DEOP) to monitor the network’s energy flow. QSE manufactures solar panels and related electronic equipment with the aim of making the country a global renewable energy technologies development and leadership hub.
The Siemens-supplied microgrid will be the first at an industrial site in the region to be connected to a conventional power grid. It has the potential to serve as a model for other Middle Eastern businesses and industries that want to cut their operating expenses while contributing to the fight against climate change. Microgrids are transforming power supply systems worldwide. Solar, wind and other renewable energy sources, together with grid automation and controls that are more stable and intuitive, are spurring the development of localized, autonomous grids. These new networks enable campuses, industries, and remote areas to operate their own grids. They also can go a step further and accelerate the emergence of prosumers – or consumers who generate surplus energy and sell it in the microgrid or to the main grid if it’s connected. Microgrids are expected to expand across the Middle East. Some rural areas, for example, currently use small diesel generators to power communities. An increased renewable power capacity, along with stable, reliable, and efficient microgrids, can help these rural areas phase out some of these polluting diesel power plants. Campuses, industrial zones, military bases, and islands can likewise benefit from the reliable and sustainable power supply microgrids offer.