Decarbonizing the electricity sector in Qatar using PV combined with ice thermal and battery storage

Abstract

High daytime electricity demand from space cooling synergetic with predictable and reliable solar insolation creates a unique opportunity to exploit solar PV-enabled decarbonization solutions in Qatar. This paper examines the economic viability of combining utility-scale PV with ice thermal and battery storage to decarbonize the electricity sector in Qatar, which exclusively runs on gas generation. The problem is formulated in a two-stage stochastic linear programming that minimizes annual system costs at a given gas price. Under the current gas price of $3.3/MMBtu (gas-generated electricity at $37/MWh), PV and ice storage deployed in Qatar could reduce gas generation use and peak demand by 43% and 18%, respectively, and cut the annual system costs by 20%. At a gas price of $6.5/MMBtu (equivalent to carbon pricing at $60/ton of CO2), gas generation can be reduced by 60% using PV and ice storage. Reducing gas generation further is challenging since both cooling and non-cooling demands peak in August, whereas PV generation peaks in June, producing less surplus generation at a time of need, and ice thermal storage cannot cost-effectively outcompete already existing gas generations for highly seasonal cooling needs. Battery storage becomes cost-effective above a gas price of $9.2/MMBtu (equivalent to carbon pricing at $110/ton of CO2); it is primarily used to manage the diurnal behavior of non-cooling loads and could decarbonize the electricity sector by around 90%.