Saudi Aramco has started using a new type of energy storage system to power gas wells in Wa’ad Al-Shamal. The battery is a 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) Iron-Vanadium (Fe/V) flow battery. It is the first of its kind to be used in this way anywhere in the world.
The system stores solar energy and works as a backup to power gas production. It is designed to operate in high temperatures. The battery can support five gas wells and is expected to last for 25 years. Aramco developed the technology in partnership with Rongke Power, a battery manufacturer based in China.
The company already uses solar power to run many of its remote gas wells. These sites have solar panels that are linked to lead-acid batteries. The new system offers another option for storing solar power.
Flow batteries work differently from typical batteries. They store energy in liquid tanks and can be useful in areas where energy must be stored for long periods or where temperatures are high. Aramco said “this battery is part of its research into ways to store renewable energy.”
The use of this battery technology is part of Aramco’s broader plans to lower emissions. The company has a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations by 2050.
Other small renewable energy efforts in Saudi Arabia are also ongoing. In Al-Kharj, a water pumping station is running with power from a small solar farm. It has a capacity of 2.5 MW and powers irrigation systems for nearby farmland. In Qassim, a 1 MW rooftop solar system has been installed on a packaging facility. It supplies electricity directly to the plant and reduces the use of diesel generators.
Aramco’s new battery system adds another option for using solar energy in industrial areas that are far from the main grid.
