Enhancing electricity supply mix in Oman with energy storage systems: a case study

Over the past decade, population growth and industry expansion in Oman have led to an increase in electricity demand of more than 240%. The main challenges of utilising renewable energy resources in Oman include high capital costs and their intermittent nature. Enhancing the integration of renewable energy sources from wind and solar into the conventional power network requires the mitigation of vulnerabilities posed to the network owing to the intermittent nature of these sources. One possible solution for such a problem is to utilise large-scale energy storage such as pumped-hydroelectric, compressed air, or Hydrogen storage. This paper aims to review energy storage options for the Main Interconnected System (MIS) in Oman. In addition, it presents a techno-economic case study on utilising pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) facilities to supply peak demand.