Generation, analysis, and applications of high resolution electricity load profiles in Qatar

Qatar is known to be one of the most energy-intensive countries in the world, yet very little is known about its electricity consumption patterns. In this paper, we unfold the electricity sector in Qatar by presenting high-resolution electricity load profiles, analyzing the unique consumption patterns, and with case studies, showing how load profiles can be used in applications such as demand-side management, renewable energy integration, and mathematical modeling. Moreover, using load profiles, we propose a methodology to estimate the cooling demand which represents the largest portion of the domestic demand. The data used in this study is collected from the official website of the Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority (GCCIA), validated by the available public datasets, and span a 12 month period from February 2016 to January 2017. The present paper contains the first high-resolution dataset in the GCC region and the results will shed light into future research studies. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.