The Red Sea Stand-alone Power System has commenced commercial operations recently in Saudi Arabia, with NARI providing the critical grid-forming control system for this project.

The Red Sea Stand-alone power grid project is one of the world’s largest off-grid renewable energy systems, operating on 100% renewable energy supply with a 1.3 GWh energy storage battery system. This system has achieved comprehensive improvements in voltage/frequency stability, power supply reliability, and energy cost optimization.

NARI developed a grid node-based grid-forming control strategy for this project, particularly for off-grid and 100% renewable energy systems. By deploying the grid-forming coordinated control system, it has enabled the continuous and stable operation of this isolated grid. The key functions of the grid-forming coordinated control system include: coordinating the synchronous operation of all power conversion systems (PCS) according to the strategies set by the energy management system (EMS); dynamically reconfiguring the energy storage system output in the event of PCS failures; and quickly responding to and recovering from fault disturbances. Additionally, the grid-forming energy storage control system also supports “black start” function, allowing the power system to autonomously restore power in the event of grid outages, thereby enhancing the reliability and resilience of the system.

Furthermore, NARI has provided an energy management system for the Red Sea project, which achieves efficient coordination across power generation, energy storage, and power consumption, showcasing the application of the deep integration of photovoltaic and energy storage technologies.