Red Sea project launches world's largest solar-plus-storage microgrid

The Red Sea multi-service project in Saudi Arabia has reached full commercial operation, featuring the world’s largest solar-plus-storage microgrid. The system integrates a 358 MWac solar plant with a 1.2 GWh battery energy storage system to power an isolated electrical grid. This microgrid supports tourism infrastructure, desalination plants, and water treatment facilities independently of the national power grid.

Developed by Red Sea Global, a subsidiary of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the project utilizes grid-forming battery technology to maintain voltage and frequency while balancing variable solar production. Key contributors include ACWA Power, which signed the EPC contract, and SEPCOIII, a subsidiary of PowerChina, which announced the project's operational status. Huawei also provided photovoltaic inverters and storage systems.

The broader Red Sea destination spans 28,000 km² and includes an archipelago of over 90 islands. To protect marine ecosystems, the project has implemented a strict visitor cap of one million people per year and aims for 100% renewable energy usage. Red Sea Global has committed to a 30% net benefit in environmental preservation by 2040.