Themar Al Emarat has selected Cat dealer Al-Bahar to supply a 5.94 MW hybrid energy solution that provides power for its new agricultural facility located in the Al Kaheef area of the Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

The solution from Al-Bahar and Caterpillar includes nearly 23,000 Cat PVT117 photovoltaic modules that generate up to 2.7 MW of solar-powered energy and five Cat 3412 diesel generator sets that supply 3.24 MW of power. The system is supported by a 286 kWh/250 kW grid stability module supplied by a Cat Energy Storage System and Cat BDP bidirectional inverters. A Cat Microgrid Master Controller will autonomously manage the entire system and use Cat Connect Remote Asset Monitoring for the real-time collection and off-site monitoring of system performance data.

Scheduled to begin operations in late 2019, the solar farm at Themar Al Emarat will be the largest single-site microgrid located in the UAE. A leading agricultural producer in the Middle East, Themar Al Emarat will use the system to provide power for cooling equipment, water chilling, mushroom cultivation and other greenhouse processes. The facility will produce mushrooms, lettuce, and other crops used and consumed locally.

“Energy consumption accounts for the majority of long-term operating costs for technologically advanced agricultural farms that use climate control systems to support production during the summer in the UAE,” said Dr. Ghanem Al Hajri, chief executive officer of Themar Al Emarat. “By leveraging Al-Bahar’s and Caterpillar’s global expertise in power generation technologies, we have been able to specify and design a customized power solution that helps to make our operations economically viable.”

Advanced hybrid energy solutions from Caterpillar
The Cat Master Microgrid Controller and Cat Energy Storage System are part of Caterpillar’s hybrid energy solutions technology suite, which is designed to reduce fuel expenses, lower utility bills, decrease emissions, and reduce the total cost of ownership while increasing energy resiliency in even the most challenging environments. Key offerings include:

• The Cat Master Microgrid Controller (MMC), which keeps loads continuously energized with high-quality power at the lowest cost by managing the flow of power from every source in the system;

• Cat Connect Remote Asset Monitoring, which provides data visualization, reporting and alerts from anywhere in the world through an easy-to-use web interface;

• Cat Bi-Directional Power (BDP) inverters, which supply real and reactive power with grid-forming and grid-following capabilities; and

• the Cat Energy Storage System, which uses advanced lithium-ion batteries with superior energy density, high discharge/recharge efficiency and high cycle life to compensate for fluctuations in output from renewable energy sources.

“Caterpillar and the Cat dealer network serve a wide range of industries, which is why it’s critical for us to approach every customer application without a predetermined preference for any specific power generation technology,” said Joel Feucht, general manager for Caterpillar’s Large Electric Power business. “We have a powerful mix of conventional and renewable power generation products backed by global expertise and local support, and this unique combination enables us to design power solutions with optimized performance, sustainability, durability, and owning and operating costs.”

For more information:
Caterpillar
Electric_Power@cat.com 
www.cat.com/microgrid

Publication date: 8/23/2019