An Assessment of Alternative Energy Storage Systems in Saudi Arabia

Abdoalateef Alzhrani

doi:10.48084/etasr.16337

Authors

Abdoalateef Alzhrani Department of Electrical Engineering, Jubail Industrial College, Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia

Volume: 16 | Issue: 2 | Pages: 33253-33265 | April 2026 | https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.16337

Received: 17 November 2025 | Revised: 6 January 2026 | Accepted: 23 January 2026 | Online: 4 April 2026

Corresponding author: Abdoalateef Alzhrani

Abstract

This study investigates the suitability of non-battery Energy Storage Systems (ESS) for large-scale deployment in Saudi Arabia, with a focus on Flywheel Energy Storage Systems (FESS), Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES), Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES), and Gravity Energy Storage Systems (GESS) across their principal configurations. The analysis is framed within the Kingdom's Vision 2030 objective of achieving 50% electricity generation from renewable sources and integrates regional electricity demand patterns for 2023 alongside climatic and geological considerations. A structured Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) framework was developed, incorporating sixteen technical, environmental, operational, and economic criteria. The technological performance was assessed using both the Weighted Sum Model (WSM) and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Consistency between the two methods, supported by sensitivity analysis of the most influential criteria, demonstrates the robustness of the evaluation. Results show that national summer peak demand reaches approximately 70 GW. The Central and Eastern regions contribute 22.4 GW and 20.9 GW, respectively, highlighting favorable conditions for FESS due to its rapid response and grid-support capabilities. The southwestern region, particularly Asir, exhibits strong suitability for PHES owing to its elevation profile and existing dam infrastructure, whereas GESS aligns well with Saudi Arabia's extensive flat terrain and proximity to large-scale solar developments. The study concludes that non-battery ESS technologies, when matched to regional characteristics and infrastructure, represent technically viable and strategically valuable solutions for enhancing grid flexibility and supporting renewable integration in Saudi Arabia.

Keywords:

Energy Storage Systems (ESS), Saudi Arabia energy sector, energy transition, sustainable energy solutions, decarbonization strategies, energy storage market in Saudi Arabia

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

A. Altarjami, M. B. Slimene, and M. A. Khlifi, "Using Shunt Capacitors to Mitigate the Effects of Increasing Renewable Energy Penetration," Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 15320–15324, Aug. 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.7519

"Saudi Arabia Red Sea Project." Huawei. https://www.huawei.com/en/media-center/multimedia/photos/saudi-red-sea-project.

J. Mitali, S. Dhinakaran, and A. A. Mohamad, "Energy storage systems: a review," Energy Storage and Saving, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 166–216, Sept. 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enss.2022.07.002

A. Blakers, M. Stocks, B. Lu, and C. Cheng, "A review of pumped hydro energy storage," Progress in Energy, vol. 3, no. 2, Mar. 2021, Art. no. 022003. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/2516-1083/abeb5b

P. M. Johnson, "Assessment of compressed air energy storage system (CAES)," M.S. thesis, Department of Engineering, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN, USA, 2014.

A. Aghahosseini and C. Breyer, "Assessment of geological resource potential for compressed air energy storage in global electricity supply," Energy Conversion and Management, vol. 169, pp. 161–173, Aug. 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2018.05.058

IRENA, Electricity storage and renewables: costs and markets to 2030. Abu Dhabi, UAE: International Renewable Energy Agency, 2017.

A. Foley and I. Díaz Lobera, "Impacts of compressed air energy storage plant on an electricity market with a large renewable energy portfolio," Energy, vol. 57, pp. 85–94, Aug. 2013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2013.04.031

X. Luo, J. Wang, M. Dooner, J. Clarke, and C. Krupke, "Overview of Current Development in Compressed Air Energy Storage Technology," Energy Procedia, vol. 62, pp. 603–611, Jan. 2014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2014.12.423

F. Calero et al., "A Review of Modeling and Applications of Energy Storage Systems in Power Grids," Proceedings of the IEEE, vol. 111, no. 7, pp. 806–831, July 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/JPROC.2022.3158607

M. E. Amiryar and K. R. Pullen, "A Review of Flywheel Energy Storage System Technologies and Their Applications," Applied Sciences, vol. 7, no. 3, Mar. 2017, Art. no. 286. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/app7030286

X. Luo, J. Wang, M. Dooner, and J. Clarke, "Overview of current development in electrical energy storage technologies and the application potential in power system operation," Applied Energy, vol. 137, pp. 511–536, Jan. 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2014.09.081

K. Xu, Y. Guo, G. Lei, and J. Zhu, "A Review of Flywheel Energy Storage System Technologies," Energies, vol. 16, no. 18, Sept. 2023, Art. no. 6462. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en16186462

M. Ghanaatian and S. Lotfifard, "Control of Flywheel Energy Storage Systems in the Presence of Uncertainties," IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 36–45, Jan. 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TSTE.2018.2822281

W. Choi et al., "Reviews on grid-connected inverter, utility-scaled battery energy storage system, and vehicle-to-grid application - challenges and opportunities," in 2017 IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference and Expo, Chicago, IL, USA, 2017, pp. 203–210. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ITEC.2017.7993272

S. Choudhury, "Flywheel energy storage systems: A critical review on technologies, applications, and future prospects," International Transactions on Electrical Energy Systems, vol. 31, no. 9, July 2021, Art. no. e13024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/2050-7038.13024

C. Matos, E. Rosales-Asensio, J. A. Carta, and P. Cabrera, "Flywheels in renewable energy Systems: An analysis of their role in managing intermittency," Journal of Energy Storage, vol. 122, June 2025, Art. no. 116674. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2025.116674

M. Jankowski et al., "Status and Development Perspectives of the Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) Technologies—A Literature Review," Energies, vol. 17, no. 9, Apr. 2024, Art. no. 2064. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en17092064

P. C. Nikolaos, F. Marios, and K. Dimitris, "A Review of Pumped Hydro Storage Systems," Energies, vol. 16, no. 11, June 2023, Art. no. 4516. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en16114516

J. P. Deane, B. P. Ó Gallachóir, and E. J. McKeogh, "Techno-economic review of existing and new pumped hydro energy storage plant," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 1293–1302, May 2010. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2009.11.015

E. Barbour, I. A. G. Wilson, J. Radcliffe, Y. Ding, and Y. Li, "A review of pumped hydro energy storage development in significant international electricity markets," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 61, pp. 421–432, Aug. 2016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.04.019

A. Rogeau, R. Girard, and G. Kariniotakis, "A generic GIS-based method for small Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES) potential evaluation at large scale," Applied Energy, vol. 197, pp. 241–253, July 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.03.103

E. Barbaros, I. Aydin, and K. Celebioglu, "Feasibility of pumped storage hydropower with existing pricing policy in Turkey," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 136, Feb. 2021, Art. no. 110449. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2020.110449

IRENA, Innovative operation of pumped hydropower storage - Innovation Landscape Brief. Abu Dhabi, UAE: International Renewable Energy Agency, 2020.

J. D. Hunt et al., "Existing and new arrangements of pumped-hydro storage plants," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 129, Sept. 2020, Art. no. 109914. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2020.109914

W. Tong et al., "Solid gravity energy storage: A review," Journal of Energy Storage, vol. 53, Sept. 2022, Art. no. 105226. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2022.105226

A. Fyke, "The Fall and Rise of Gravity Storage Technologies," Joule, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 625–630, Mar. 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2019.01.012

W. He, M. King, X. Luo, M. Dooner, D. Li, and J. Wang, "Technologies and economics of electric energy storages in power systems: Review and perspective," Advances in Applied Energy, vol. 4, Nov. 2021, Art. no. 100060. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adapen.2021.100060

S. K. Moore, "The Ups and Downs of Gravity Energy Storage: Startups are pioneering a radical new alternative to batteries for grid storage," IEEE Spectrum, vol. 58, no. 1, pp. 38–39, Jan. 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/MSPEC.2021.9311456

M. Aneke and M. Wang, "Energy storage technologies and real life applications – A state of the art review," Applied Energy, vol. 179, pp. 350–377, Oct. 2016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.06.097

S. Sundeep, L. Sethuraman, D. Akindipe, L. Fingersh, Z. Wenrick, and A. Munoz, "Repurposing inactive oil and gas wells for energy storage: maximizing the potential via optimal drivetrain control," in 12th International Conference on Power Electronics, Machines and Drives, Brussels, Belgium, 2023, pp. 486–493. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1049/icp.2023.2042

"Gravitricity." Gravitricity. https://gravitricity.com/.

"ARES North America." ARES North America. https://aresnorthamerica.com/.

"Renewable Energy Projects in Saudi Arabia." Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC). https://pb.com.sa/renewable-projects/.

"Saudi Arabia Sets New World Record in Producing Low-Cost Electricity from Wind Energy." King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), 2021. https://www.kapsarc.org/news/saudi-arabia-sets-new-world-record-in-producing-low-cost-electricity-from-wind-energy/.

"Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2023." International Renewable Energy Agency. https://www.irena.org/Publications/2024/Sep/Renewable-Power-Generation-Costs-in-2023.

S. M. Albogami and R. Boukhanouf, "Residential building energy performance evaluation for different climate zones," IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, vol. 329, no. 1, Sept. 2019, Art. no. 012026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/329/1/012026

M. Alwetaishi, "Impact of glazing to wall ratio in various climatic regions: A case study," Journal of King Saud University - Engineering Sciences, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 6–18, Jan. 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jksues.2017.03.001

"National Water Strategy – Vision and Objectives." Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA), 2018. https://www.mewa.gov.sa/ar/Ministry/Agencies/TheWaterAgency/Topics/SiteAssets/Pages/13-11-2018-1/25-9-44pdf.pdf.

D. Stanujkic, G. Popovic, D. Karabasevic, I. Meidute-Kavaliauskiene, and A. Ulutaş, "An Integrated Simple Weighted Sum Product Method—WISP," IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, vol. 70, no. 5, pp. 1933–1944, May 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2021.3075783

C.-T. Tsai, T. M. Beza, W.-B. Wu, and C.-C. Kuo, "Optimal Configuration with Capacity Analysis of a Hybrid Renewable Energy and Storage System for an Island Application," Energies, vol. 13, no. 1, Dec. 2019, Art. no. 8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en13010008

J. Mathebula and N. Mbuli, "Application of TOPSIS for Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) in Power Systems: A Systematic Literature Review," Energies, vol. 18, no. 13, July 2025, Art. no. 3478. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en18133478

P. R. Chinda and R. D. Rao, "Multi-attribute decision making approach for placement of dynaflow controllers in a power system network using particle mobility honey bee algorithm," Ain Shams Engineering Journal, vol. 13, no. 5, Sept. 2022, Art. no. 101682. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2021.101682

R. O’Shea, P. Deeney, E. Triantaphyllou, L. Diaz-Balteiro, and S. Armagan Tarim, "Weight stability intervals for multi-criteria decision analysis using the weighted sum model," Expert Systems with Applications, vol. 296, Jan. 2026, Art. no. 128460. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2025.128460

K. Mongird et al., "An Evaluation of Energy Storage Cost and Performance Characteristics," Energies, vol. 13, no. 13, June 2020, Art. no. 3307. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en13133307

J. D. Hunt et al., "Compressed air seesaw energy storage: A solution for long-term electricity storage," Journal of Energy Storage, vol. 60, Apr. 2023, Art. no. 106638. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2023.106638

R. Wang, L. Zhang, C. Shi, and C. Zhao, "A Review of Gravity Energy Storage," Energies, vol. 18, no. 7, Apr. 2025, Art. no. 1812. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en18071812

O. Schmidt, "Levelized Cost of Storage Gravity Storage," Imperial College London, Oct. 2018.

"Data and Information." Saudi Energy Regulatory Authority (SERA), 2025. https://www.sera.gov.sa/en/knowledge-center/data-and-statistics/data-and-statistics-categories/data-and-information.