EAI Endorsed Transactions

on Energy Web Research Article

Overview and impact of the renewable energy plants

connected to the electrical network in southwest Algeria
Asma Chabani1,*, Salim Makhloufi2, Salah Lachtar3,4

1
LEESI Laboratory, Department of science Material, university of Adrar. Algeria
2
LEESI Laboratory, Department of hydrocarbons and renewable energies, university of Adrar. Algeria
3
Unité de Recherche en Energie Renouvelables en Milieu Saharien, URERMS, Centre de Développement des Energies
Renouvelables, CDER, 01000 Adrar, Algeria
4
LGEB- laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Biskra, Algeria

Abstract

Many countries have initiated strategies to produce energy from alternative sources, reduce the economic dependence on
conventional sources, and limit dioxide carbon emissions. Algeria is one of the countries producing conventional energy
sources (petrol and gas), the growing of fossils energy consumption in Algeria reduces its oil product exports. This paper
focuses on a comprehensive view of the global electrical energy situation and exactly the renewable energy sector in Algeria
with specific details of the electrical network named Pole InSalih-Adrar-Timimoun (PIAT). Also, three renewable energy
centers were revised completely technically, Also, an investigation of the Algerian renewable energy plan in horizons 2030
was attained in this paper

Keywords: Algerian electrical network, photovoltaic power plants, wind power plants, renewable energy, quantification.

Received on 11 January 2021, accepted on 23 March 2021, published on 29 March 2021

Copyright © 2021 Asma Chabani et al., licensed to EAI. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution license, which permits unlimited use, distribution and reproduction in any medium so long as the original work
is properly cited.

doi: 10.4108/eai.29-3-2021.169168

developed economies, it is expected real GDP in the United

States was dropped by 6.1 % in 2020, and expected to rise by
1. Introduction 4 % this year. In the Eurozone, the drop in real GDP was 9.1
% in 2020 and is expected to climb to 4.5% this year. In
The Covid-19 pandemic that emerged at the end of 2019 has Algeria, the decrease in real GDP was 6.4 % in 2020, while it
led to an economic shutdown in many economies in the expects to increase to 1.9 % this year [1].
world, especially the developed ones, to a drop in oil prices, The Algerian government is racing against time to get out of
which led to a contraction in the economies of oil-exporting the fuel mantle as the only source of income that the country
countries, as oil prices fell to their lowest levels. According has relied on for decades and to enter into a new era that
to the annual report of the Bretton Woods Foundation (2019- depends on diversifying the economy to achieve stable and
2020), which states that in many oil-exporting countries, secure development. Algerian government’s vision is based
measures to reduce oil production in the face of declining on stimulating investment in all the local potentials available
prices will lead to a decrease in their economic activities by 5 outside of hydrocarbons that will drive development in the
%, compared to an expected growth of 2 %, which will country, especially clean energy sources, in particular, solar
significantly slow down the economic growth. As the World and wind energies.
Bank in his last report published in June 2020 expects a 4.2 Algeria started the green energy dynamics by launching an
% contraction of global GDP for this year 2021, this was the ambitious program to develop renewable energies and energy
deepest global recession since World War II and is equivalent efficiency in line with the approach adopted by the
to three times the global recession that occurred in 2009. As government on February 3, 2011. The updated renewable
the World Bank’s report stated last year (2020), that in

Corresponding author. Email: asm.chabani@univ-adrar.edu.dz

*

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energy program consists of installing renewable energy of walking energy to electricity. Several different forms, though
about 22,000 MW by 2030 for the national market while certain pavement plates are created for the gathering of
maintaining the export option as a strategic goal, if possible electricity, are found on the body of the consumer to collect
[2]. This program aims to achieve energy savings by 2030 by kinetic energy. The paper concludes that the pavement that
63 million Top (Tonne of oil equivalent) for all sectors, which has been fitted with harvesters is more confident as it is
will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 193 million tons. independent of anatomical parameters than the technology
This program was expected to be implemented in two phases, used inside the bodies [11].
as the first phase, extending from 2015-2020, was to achieve Patlins et al. presents a process of generating electricity by
4010 MW power between PV and wind. However, what has power generating paving slabs. A prototype of an energy-
been achieved at this phase until 2018 is 444.1 MW PV, of generating slab with an electro machine unit that can operate
which 53 MW was from the share of PIAT and 10.2 MW of with one or two stepper motors have been made.
wind are all from the PIAT share as well, the other RE Experimental studies show that It is possible to estimate the
stations are distributed between the interconnected North potential of the power generating paving slabs as an
Network (RIN) and the Southern Isolated Networks (RIS). alternative source of energy, taking into account the data
The second phase extended from 2021 to 2030, is devoted to obtained from experimental studies and knowing the density
developing the electrical interconnection between RIN and of the humans flow [12].
PIAT, it will allow the installation of large renewable energy In [13], the authors chose to focus on determining the best
plants in the regions of InSalah, Adrar, Timimoun, and load resistance for mono-crystalline and polycrystaline
Bechar and their integration in the national energy system to panels for electrical energy produced which corresponds to
support the northern RIN network [3]. Most of these stations the requirement for maximum load power transmission, the
will be installed within the framework of the Desertec experimental findings are provided in the form of volt-
program as part of developing renewable energies and taking ampere characteristics and the reliance on charge current of
into account the current potentials and absorption capabilities the PV panels. The findings show the encouraging possibility
of the national grid for the transmission and distribution of of using sustainable road pavement to produce green energy.
electrical energy and energy from renewable sources, and this The objective of this paper is to present the electrical situation
program will be adapted to develop renewable energies with in Algeria with a complete overview of the last program and
a capacity of 15,000 MW by 2035, including 4000 MW will project planned in horizon 2030 with a full description of
be Implemented by 2024 (more information on this topic is in three different renewable energy stations.
section 3). The realization of these capacities will not only This paper is divided into five sections; the first focuses on
save nearly 240 billion m3 of natural gas but also avoid the the energy situation in Algeria with the last statistics and the
emission of 200 million tons of CO2, as well as the effective different electrical grid plan.
development of a network of small and medium companies The second section shows an overview of the renewable
throughout the production chain dedicated to renewable energy situation and exactly on solar and wind energy
energy [4]. potential. The national electrical network and Pole InSalih-
Several research papers have dealt with the potentials of Adrar-Timimoun (PIAT) are described in sections three and
renewable energy that Algeria abounds in, and how to benefit four respectively. The last section shows the renewable
from it in economic development and improve the social energy impact on the economy and environment of the PIAT.
conditions citizens, among these works, Zhour et al are
interested in strategy studying of energy resources
management in Algeria [5]. Boudghene focused on 2. An overview of Algeria’s energy sector
sustainability challenges in Algerian renewable energy
assessment [6]. Fathi et al assessed the technical and Until recently, Algeria relies entirely on fossil energy for its
economic implications of the cleaning protocol for electricity. Natural Gas comes first in terms of consumption
photovoltaic power plants in the Algerian Sahara [7]. Farouk for its abundance locally, followed by oil, which negatively
et al worked to identify the wind map, based on the study of affects the reserves of these two substances and their export
meteorological data [8]. Himri et al worked on studying the revenues, on which the national economy depends almost
prospects for wind energy projects in Algeria [9]. completely. So, Oil and Gas export revenues are the
Arhun et al. concentrate on the transformation of kinetic backbones of the Algerian economy, accounting for nearly
energy to electrical energy based on walking pression, this 30% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 60% of budget
type of energy classified as an alternative and decentralize revenues, and about 95% of export earnings [14]. Algeria is
source. Also, the authors use the correlation method to the currently the third Gas supplier to Europe after Russia and
analysis energy output of the kinetic system, authors propose Norway, with quantities amounting to 11% of Europe's needs
to uses devices installed in the big street to capture public [15]
movement and feed the lighting grid [10]. Algeria consumes about 20 billion cubic meters of gas
Numerous works have been done on renewable power annually, as the number of electric power stations in the
generation. Here are presented some innovative ideas country is 107, producing 20963 MW ready for exploitation
proposed recently in the literature. until the end of 2018 [16], making Algeria the fourth country
Nia et al. focus on walking energy generation, compare and in Africa after Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt, respectively.
classify the most powerful technologies used for transforming Most of these plants depend on producing electric energy

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 Quantification and impact of the renewable energy plants connected to the electrical network in southwest Algeria

using gas turbines. With the increased demand for electricity 3. Potential energy potential in Algeria
annually, which is imposed by the acceleration in economic
and demographic growth, the Ministry of Energy has come to Solar energy is one of the most abundant and renewable
approve renewable energy stations, especially solar energy, sources of energy in the world, and it is a solar beam that can
through the production fields of the Electricity & Renewable be used in several matters, the most important of which is
Energy Company (SKTM), which allows at the long term an electricity generation, and since it is spread all over the world
economy of about 300 billion m3 of gas, which means an differently, it is considered a clean source of energy, and
additional volume of the country's reserves equivalent of 7 to therefore, the Exploiting 1% of this energy appropriately will
8 years of current natural gas consumption. SKTM is meet the largest of the world's energy needs in the future [19].
considered as one of the production sectors that belongs to the Algeria is one of the most important sources of solar energy
National Electricity & Gas Company (SONELGAZ), created in the world due to its geographical location, which is
in April 2013, in a context marked by a major factor which is characterized by abundant radiation throughout the year,
the necessity to satisfy the demand for electricity in the especially in the Sahara region, according to the World
Algerian Sahara (great south), in the best conditions of quality Energy Council report (WEC) [20] as shown in Fig. 1 and
and continuity service, depending on the development and table 2 [21,22]. This region is characterized by ideal
promotion of renewable energies. conditions for the production of solar energy in the world, as
In this context, Algeria launched the renewable energy it enjoys a severe decrease in humidity, lack of clouds and
program, which aims to produce 22,000 MW of electricity lack of rain throughout the year, and vast flat and empty
from renewable sources such as solar and wind energy in the lands. All these conditions are enormous potential for energy
medium and long term, and this will enable the creation of generation compared to the requirements regional and global
about 700,000 jobs. Also, renewable energy stations provide energy, as 10% of the Algerian desert can provide the EU's
economic benefits such as reducing Among the costs of energy needs [23]
producing electric energy, starting from exploiting the
capabilities of transferring clean energies, preserving the
environment, and reducing Gas emissions while reducing the Table 2. Solar potential by climatic region in Algeria
use of the latter in electricity generation to avoid the dangers
of air pollution, in fulfillment of Algeria's obligations in terms
of climate protection agreements. Areas Coastal High Sahara
But, this year comes in an exceptional circumstance on all area plans
countries of the world after the outbreak of the global health Surface (%) 4 10 86
crisis due to COVID-19 and its economic turmoil in global Area (km2) 95.27 238.174 2.048.297
markets which led to a sharp drop in the price of oil, Algeria Mean daily 7.26 8.22 9.59
is facing a joint economic shock that has led to a decline in sunshine duration
Algeria's total oil revenues this year 2020 to 21.2 %. These (h)
Average duration 2650 3000 3500
exceptional conditions will increase the trade deficit to a peak
of sunshine
of 18.8% of GDP in 2020 [17]. The economic indicator for (h/year)
2019 is presented in the table. 1. Received average 1700 1900 2650
energy
(kWh/m2/year)
Table 1. Economic indicators for 2019 Solar daily energy 4.66 5.21 7.26
density (kWh/m2)
Potential daily 443.96 1240.89 14.870.63
Population, Million 42.7 energy (TWh)
GDP, Current USD billion 206.3
GDP per capita, current USD 4834
Algeria is indeed one of the most important sources of solar
As a step to reduce total dependence on fossil fuels, currently energy in the world with a duration of sunshine of 3000 hours
Algeria relies on the five-energy strategy that was per year and reaches 3900 hours in Sahara. With this
implemented in 1998, when the government launched special enormous sunshine quantity per year, Algeria presents the
funds to develop remote areas in general and southern most important solar potential of the whole Mediterranean
(Sahara) in particular. This program was the first step to basin, according to the data provided by the Center for
encourage the establishment of isolated stations to produce Development of Renewable Energy (CDER), MEM, and
electrical energy using renewable energies, especially solar WEC. This potential for solar energy exceeds 6 billion
energy. These energies are represented in five main sources: GWh/year. A study conducted by the German Aerospace
natural gas, oil, solar energy, wind energy, and hydropower. Centre (DLR) and the CDER, mainly based on satellite image
In this context, the International Energy Agency estimated processing, concluded on assessing the economic potential
that Algeria has vast areas in the Sahara that enjoy strong for solar energy generation in Algeria.
sunlight all year capable of producing 162 TWh of electricity
[18].

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implementing renewable energy development programs

through solar power plants in the Algerian Sahara.
The RE, in particular, the PV or Concentrated solar power
(CSP) are currently a response to resolve the environmental
problems and greenhouse gas emission which are considered
the main cause of global problem warming, and a permanent
solution to increased energy requirements [26,27].

3.1 PV solar energy

Recently, many research centers all over the world have
harnessed huge potential for developing solar PV energy
technology, which is one of the key technologies able to cover
the growing global demand with clean energy and the lowest
cost. In this context, several countries, including Algeria,
have adopted various programs to support their conventional
electrical networks with solar PV systems, to cover the
increase in demand due to economic growth.
Figure 1. Potential for solar energy supply in the A- PV solar energy realizations
different Algeria region (Wh/m2) [24] In the Table 3 below, we review all the solar PV power plants
connected to the grid, which are represented by 23
photovoltaic stations spread across the entire national
The theoretical economic potential data were obtained are territory that entered service until January 2018, based on the
gathered in the RE guide report by the MEM [22,25], where renewable energy managed by the electricity and renewable
the Thermal Solar (TS) producible is estimated at 169,000 energy company (SKTM):
TWh/year, and the PV Solar is estimated at 13.9 TWh/year. B- PV solar energy development program
The recently targets planned by the Algerian government Algeria started the green energy dynamic by launching an
regarding RE, the Dii Desert Energy (Desertec) mega- ambitious program to develop renewable energy (RE) and
environmental project, which is based on the utilization of energy efficiency. This vision of the Algerian government is
solar energy available in the North African desert, including based on a strategy that focuses on developing endless
the Algerian desert, aims to provide neighboring regions and resources such as solar energy and using it to diversify energy
Europe with green electricity in a sustainable manner. sources and prepare Algeria thanks to a mix of initiatives for
The project started in 2003 under the auspices of Club Roma. a new era in sustainable energy.
Its investment cost is estimated at at least 400 billion Euros, This updated program consists of installing about 22,000 MW
which makes it cover the equivalent of 20% of Europe's of renewable energy by 2030 for the national market. This
electricity needs. program was accompanied by the adoption of an appropriate
The project has been frozen by successive governments in the legal framework for the RE promotion, not only through
past decade because it is considered a useless project. multifaceted incentives devoted to investment in the RE
According to the program presented by the new president, the industry and its uses but also the promotion of the related
use of renewable energies, especially solar energy, is on his production equipment industry [3,22].
agenda. On February 13 2021, the Minister of Energy Since its launch from 2011 to 2018, only 344.1 MW of PV
announced the relaunch of the Desertec project, to ensure that energy has been achieved (Table 3), with some promising
Algeria will be able to produce at least 15,000 MW of private initiatives, especially in the production of PV panels
electricity by 2035. To this end, the Minister of Energy locally.
clarified that the SONELGAZ was responsible for

Table 3. PV solar energy realizations

Province PV Power plant Surface Installed Capacity commissioning

location (Hectare) (MW) date
RIN
GHARDAIA Oued Nechou 05 1.1 10/07/2014
DJELFA Ain-El-Ibel (I) 40 20 08/04/2016
LAGHOUAT El Khnag (I) 40 20 08/04/2016
SOUK AHRAS Oued El Keberit 20 15 24/04/2016
NAAMA Sedrate Leghzal 32 20 03/05/2016
SAIDA Ain-Skhouna 60 30 05/05/2016
SIDI-BEL-ABBES Telagh 30 12 29/09/2016

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EL BAYADH Biodh Sidi Chikh 40 23 26/10/2016

M’SILA Ain-El-Melh 40 20 26/01/2017
OUARGLA El-Hdjira 60 30 16/02/2017
DJELFA Ain-El-Ibel (II) 80 33 06/04/2017
LAGHOUAT El-Khnag (II) 80 40 26/04/2017
BATNA Oued El-Ma 04 02 16/01/2018
TOTAL RIN (PV SE) 266.1
PIAT
ADRAR Kabertene 06 03 13/10/2015
ADRAR Adrar 40 20 28/10/2015
ADRAR Zaouiet.Kounta 12 06 11/01/2016
ADRAR Reggane 10 05 28/01/2016
ADRAR Timimoun 18 09 07/02/2016
TAMANRASSET In-Salah 10 05 11/02/2016
ADRAR Aoulef 10 05 07/03/2016
TOTAL PIAT (PV SE) 53
RIS
TAMANRASSET Tamanrasset 26 13 03/11/2015
TINDOUF Tindouf 18 09 14/12/2015
ILLIZI Djanet 06 03 19/02/2015
Total RIS (PV SE) 25
Total SKTM (PV SE) 344.1

This ambitious program was resumed this year (2020) thanks energy projects with a production capacity of 944 MW at the
to a call for tenders for the first 4050 MW of production over end of 2019.
the next two years. The energy component of the program Being committed to a new stage in developing renewable
provides for the creation of a partnership to finance, build and energies, Algeria plans to reach, by 2030, nearly 40 percent
operate several PV power plants of 1030 MW each [28]. of national electricity production from renewable energy
The Algerian government intends to develop the electrical sources, despite the choice of solar energy as the predominant
interconnection between the North and the Sahara (RIN- one. Wind energy comes in the second line of production in
PIAT), which will allow the installation of large renewable this program. Before studying the possibility of establishing
energy plants in the regions of In Salah, Adrar, Timimoune, a wind farm in a specific area, it is necessary to carry out
and Bechar and their integration into the national energy studies on wind fields across various sites to know the
system. By this deadline, PV solar farms could be accurate meteorology of winds. Therefore, the Renewable
economically viable [3] Energies Development Center (CDER) has conducted in-
depth studies to locate wind fields across the country’s
territory [22]. These studies of wind energy data collected
3.2 Wind energy over 5 years from 75 sites of the Weather station for the
National Weather Observatory across the national territory,
Wind energy is one of the cleanest and least expensive concluded that 8 sites have enormous wind energy potentials.
energies since over the past two decades, wind energy These areas were identified in descending order according to
generation has increased significantly across the world. the strength of the wind, In-Saleh, Tiaret, Adrar, Tindouf,
According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) [29], Biskra, Oran, Bejaia, and Bordj Bou Arreridj. The average
installed capacity jumped from 591 GW in 2018, to 621 GW wind speed in some locations is 5 m/s and 8.5 m/s at an
in 2019. The European Union countries led by Germany, altitude of 80 m (Fig. 2).
France, Sweden, UK, and Turkey were the leaders in wind A- Wind energy realization
power plants with a total capacity of 182.652 GW. As part of the application of the renewable energy program
Recently, China launched a massive and ambitious program "2011-2030", the first 10.2 MW wind farm was installed and
with a total of 229 GW installed until the end of 2019, put into service in 2014, in the Kabertene region in Adrar.
equivalent to a quarter of the production capacity of wind This electricity production plant, the first of its kind on a
energy in the world, followed by the USA, which has 105 GW national scale, consists of 12 wind turbines of 850 kW of
and India with 37 GW registered at the end of 2019. power, located on an area of 33 hectares [22].
On the African continent, wind energy development is still B- Wind energy development program
weak, as it was only 6.673 GW distributed mainly in South Algeria is keen to integrate wind energy into the energy mix,
Africa, Egypt, and Kenya. It was recently supported by wind which is seen today as a major issue. The 2030 target set by
the Ministry of Energy is a deadline that must be reached

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inevitably by launching and implementing projects in a very What has been accomplished from wind energy farms until
short time to ensure the 5 GW of the wind energy envisaged. this year 2020 is one farm, in Adrar city with a power of 10
Indeed, embodying the renewable energies program, MW (Table 4). Waiting for the remainder of the government's
especially the wind component, requires the construction of plan to invest in wind energy by installing 5 GW of wind
about twenty wind farms, each consisting of a hundred high- energy out of 22 GW of renewable energy by 2030 [30].
capacity wind turbines (1.5 MW - 3 MW), and thus involve
large-scale work [3].

Figure 2. Wind fields Algeria chart at 10 m altitudes on the surface of the Earth [5]

Table 4. Algeria total wind farm installed capacity

Province PV Power plant Surface Installed Capacity commissioning

location (Hectare) (MW) date
PIAT
ADRAR Kabertene 33 10.2 04/07/2014
Total SKTM (WE) 10.2

3.4 Geothermal potential

3.3 Hydraulic energy
Algeria have mediterranean climate instable and
From the biggest program proposed by the Algerian uncomfortable in winter and summer seasons that makes use
government to produce green energy, hydraulic energy can of heating or air-conditioner necessity. Algeria have more
cover the electrical and water consumption of this country. than 200 geothermal location, divided in three section, north-
The annual quantity of rainfall estimated at 65 billion m3, just east, north-west and south-west with temperature equal to
25 billion m3 are used due to few barrage numbers (from 103 5°C/100m, Fig.3 bellow illustrates geothermal resource in
location just 50 barrages are used) [31]. In 2019, Algeria Algeria [34,36].
generates more than 228 MW (0.21% of global power
production) using hydraulic power, this type of power
characterizes by low Levelized cost compare to other
resources due to natural storage and freely resource [32,33].

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PIAT is a network consisting of 28 power plants, most of

which are gas turbines, interconnected with a capacity of 220
kV and covering large areas in the southwest of the country
(InSaleh-Adrar-Timimoun).
RIS is a group of electrical stations isolated between them,
spread across 26 sites in the middle and far south of the
Sahara. This electrical network covers remote areas far from
the main networks.
These three networks can be summarized by numbers in the
following table 5 according to the latest report published by
the Algerian Electricity and Gas Company for the year 2020
[37].

Table 5. Evolution of the main parameters of the 3

electricity networks (2000-2020).

Figure 3. geothermal maps of Algeria [35] Parameters Year Year Evolution

2000 2020 2000-2020
(%)
4. Algeria electrical network description Installed capacity 5907 20963 355%
(MW)
The electricity network in Algeria consists of three main Electricity 12285 29644 241%
transmission
electrical networks, namely, the interconnected national
network (Km)
network (RIN), which extends the north of the country, to the Electricity 192481 338380 176%
Pole (PIAT), and the isolated southern networks (RIS). distribution
These networks depend on the production of electric energy network (Km)
on several different gases, diesel, steam, combined cycle, and Number of 4 544 9 605 211%
hydropower stations, assured by the Algerian National electricity 289 685
Electricity Production Company (SPE). These networks were customers (Unit)
supported by renewable energy stations within the framework Electrical - 72395 -
of the national plan for renewable energies that started in production (GWh)
2013 when the Renewable Energy Electricity Company
(SKTM) was created in the same year, and it was entrusted It is also possible to mention the history of the development
with the task of building and operating these stations. and growth of the conventional and renewable produced
RIN is a network consisting of 40 stations for the electricity energy for these 3 networks combined from 1980
production of electric energy, and it is available on two to 2018 according to the reports of (Bilan énergétique
transport lines, one with a capacity of 400 kV and the other National) internet network site in the following table:
with a capacity of 220 kV, covering all the north of the
country with electricity (residential compounds and all of its
facilities and industrial areas).

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Figure 4. Algerian electricity network

Table 6. Development and growth of conventional and renewable electric energy in Algeria between (1980-2018)
[38]

Electrical Steam Gas Combined Hydraulic Diesel Photovoltaic Total

production turbine turbine cycle wind (GWh)
by type of
primary
energy
1980 3621 2223 - 251 125 - 6220
1990 8397 6704 - 135 216 - 15452
2005 16624 15679 386 555 281 - 33525
2006 14558 16463 3419 218 264 - 34922
2007 14142 17011 5321 226 250 - 36950
2008 13384 20339 5704 277 283 - 39987
2009 11857 19940 10318 342 313 - 42770
2010 9692 19564 15341 173 403 - 45173
2011 9654 22055 15701 378 464 - 48252
2012 9422 24075 18623 389 416 - 52925
2013 9582 17400 27685 98 227 - 54992
2014 10221 20211 28444 193 248 2 59319
2015 10227 26970 26122 145 276 33 63773
2016 11511 24441 29664 72 281 264 70997
2017 9992 30752 29204 56 314 579 76017
2018 10682 36580 28244 117 374 666 76663

5. PIAT electrical network details 5.1 Technical details of some renewable

energy plants
As part of the implementation of the National Renewable
Energy Program (NREP), the PIAT electrical network is a In this section, technical details information of some
typical example of the integration of renewable energy where renewable energy plants installed closer to Adrar city and its
there is the greatest potential for solar and wind energies in environs are presented.
this Sahara area. A- 20 MW Photovoltaic power plant (Adrar)
Table 7 bellow mentions all the PIAT conventional power This 20 MWc photovoltaic power plant installed in the West
plants, which commissioned from its inception in 1982 to Adrar city, it occupies an area of 40 Hectares with 81840
2017 (SKTM): panels, which is entered into service on October 12, 2015, it
is connected to a 30 kV PIAT electrical distribution network.

Table 7. Conventional power plants installed capacity

for PIAT electrical grid.

Conventional Number of installed

power plants Generators Capacity (MW)
Adrar 10 186
Zaouiet Kounta 08 160
In-Salah 04 96
Timimoun 04 80
Kabertane 02 40
Total 28 562

As for installed capacity from renewable energies power

plants integrated into PIAT electrical grid, there are 7
photovoltaic power plants and one for wind farm (see
respectively tables 3 and 4) with a production capacity of 63.2
MW, equivalent to 11% of the total energy produced. Figure 5. Panoramic photograph of the 20 MW PV
power plant (Adrar).

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This station consists of twenty (20) identical photovoltaic Table 10. Power transformer technical specifications
sub-fields, each one comprising a conversion station, a
transformer station and a field of solar modules with a
production of 1 MWc, forming 93 arrays, each array consists Designation Characteristic
of 44 panels divided into 2 strings, each string consists of 22 Mark SUTEN CHINE
panels connected in series. The panels are manufactured Refreshing ONAN
using polycrystalline silicon by Yingly Solar (Fig.5). Isolation Oil
The panel technical specifications are given in Table 8. Winding Copper
Nominal power 1250 KVA 160 KVA
Primary voltage 2x315 V 30 KV+/-5%
Secondary voltage 30 KV+/-5% 400 V
Table 8. Panel technical specifications Isolation level 36 kV
Coupling DY11 DYN114
Vcc 6%
Designation Characteristic
Mark YINGLI SOLAR
B- 3 MW Photovoltaic power plant (Kaberten)
Module type YL245P-29b This 3 MW photovoltaic power plant shown in Fig.5 is
Cell type polycrystalline Silicon installed in the Kaberten area 60 km North-West of Adrar
Application class A city. It occupies an area of 6 hectares with 12276 panels,
Pmax (W) 245 W which is entered into service in July 2014, it is connected to
Vpm (V) 29.6 V the same 30 kV PIAT electrical distribution network. This
Imp (A) 8.28 A station consists of three (3) identical photovoltaic sub-fields,
Voc (V) 37.5 V each comprising a conversion station, a transformer station,
Isc (A) 8.83 A and a field of solar modules with a production of 1 MW.
Max series fuse 15 A All the equipment at this PV power plant (3 MW) is identical
Vmax 1000 V to that at the 20 MW Adrar, such as solar panels, inverters,
and power transformers. The dimensioning of these two PV
The inverter technical specifications are given in Table. 9. power plants is shown in Table. 11.

Table 11: PV power plant dimension

Table 9. Inverter technical specifications
Power plant sizing Kaberten (3 Adrar (20
MW) MW)
Designation Characteristic Sub-fields number 03 20
Mark SUNGROW Power plant total 12276 81840
Type SG 500MX panels
Protection class I Panels number per 4092 4092
Protection IP IP 21 Sub-field
Operating temperature -30˚C à +55˚C Total panels surface 6644 m2 44294 m2
Input – DC
Vmax 1000V C- 10 MW wind turbine power plant (Kaberten)
Isc 1344 A This farm shown in Fig.6 is installed in the Kaberten area,
Min-VMPP 500V depends on wind energy, and its electrical energy production
Max-VMPP 850V is based on Doubly Fed Induction Generators (DFIG)
Max-Input current 1120 A manufactured by (GAMESA), each other has a 0.85 MW
Overvoltage category II
nominal power, with a produced energy is 690Vac. the station
Output – AC
is composed of twelve (12) wind turbines with a total
Max-Output power 500 KW
Nominal output voltage 3315 V
production of 10 MW, each separated from the other with a
Nominal output frequency 50 Hz parallel connection to facilitate the maintenance, and it covers
Max output current 1008 A an area of 33 hectares and is associated with the 30 kV PIAT
Power factor [-0,9 -1] [0,9 1] electrical distribution network.
Overvoltage category III According to its technical specification presented in the
Table. 12, each of these turbines can reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by 1000 tons/year
The power transformer technical specifications are given in The DFIG technical specifications are given in the table
Table. 10. below:

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Asma Chabani, Salim Makhloufi, Salah Lachtar

Table 12: DFIG and converter technical specifications Speed range with triangle 1050 –1900 tr/min
connection
Admissible operating -30 °C/+ 50 °C
Designation Characteristic temperature range
Mark GAMESA Admissible storage and 40°C/+ 60°C
Type G52-850 transport temperature
Height 55 m range
Blades number 3 blades of 60 m length Maxi humidity level 95 % (without-condensing)
Total nominal power 850kW allowed during operation
delivered by the machine Grid nominal voltage 690V
(stator/rotor sum power) Converter nominal 71 A RMS
Annual energy produced 3.42 GWh (Sav: 8.5 m/s, air: current – Grid side
1.225kg/m3) Converter max current – 91 A RMS
Stator nominal power 812kW Grid side
Rotor nominal power 59KW Converter min current – 59 A RMS
Nominal voltage 690kW Grid side
Icc max ± 19,5 kA Icc max 19.5 A RMS
Converter power – Rotor 59 kW
Voltage Limits in Normal 10% (Perm) +20 %(0,1 s) - side
Operation 20%(1 s) Converter nominal 183V
Confirm with network P.O.12.3 voltage – Rotor side
regulations Converter nominal 268A
Nominal frequency 50/60 Hz current – Rotor side
operating network Converter max voltage – 608V
Allowed frequency range ±2 Hz (cont.) ±4 Hz(5s.) Rotor side
Scalable Cos Ф range 0,95 cap./ind Converter max current – 354A
Generator synchronous 1500 tr/min (F=50 Hz ) Rotor side
speed 1800tr/min(60Hz) Max slip 26.6%
Generator nominal speed 1620 tr/min (F= 50Hz)
1944tr/min (F= 60 Hz)
Generator nominal slip 8%

Figure 6. Panoramic photograph of the 3 MW PV power plant (Kaberten)

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 Quantification and impact of the renewable energy plants connected to the electrical network in southwest Algeria

Figure 7. Panoramic photograph of the 10 MW wind turbine farm (Kaberten)

The power transformer technical specifications are given in The PIAT electricity transmission network shown in Fig.7
is a set of 220 kV high-voltage line and substation works and
Table. 13.
equipped with a telecommunications network for monitoring,
controlling, and remote control of equipment. This network
is managed by the Manager of the Electricity Transport
Table 13. Power transformer technical specifications Network, called GRTE Spa, a SONELGAZ Group filial, it
was created on January 1, 2004, Following Law No. 02-01 of
February 5, 2002, GRTE has a natural monopoly on the
Designation Characteristic transmission of electricity throughout the national territory.
Power 1 MW In this regard, the Manager has the authorization to operate
Loss 5% the transport network issued by the Ministry of Energy and
Transformation ratio 690V/30kV Mines, after advice from the Electricity and Gas Regulation
Operating voltage 30kV -15/+10% Commission (CREG). Besides, GRTE is responsible of the
Iron loss 2300W operation, maintenance, and development of the electricity
Copper loss 14300W à P max
transport network, intending to guarantee adequate capacity
for transit and reserve needs. The grid users are power plants,
5.2 PIAT electrical transport grid and electricity distribution companies, and customers. GRTE
production operates the total network described in Table. 14.

Table 14. Transport lines and transformer stations [37]

Electrical Voltage Length of Number of Transformation Transformers

grid 2017 Level lines transformer capacity and a mobile
(kV) (Km) stations (MVA) cabin
Total grid 220 30515 319 62083 657
400 4497 22
PIAT 220 576.5 9 680 -

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Asma Chabani, Salim Makhloufi, Salah Lachtar

Figure 8. PIAT grid operational diagram, SKTM, 2017

3477792,308
3445473,893

3330629,088
3227663,618

3204129,028

3145265,05
3105616,403

2986853,16
2927911,912

2928245,632

2895465,085

2541221,7

Figure 9. Gas quantity in m3 conserved per month in 2017

as shown in Fig. 9, which is a large quantity when burned
it will emit into the atmosphere the equivalent of 166550
6. Impact of renewable energy plants tons of CO2. But, the contribution of renewable energy
stations remains weak compared to the power stations that
The energy contribution from renewable energy plants to depend on diesel and NG, which is coming the first with a
cover the annual demand for the PIAT network reached ratio of 89.76 %, followed by PV power stations with a
111 GWh in 2017, the equivalent of 37 million m3 monthly ratio of 8.51 %, and the wind power comes in last with a

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 Quantification and impact of the renewable energy plants connected to the electrical network in southwest Algeria

single station producing a ratio of 1.73 % of total PIAT 7. Conclusion

energy.
Fig. 10 shows the annual evolution in demand for power Renewable energy in Algeria takes a high priority in
during three different times of the day to study the government program proved by the renewable energy
maximum peak in energy demand, it can be noticed that development 2011-2030 plan. Algeria benefits of a high
energy demand in the morning and in the evening is almost solar potential with more than 3500 sunshine hours per
the same during a lage period of the year, while demand year and wide unexplored ground. Also, wind energy takes
decreases around midnight. It is considered here that the important place in national program due to high wind speed
energy demand of industrial activities and the pumping of (more than 9 m/s annual average).
drinking water for the population, including its use in Algeria is integrated into the utilization and development
agricultural activity, is almost stable throughout the year. of renewable energies as a part of a global approach to meet
The household energy demand drops to its lowest level the needs for clean energy needs, reducing greenhouse gas
from November to March. This period is known for its mild emissions that causing global warming, and ridding the
climate. Whereas, the energy demand begins to increase local economy of dependency on fossil resource revenues.
with the increase in temperatures, from April to reach its In this context, successive Algerian governments have
highest levels in July, where the total demand for energy established, over a decade ago, several organizational and
reaches 100% compared to the previous period. Then, structural frameworks for the advancement of this vital
temperatures begin to drop gradually until the end of sector, among which mentioning:
October, where the climatic conditions go back to their • Create a favorable policy and regulatory
beginnings. framework that classifies the renewable energy
350 program as a national priority;
• Creation of a subsidiary company devoted to
renewable energies and conventional power
300
plants for the Great South Networks (SKTM);
• Establishing several meteorological stations to
250 explore sites that are rich in renewable energies,
such as wind speed, direction, humidity, solar
radiation, etc.
200 This program required launching new industrial activities
and reviving other industries, among them:
MW

150 • Launching the project of a solar panels factory in

Rouiba area, near Algiers, in partnership with
local and foreign specialized companies.
100 • Reviving the industries that are involved in the
manufacture and production of solar panels, such
50 as glass factories, aluminum factories, and
electrical products factories.
This program also contributed to stimulating the fields of
0 training, research, and development through a partnership
with several universities and national research centers to
support the program, among the most important of these
centers are CDER and UDES (unity of developing solar
equipement), where they were entrusted with the task of
Peak morning Peak evening Midnight mapping renewable energies across the entire national
territory, diagnosing PV stations (connected to the network
Figure 10. Annual evolution in demand for power or Independent) and studying the effect of integrating
photovoltaic power stations into the Saharan networks.
Also policy and strategy study conducted in partnership
The main reason for the high energy demand is due to the with the Centre for Applied Economics in Development
high temperature, where weather conditions force residents (CREAD) to establish the solar PV industry in Algeria, and
to use air conditioners for long hours a day, especially in comparative technical and economic studies of solar
the morning and in the evening. While, its operation during photovoltaic technologies between PV and highly
the night period decreases due to a significant drop in concentrated PV (HCPV).
temperature compared to the day, and there is no house Since 2010, the National Electricity and Gas Company,
without air conditioners since each house has two of them SONELGAZ, has prepared several training courses in the
at least. Also, refrigeration equipment in commercial stores field of renewable energies in its technical schools, which
and cold rooms with economic activity have to be have trained more than 2000 managers and technicians,
considered. including 23 belonging to African companies.

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Asma Chabani, Salim Makhloufi, Salah Lachtar

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