Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has inaugurated a smart grid station (SGS) in Al Ruwayyah.
The SGS was built in partnership with the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) as a result of a fruitful exchange of best practices and experiences in the latest international smart city and smart grid standards.
The construction of the SGS is part of DEWA’s efforts to implement technologies which link smart buildings for the exchange of information, improve energy and water efficiency, and optimise renewable energy in smart cities.
His Highness was briefed by Al Tayer on the various sections of the SGS, which uses a variety of smart grid technologies to generate power through renewable sources, such as solar and wind power, and maximise energy efficiency through real-time monitoring and control systems.
The SGS also allows for the reduction of loads, especially at peak times; peak shift, and the reduction of water consumption.
The components of the SGS highlight the Smart City model through three concepts or systems: the smart office, smart building, and smart factory.
The SGS concept is scalable and allows for the development of individual smart buildings, groups of smart buildings and smart areas, which ensures the efficient reduction of electricity and water consumption, as well as carbon emissions, thereby becoming a smart city.
The SGS comprises a 200kW photovoltaic solar power production system, a 9kW wind turbine, and a 500kWh lithium-ion battery energy storage system, which stores energy for later use.
The station also includes over 2,000 sensors based on the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, and smart meters distributed throughout the facility to monitor power and water demand data in real-time for the purpose of improved energy and water management.
The system has the potential to reduce demand when required by eliminating non-critical loads through smart lighting, smart power outlets, and smart air conditioning systems.
The SGS is also integrated with a smart chiller system through a building management system and a 100-tonne thermal energy storage system, which stores surplus cooling energy to be used when required, thereby reducing the demand on the smart chiller system.
Al Tayer thanked His Highness for his presence at the opening ceremony and his support for the energy sector in Dubai and the UAE. “…In line with our vision of being a leading sustainable innovative global corporation, we seek to shape the future of the energy sector locally, regionally, and globally through government innovation by keeping pace with the Fourth Industrial Revolution and adopting innovative, disruptive techniques, such as artificial intelligence, IoT, robotics, and 3D printing,” said Al Tayer.
DEWA signed a contract with KEPCO in November 2015 for the development of the SGS at DEWA’s green vehicle workshop in Ruwayyah.
The contract was an outcome of the MoU signed between the two parties in 2014 to collaborate and exchange information on various topics, including smart grids, smart cities, demand side management, etc.
