‘Energy-efficiency will make Dubai Expo-ready’

Dubai’s vision of a becoming a ‘smart city’ in time for the Expo 2020 can be achieved effectively by adopting stringent energy efficiency measures, according to ABB, the global power and automation group.

Dubai is a young city and can implement the projects outlined for the next six years provided they are sustainable and energy efficient, the power giant said in a media statement. ABB reckons that Dubai’s electricity consumption is expected to reach 9.6GW by 2020, a 50 per cent jump from 2012 levels.

“This new power generated has to feed the massive developments that are being rolled out to make the city Expo-ready. The existing industries and infrastructure both commercial and residential need to start reducing the amount of power they consume to help the city grow.

This will also help support the Dubai Supreme Energy Council’s vision which aims to reduce energy demand by 30 per cent,” said Carlos Pone, CEO of ABB’s Southern Gulf, Kuwait and Pakistan.

“We are in a city that is bursting with activity and it’s the responsibility of every person and business to switch to energy efficient products and solutions to make Dubai truly a green economy, keeping in line with the Emirate’s vision,” added Pone.

He went on to cite the example of installation of drives to explain how a comparatively modest and inexpensive modification can help reduce the usage of energy. In Algeria, ABB’s drives have helped the world’s largest desalination plant reduce electrical costs, which is typically 30-60 per cent of the operating cost.

In Dubai, he said, ABB has worked on prestigious landmark projects including the world’s highest substation in Burj Khalifa, Dubai Metro, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai Aluminium and the Dubai Airport, where apart from providing a reliable network for power generation, ABB systems have helped in reducing more than 30 per cent of the energy consumption.

Pone also believed that Dubai’s vision of integrating renewable sources of energy with fossil fuels can be achieved successfully by the use of smart grids. ABB is developing one of the most intelligent grids in Sweden which will serve as a model grid to Europe in terms of minimal land usage and environmental impact.

“We help our customers squeeze the most value from each unit of energy they use. We want to tell the architects, engineers and consultants who are working on making Dubai energy smart that we have the technology and that six years to the Expo is a very short time, so make the most of now. We, in ABB, believe that good things come to those who can’t wait,” Pone added.

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