There are great many new challenges facing the region and decisions need to be made today that will shape the region's electricity grids in 2020 and beyond, said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of DubaiElectricity and Water Authority (Dewa), at 'Smart Electricity World' Conference, in Dubai on Tuesday.
"In Dewa, we are building on several major achievements on our SmartGrids journey, as electricity and water areinextricably linked. I believe that future SmartGrids should take a holistic approach to ensure that any synergiesand benefits are leveraged. For the Mena region, some of these are environmental, rising population, rising demandsfor electricity and water, the imperative of maintaining security of supply, sustainable supply and of courseensuring that this supply is affordable." Al Tayer added.
He said: "We adopt the most efficient combined cycle-cogeneration process in power generation and desalinated waterproduction facilities and, despite the harsh climatic conditions, we have increased our plant efficiencies usingnew and smart gas turbine technologies with little additional Capex. We have already implemented a number of smart technology measures on our electricity networks such as using thelatest SCADA systems, intelligent asset monitoring, control and automation. We have improved the distributionnetwork efficiency by conversion of most of our 6.6 kV networks to more efficient 11 kV networks. We have succeededin reducing substantially our electricity network losses and our unaccounted-for water through networkrehabilitation and more optimal network design, engineering, maintenance and procurement".
On the demand side, it's almost 3 years since the launch of Dubai's Sustainability drive. Through new methods of design, construction and operation, electricity and water consumption will substantially be reduced. Otherconservation measures implemented are the provision of energy saving light bulbs, replacement of inadequate water taps and installation of smart control systems in buildings to optimise the consumption of electricity and water,he said.
"At Dewa, we are fully aware that maintaining security of supply for electricity and water through a strategy ofoptimal and diverse generation fuel mix is very important for us. We see IGCC and Clean Coal etc, as potential future clean energy sources. In addition, we see small size, distributed, clean, indigenous energy sources such as renewable solar energy as having the potential to make a valuable contribution to our future electricity supply mix as the techniques of solar energy continue to improve", he said.
Rolling out smart electricity and water meters, introducing smart technologies that can control various types of domestic, commercial and industrial demand to act as virtual generation; etc; all present not only new challenges to the Grid but also new opportunities. Smart transportation e.g. Electric Vehicles and Plug-in Hybrid EVs require clear planning and grid integration strategies to ensure that challenges are overcome and grid opportunities are grasped, he noted.