Modernising the grid

In response to the rise in intelligent building and smart city concepts across the Middle East, the region is increasingly turning to innovative technology to help realise the vision of a greener and more efficient future.

“The challenges include environmental concerns, rising demands for electricity and water, the imperative of maintaining security of supply, sustainable supply and, of course, ensuring that this supply is affordable.”
-HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer

Take Dubai, for example. Despite being situated in one of the harshest climatic regions in the world, Dubai has developed into a flourishing city in one of the fastest growing emerging markets worldwide. Fundamental to this growth is the reliable and uninterrupted delivery of electricity and water - which is only made possible through the Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (DEWA) and its continued investment in infrastructure, technology and expertise.

While the majority of emerging market countries (and many first world countries too) face challenges in delivering a consistent supply of electricity and water in both peak and off-peak periods, DEWA has ensured an efficient and uninterrupted supply of water and electricity for all sectors of Dubai, even during the peak periods of the summer months. Serving nearly 600,000 customers throughout the emirate of Dubai, DEWA provides 365 day and night service to all community sectors to ensure efficient and uninterrupted supply of water and electricity to homes, businesses and industries.

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA, believes that while over many decades electricity grids and water systems have delivered reliability of supply and demand security economically and efficiently, the challenges now facing the region in terms of demand, cost and an increasing focus on environmentally sustainable solutions mean that a new approach is needed. "The decisions taken today will shape our electricity grids in 2020 and beyond," he says.

For one thing, electricity and water are inextricably linked, he explains. "I believe that future smart grids should take a holistic approach to ensure that any synergies and benefits are leveraged. For the MENA region, the challenges include environmental concerns, rising population, rising demands for electricity and water, the imperative of maintaining security of supply, sustainable supply and, of course, ensuring that this supply is affordable."

So-called 'smart grids' are seen as a key technology in the evolution of efficient and effective water and power infrastructures, and Al Tayer and his team are building on several major achievements in DEWA's smart grid journey. "We have adopted the most efficient combined cycle-cogeneration process in power generation and desalinated water production facilities and, despite the harsh climatic conditions, we have increased our plant efficiencies using new and smart gas turbine technologies with little additional capex," he explains. "We have already implemented a number of smart technology measures on our electricity networks such as using the latest SCADA systems, intelligent asset monitoring, control and automation. We have improved the distribution network efficiency by conversion of most of our 6.6kV networks to more efficient 11kV networks. We have succeeded in reducing substantially our electricity network losses and our unaccounted-for water through network rehabilitation and more optimal network design, engineering, maintenance and procurement. And on our smart grids journey, we have also interconnected our electricity grid with neighbouring utilities."

It's been almost three years since the launch of Dubai's sustainability drive, marked by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Initiative on Green Buildings, and Al Tayer believes that significant progress has been made in terms of improving the demand side of the equation. "Through new methods of design, construction and operation, electricity and water consumption will substantially be reduced," he suggests. Other conservation 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.

A diversified energy mix is also a key strategy for ensuring security of supply. "At DEWA, we are fully aware that maintaining security of supply for electricity and water through a strategy of optimal and diverse generation fuel mix is very important for us," Al Tayer explains. "We see IGCC and clean coal 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."

Rolling out smart electricity and water meters, and introducing smart technologies that can control various types of domestic, commercial and industrial demand to act as virtual generation, all present not only new challenges to the grid but also new opportunities. "For example, smart transportation such as 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," says Al Tayer.

Al Tayer believes that there are still many hurdles that need to be overcome in order for smart grids to become a reality in the region, including cultural barriers, consumer behaviour, costs of development and implementation, perceived complexity and cyber security risks where the internet is used as a communication medium. "The answer may include new legislation, policies and regulations, the provision of incentives for investment, demonstration projects, new technical standards, validation that new complex smart grid systems are effective and safe, and of course, more R&D and industry/academia collaboration," he suggests. "DEWA's main goal is to ensure the provision of Dubai's energy and water requirements with maximum possible efficiency, with due consideration to the environment, and based on a sound business model that incorporates the best available technologies and best practices. We have a role to play in the future of Dubai and we are committed to this responsibility - 365 days and nights of the year."

Water and power efficiencies

In a recent report conducted by McKinsey highlighting efficiencies in water and electricity supplies around the world, DEWA's consistent supply of both water and electricity ranked among the highest.

According to the report, electrical network losses for DEWA were almost four percent lower than some of the world's most developed countries, including Hong Kong, Sweden, the US and Singapore. According to DEWA, these results are achieved through strategic planning of operations, close monitoring, the installation of the latest high efficiency equipment within the grid, and effective voltage control in the distribution network.

Similarly, effective operations and maintenance programmes and design improvements implemented by DEWA in the water distribution network have resulted in the substantial reduction of unaccounted water losses, from 42 percent to a world-leading 10 percent.

"Infrastructure plays a fundamental role in development, whether of a business, a city or a society," says HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of DEWA. "DEWA's role in providing essential water and electricity services to all sectors of the community has helped to shape the modern city of Dubai for the past five decades, and continues to do so as the city consolidates its position as a leader in the region and beyond. With ongoing investment in the latest technologies, implementation of global best practice and the commitment of our 8000 strong work force, DEWA's service record is on a world-leading level, and the McKinsey report demonstrates this."