ABB technology is supporting the development of new smart solar power systems for the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Dubai Electric & Water Authority (DEWA) is using the ABB Ability™ Electrical Distribution Control System to maximize year-round solar energy production as part of the Smart Dubai initiative which was announced by His High-ness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world.
The city is hard-wiring smart design into its fast-evolving infrastructure in a series of green initiatives that offer emerging economies a blueprint for sustainable development.
The ABB Ability™ electrical distribution control system will monitor and optimize production at ABB's Al Quoz photo-voltaic solar system. The installation is the largest privately owned solar rooftop installation in the region, powering the ABB facility and feeding surplus energy into DEWA's grid.This supports the Shams Dubai initiative, which was launched by DEWA and allows customers to install photovoltaic panels on their rooftops to generate electricity from solar power, and connect the systems to DEWA's grid, creating, producing and using energy.
"ABB solar project is part of Shams Dubai initiative and reflects our joint efforts to achieve the directives of His High-ness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to diversify energy resources. DEWA is carrying out the objectives of Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to provide 75% of Dubai's total power output from clean energy by 2050," said His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.
"Dubai has come a long way in its transformation into a smart city. Our energy vision is to serve people anywhere, anytime through smart, connected systems that take the quality of living for Dubai residents and visitors to a new level. Shams Dubai supports the Smart Dubai initiative, and aims to transform Dubai into the smartest and happiest city on earth. As of December 2017, DEWA completed connecting solar panels to 557 buildings, with a total capacity of 24.3MW. DEWA is working to increase this number to cover all buildings in the Emirate by 2030," added Al Tayer.
Dubai aims to generate 25 percent of its energy from clean sources by 2030 and the development of a viable solar power infrastructure is key to this. DEWA is fast-tracking the introduction of digital innovations that will help to better manage the city's energy consumption and production with smart grids and smart meters. Although the UAE enjoys long periods of sunshine each year, the high ambient temperatures can also limit the efficiency of photovoltaic cells. In June, July and August, ambient temperatures in Dubai can reach 50-52 degrees Celsius. In these conditions, roof-mounted solar power systems can reach temperatures of 68 degrees Celsius.
ABB's cloud-based platform makes it easy for DEWA analysts to integrate the power production data with other in-formation, such as weather forecasts and rooftop temperatures.
"ABB's cloud-based platform is enabling a new generation of data-driven strategies for power distribution systems to help build a 'smart city'. Data from our electrical distribution control system enables DEWA to optimize the effect of temperature and other seasonal changes on the yield from solar power systems", said Patrick Fragman, head of ABBs Grid Integration business, within the company's Power Grids division.
The ABB Ability™ electrical distribution control system is a cloud-based platform for electrical systems that monitors plant performance, uses data analysis to identify optimization opportunities, and enables the remote implementation of more effective power management strategies. It connects the electrical equipment with cloud-based intelli-gence and algorithms, removing the need for expensive additional devices and complex programming.
