DEWA to Renewable Energy Initiatives WEC in Abu Dhabi

Dubai: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is participating in the 24^th World Energy Congress (WEC) that will be held from 9 to 12 September 2019, in Abu Dhabi, under the patronage of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. DEWA is a host sponsor of the conference, which is held under the theme ‘Energy for Prosperity.’

Through its stand number H5-180, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), DEWA will highlight its key initiatives and projects that are designed to increase the share of renewable and clean energy sources and foster innovation across all its operations. DEWA is also sponsoring the Start-up Energy Transition (SET) Awards at WEC, to support entrepreneurs in the clean and renewable energy sector.

“We are pleased to be participating in the 24^th World Energy Congress as a host sponsor. Abu Dhabi’s hosting of the world’s largest, oldest, and most influential energy conference in the world affirms the UAE’s prominent position on the global energy map, particularly in the field of renewable and clean energy. This also emphasises the UAE’s position as an ideal venue for hosting the largest global events. The WEC is an important platform that will bring together experts, specialists, and decision-makers from around the world to exchange best practices and learn about the latest technologies, and investment opportunities in the renewable and clean energy sector; and evaluate the competitiveness of global energy options,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

DEWA’s stand at WEC will include a model of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world with a planned capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030 and investments totalling AED 50 billion. DEWA will also highlight the EV Green Charger initiative, to develop the infrastructure of electric vehicle charging stations. DEWA has installed over 200 Green Chargers across Dubai as part of its efforts to encourage the public to use environment-friendly electric vehicles. DEWA will highlight the Shams Dubai initiative, which encourages building owners to install photovoltaic solar panels to produce clean energy and connect the systems to DEWA’s grid.  Shams Dubai has been very successful, with 1,338 buildings connected to the grid with a total capacity of 106MW.

DEWA is also displaying a model of the Smart Grid Station (SGS), which highlights 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.

DEWA’s stand will also display the Green Hydrogen pilot project, which DEWA is implementing in collaboration with Expo 2020 Dubai and Siemens at DEWA’s outdoor testing facilities in the R&D Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Other than exploring other potential uses of this technology, the hydrogen produced at the facility will be stored and deployed for re-electrification and transportation. DEWA is also displaying a model of its new headquarters named Al-Sheraa (Arabic for Sail), which will be the tallest, largest, and smartest government net zero-energy building in the world.

DEWA will also highlight its added-value services such as the Smart Response service for electricity and water technical notifications through its smart app and website as well as Rammas, DEWA’s virtual AI employee, available on DEWA’s smart app, website, Facebook page, Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home, robots, and its verified WhatsApp Account (046019999).

University students who are interested in participating in the second Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME) can learn about the competition’s details at DEWA’s stand. DEWA organises the second SDME in conjunction with Expo 2020 Dubai with prizes exceeding AED10 million. SDME, which is the largest and most competitive competition among international universities, aims to involve young people in the sustainable development process, and encourage them to innovate in developing innovative solutions to address the negative impacts of climate change.

At WEC, DEWA will also highlight the 21st Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX 2019) and the 4^th Dubai Solar Show, which it organises from 21-23 October 2019 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, under the umbrella of the 6^th Green Week. WETEX brings together experts and specialists, solution providers, investors, and decision-makers from the private and public sectors. It also features a range of activities related to energy and water conservation, environment protection, green buildings, and the latest solutions to reduce carbon emissions. The 20^th WETEX and the 3^rd Dubai Solar Show in October 2018 were remarkably successful and attracted many exhibitors, visitors, and participants from around the world. Over 2,100 exhibitors from 53 countries took part in the exhibitions that attracted over 35,000 visitors from around the world.

The WEC is the world’s largest gathering to deal with challenges facing the energy sector and shape the future of the energy industry around the world. It is attended by ministers, energy leaders, and prominent experts from around the world to discuss global energy issues. Since 1924, WEC has been organised every three years by the World Energy Council in one of the major cities or capitals around the world. This is the first time the WEC will be hosted in an Arab city, and the UAE will also be the first OPEC member to host this global conference.