Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is implementing a smart grid with total investments of AED 7 billion. This initiative supports the vision of the UAE’s wise leadership to make Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world. The smart grid ensures seamless, 24/7 integrated services, offering advanced features such as automated decision-making and interoperability across the electricity and water network. By leveraging disruptive technologies from the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), the smart grid ensures efficient, reliable and sustainable operations.
“We are guided by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, to develop state-of-the-art infrastructure that supports Dubai’s push to become the smartest and happiest city in the world. DEWA’s smart grid – with investments totalling AED 7 billion up to 2035 – contributes to providing electricity and water services according to the highest standards of availability, reliability, sustainability and quality.
It has enabled DEWA to achieve competitive results, surpassing prominent European and American companies in efficiency and reliability. In 2023, line losses in electricity transmission and distribution networks were reduced to 2%, compared to 6%-7% in Europe and the US. Water network losses reached 4.6%, significantly lower than the approximately 15% recorded in North America. DEWA also achieved a world record in electricity Customer Minutes Lost (CML) per year, with Dubai recording 1.06 minutes per customer, compared to around 15 minutes by leading utility companies in the European Union,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.
Smart Grid strategy
In 2014, DEWA developed its first Smart Grid strategy. In 2021, it launched an updated strategy extending to 2035, transitioning smart grid programmes into six key themes. These themes enhance smart enablers and offer greater flexibility to adapt to emerging opportunities and requirements. They encompass 19 globally leading smart grid enablers that align with DEWA’s strategic objectives.
Automatic restoration of electricity
Among the smart grid programmes is the Automatic Smart Grid Restoration System, the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa. This system enhances the control, management and monitoring of DEWA’s power network. Operating around the clock without human intervention, it uses innovative central systems to locate faults, isolate them and automatically restore services. This advancement improves grid automation, fault detection and service restoration, supporting DEWA’s commitment to delivering its services according to the highest standards of reliability, accountability and efficiency.
Analysing Big Data
In 2022, DEWA launched the Big Data and Analytics platform to integrate smart grid applications and operational technologies, among others. This enables the processing of large amounts of data and provides fact-based analytics and forecasting for current and future projects. The platform contributes to improving the operations and management of assets and smart meters, thus improving the experience of stakeholders and enhancing their happiness.
High Usage Alert
The ‘High-Water Usage Alert’ service supported by the smart grid detects any leaks in water connections after the meter. The smart meter system sends instant notifications to customers if it detects any unusual increase in consumption, so that they can quickly repair the internal connections and plug any leaks with the help of a specialised technician. Since its launch in 2019 and until the end of 2023, the service has succeeded in detecting 1,811,681 water leaks after the meter, 36,005 defects and 13,397 cases of increased load.
