Dubai Electric & Water Authority (DEWA) (www.dewa.gov.ae) is using ABB’s Ability electrical distribution control system (new.abb.com) to help develop data-driven strategies that maximise year-round solar-energy production as part of the Smart Dubai initiative.

The Ability system is being used by DEWA to monitor production at ABB’s Al Quoz photo-voltaic solar installation. At 312kW, this is the largest privately owned solar roof-top installation in the region; it powers the ABB facility and feeds surplus energy into the grid.

ABB’s cloud-based platform makes it easy for DEWA analysts to integrate the power production data with other information, such as weather forecasts and actual roof-top temperatures.

Dubai aims to generate 25% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030, and the development of a viable solar-power market is key to this.

DEWA is fast-tracking the introduction of digital innovations that will improve its management of the city’s energy consumption and production, with smart grids and smart meters.

ABB divisional manager Loay Dajani said: “Our cloud-based platform is enabling a new generation of data-driven strategies for power distribution systems.

“Data from the Ability system enables DEWA to understand the effect of temperature and other seasonal changes on the yield from solar-power systems.

“It is the perfect platform for this kind of collaborative project, producing the data needed for power distribution systems to integrate effectively into smart-city concepts.”

Although the UAE enjoys long periods of sunshine each year, the high ambient temperatures can also limit the efficiency of photo-voltaic cells.

Temperatures in Dubai can reach 50-52°C in June, July and August; in these conditions, roof-mounted solar-power systems can reach temperatures of 68°C.

ABB’s system monitors plant performance, uses data analysis to identify optimisation opportunities, and enables the remote implementation of more-effective power management strategies.