Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | Digital networks, sustainability, energy storage and green technologies were some of the most prominent topics discussed at WETEX 2017

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) hosted a series of seminars and panel discussions, in cooperation with many experts and specialists from major companies and organisations working in the energy, water, technology, sustainability and the environment. These discussions took place at the 19th Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) 2017, organised by DEWA, from 23 to 25 October, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC).

The three-day event schedule was held from 10 am to 5:30 pm, at Al Multaqa Ballroom, at DICEC. The schedule addressed many vital topics, such as the future of the energy sector, smart and digital networks, sustainability, and innovation, with the participation of professionals, university and school students from DEWA Academy.

“DEWA is keen to organise these seminars, as part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen Dubai's position as a global hub for sustainability and green economy, spread the culture of sustainability, rationalise consumption, and increase reliance on renewable and clean energy sources. This comes in line with the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and aligned with the UAE Vision 2021 and Dubai Plan 2021,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA and Founder and Chairman of WETEX.

Day 1 highlights

The speakers on the first day included Norm Gilsdorf, President for Honeywell ME, Turkey, Russia and Central Asia; Jorge Duarte, Business Development and Sales Director- Continental Europe and GCC Region; and Venu Nuguri, Senior Group VP Power Grids Division, South Asia & MENA. They explored how cutting-edge technologies and global megatrends are converging to shape the development of smart cities, helping them to attract business investment. They also explored the transformational nature of Internet of Things (IoT), enhance energy efficiency, as well as the big shift in the energy sector, and digitalisation.

 Thomas Altmann, VP of Water & Innovation at ACWA Power, spoke about ‘Emerging Technologies for Low Carbon Desalination’, which contribute to reducing energy consumption, thereby reducing costs and associated emissions for a sustainable future for all. Jean Claude Nasr, Sr. EVP of Power & Gas at Siemens ME, gave a lecture on ‘Technology Incubators in Energy, Power & Water Network’, in line with national efforts to promote an innovative, knowledge-driven economy, with a sustainable environment. Fabian Kuhn, Mechanical Engineer at Fichtner, spoke about new developments and lessons learned from PV and PV-storage hybrid plants in the Middle East.

Day 2 highlights

On the second day of WETEX 2017, Kurt Oswald, from ATKearney, spoke about ‘Energy Transition & the Role of Storage’, in shaping the future of the energy sector. Stephan Nied, Senior Application Chemist at BASF, gave a lecture entitled ‘We Create Chemistry for a Sustainable Future’. Javier Carvajal, Renewable Energy Director at ACWA Power, spoke about ‘Energy Storage, Technology Options & Impact in the Grid’.

Energy production issues attracted the audience. Dr. Sacha Parneix, Commercial GM, Steam Power Systems at GE gave a lecture on ‘The Future of Power Generation’, the latest technology to reduce costs and carbon emissions associated with energy production, especially as one of the main causes of global warming is climate change.

 Kuldeep Tickoo, EVP, Digital Grid, Energy Management, and Eduard Rauber, Head of Lifecycle Management, Digital Grid at Siemens, spoke about ‘New Innovations on Digital Substations’. Mohammad El Ramahi, Associate Director, Asset Management Engineering & Operation, at Masdar, spoke about ‘Renewable Energy Desalination Options for the UAE’.

Abdullah Obaidullah, Executive Vice President of Water and Civil at DEWA; Marwan Bin Haider, Executive Vice President of Innovation and the Future, and Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence hosted a seminar on DEWA’s new headquarters Al-Shera’a, which will be the tallest, largest, and smartest government Zero-Energy Building (ZEB) in the world. Gavin Rennie, and Paul Micallef, from Ernst & Young gave a lecture on the digital grid and its role in supporting the future of service facilities around the world.

Day 3 highlights

The final day of WETEX included topics on Asset Management. Hamdan Aldoukhi, Senior Environment Health & Safety Engineer at ENOC, spoke about ENOC’s Retail Smart Station, the UAE’s first solar-powered service station. Adrian Bliss, Technical Director, Environment and Sustainability at Mott MacDonald spoke about ‘Technique or Technology? How to Cut Carbon & Achieve Environmental Protection in the Water Industry’. Bahaa Mourad, New Product Development Engineer at DUCAB, spoke about ‘DUCAB Fire Performance Cables’. In addition, experts from Philips, Imdad, EDF, Value, and Advantech, spoke about ‘Energy Optimization Solutions for Facility Management’, ‘Empowering Cities with Connected Lighting’, ‘Enabling Technologies for Energy’, ‘Smart Grids’, and more.

WETEX 2017 was held under the umbrella of the fourth Green Week. It attracted 2,000 exhibitors from over 50 countries, and covered an area of 70,000 square metres. The exhibition is in conjunction with the second Dubai Solar Show, and the fourth World Green Economy Summit (WGES), which saw the participation of over 60 speakers, from around the world, focused on key topics, such as smart cities, green economy, innovation and sustainable development.