A more advanced power grid taking shape across the emirate could cut peak electricity use by as much as 20 per cent, lowering carbon pollution and reducing the investment burden on the Abu Dhabi Government, a power official says.
Such a "smart grid" would have its foundation in the digital electricity meters being installed in every home, Mohammed Moazzem Hossain, the operations planning and studies department manager of the Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC), said yesterday.
But it would also require extensive changes to power prices and new infrastructure to meet the "technically possible" 20 per cent estimate, Mr Hossain said. The ADDC supplies electricity and water to the capital and surrounding areas. Power consumption across the emirate spikes far above average in the afternoons of the hottest summer days because of increased airconditioning use. Generators to cope with peak demand are used as rarely as a few hundred hours every year, but still cost the Government hundreds of millions of dirhams in maintenance.
A more advanced power grid featuring digital meters and pricing that changes depending on the time of day, however, would communicate directly with each household and offer financial incentives to shift power use to off-peak hours. Lower rates at night might encourage consumers to wait until the evening to switch on their washing machines, for example, or give factories incentives to keep energy-intensive production lines turned off during the hottest afternoons.
Studies in western countries had shown smart grids could reduce peak consumption by between 10 and 15 per cent without compromising consumers' lifestyles, said Wajdi Ahmad, the technical solutions director of Middle East smart grids for the US company General Electric. "We're not saying 'turn off your AC'," Mr Ahmad told a power conference yesterday hosted by Frost & Sullivan, the management consultancy.
"There are two ways to meet the [power] demand: supply side management and demand side management, and so far we have only taken the supply side." But for such grids to take off in the region, utilities would need to introduce variable electricity pricing, Mr Ahmad emphasised. ADDC has been working all year to install digital electricity meters in every home and building to form the technological basis for such a grid. The company said in August that it expected to complete the installation campaign by the end of the year.
At first, the meters will simply offer customers and electricity providers more detailed data on the time of day that power consumption is highest, and identify sources of waste in the grid. But the meters could also form the technological backbone of a more advanced grid and allow consumers to sell surplus electricity back into the grid from rooftop solar panels. High-level policy changes that would pave the way for the second phase of grid development are under consideration by the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, a leading decision-making body.
Mohammad Ahmad al Bowardi, the council's Secretary General, said last week it would come to a decision on proposals to change power pricing and create incentives for solar panels in "four to six weeks".
cstanton@thenational.ae
CONCRETE COWBOY
Directed by: Ricky Staub
Starring: Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin, Jharrel Jerome
3.5/5 stars
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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The years Ramadan fell in May
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KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Seattle from Dh6,755 return in economy and Dh24,775 in business class.
The cruise
UnCruise Adventures offers a variety of small-ship cruises in Alaska and around the world. A 14-day Alaska’s Inside Passage and San Juans Cruise from Seattle to Juneau or reverse costs from $4,695 (Dh17,246), including accommodation, food and most activities. Trips in 2019 start in April and run until September.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.