How Smart Grids could change the Middle East

An example of how an extensive smart grid could potentially link the elements of a city together.

Frank Ackland, General Manager of Digital Energy in the Middle East for GE Energy, talks to UME about the future of smart grids in the GCC.

Why is it important that smart grids are implemented in the Middle East region?
The Middle East is at the heart of energy challenges. Population is predicted to increase in the Middle East by an average of 38 per cent - think about the enormous demand this growth will place on the electric grid.

Electricity demand is expected to more than double over the next 20 years requiring significant capacity increases in the face of natural fossil fuel resource constraints.

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Between now and 2030, CO2 emissions from the Middle East are predicted to grow by 67 per cent. As the international community joins hands to mitigate climate change, countries must find ways to develop sustainable growth strategies to remain competitive in a carbon-constrained economy.

This is why a smarter grid is critical for the future of the Middle East.
GE will help build tomorrow’s smart energy grid; help drive
electric vehicles out of the labs and onto the world’s roadways; and work to build advanced, cleaner energy production in places like
the Middle East.

A smarter grid has the potential to give consumers in-depth
information on their energy usage, and as a result, consumers will
be able to understand the consequence of the energy decisions they make every day and be able to better manage their energy consumption and costs.

Once deployed, new grid software and sensors and controls will make it easy and cost-effective to add more local renewable power, such as localised wind generation and biomass as well as making plug-in electric cars a viable transport option.

The smart homes that GE pilots in Masdar City, in Abu Dhabi, through our partnership with Mubadala Development Company, are an example of innovation that strives to address not just the issue of energy and cost-saving for the residents, but the bigger challenge of climate change and sustainable development.

How do you see the role of smart grids developing in the next decade?
GE has been at the forefront of the smart grid technology globally, and we are focused on developing integrated, energy-efficient smart grids for the Middle East region.

We believe that a focus on smart grids is imperative to meet the pressing energy requirements of the region led by rising population and a focus on infrastructure development.

Smart grid technologies are relevant globally, especially with the current pace of urbanisation. The world’s cities will house more than 60 per cent of the world’s population by 2030, and it is expected that global electricity demand will increase by 75 per cent in the next two decades. More than 40 per cent of the world’s emissions come from electricity generation.