Accelerating the Future of Electric Power
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Huawei’s technology is revolutionising the energy sector in the Middle East, particularly in the UAE and Saudi Arabia—two nations committed to achieving ambitious clean energy goals. At GITEX Global in Dubai, Andy Ding, Solution Vice President of Huawei Electric Power Digitalisation Business Unit, and Dr Moustafa Abdelhady M Shahin, Smart grid expert, discussed the rapid digitalisation of Dubai’s power grid, the role of smart infrastructure, the challenges of renewable integration, and other key issues.
Huawei’s Role in Powering Digital Transformation
At a roundtable titled “Leading Infrastructure to Accelerate Electric Power Intelligence”, Ding highlighted Huawei's commitment to empowering the electric power sector through advanced digital solutions. Drawing on its telecommunications expertise, Huawei has seamlessly transitioned into the energy industry. “We’ve worked with different industries, and no matter if it’s telecommunications or electric power, we believe the future digital transformation lies in five key factors: communication, data, digital rules, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity,” said Ding. Huawei’s long-standing collaboration with Dubai reflects the company’s strategy to drive energy efficiency and grid resilience across global markets.
One of Huawei’s significant contributions has been in helping the advancement of grid modernisation, focusing on integrating renewable energy sources while maintaining grid reliability. “The collaboration with DEWA exemplifies the future-oriented and sustainable technology solutions Huawei is developing to support digital transformations globally,” Ding explained. The partnership has led to innovations such as edge computing and real-time monitoring, which have enhanced the operational transparency of Dubai's power grid.
Dubai’s Vision for a Smart, Resilient Grid
Dr Moustafa shared Dubai’s vision for a smart, interconnected energy grid designed to meet Dubai’s ambitious sustainability goals. Since 2012, a wide-ranging smart grid programme to automate its grid, deploy smart meters, and enhance cybersecurity. As a result, the authority has improved customer satisfaction, reduced power outages, and created a more responsive grid. “We’ve seen a massive reduction in customer outage times, from five minutes to below two minutes. This improvement is due to the integration of smart meters and analytics that enable real-time, data-driven decisions,” said Dr Moustafa.
Shams Dubai programme, which encourages rooftop solar installations, is a cornerstone of the utility’s clean energy initiative. “Our rooftop solar initiative exceeded expectations, generating 400 MW, far surpassing the 100 MW projected. We are now allowing more industrial customers to become producers of clean energy,” Dr Moustafa added. The programme plays a critical role in Dubai’s target of producing 75% of energy requirement from clean energy sources in line with the 2050 Dubai Clean Energy Strategy.
Overcoming Challenges in Renewable Integration
A key theme in the discussion was the integration of renewable energy into the grid, a growing challenge as countries increase their solar and wind capacities. Dr Moustafa outlined DSO’s conservative approach during the planning stages of new connections, conducting hosting capacity studies to ensure that the grid can accommodate additional renewable energy without compromising its stability.
One of the major hurdles utilities face is managing the intermittency of solar power, which can lead to grid instability. To combat this, Dr Moustafa highlighted the use of machine learning and short-duration forecasting tools to predict solar generation in real-time, allowing for better grid management. He stressed the need for smart systems, such as voltage regulation and power plant monitoring, to ensure smooth integration of renewable energy sources.
Advancing Power Distribution with ADMS
Dr Moustafa also discussed DSO’s efforts in transitioning from a conventional Distribution Management System (DMS) to an Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS). This shift, while necessary, comes with challenges, particularly in terms of investment and integration. “We are working slowly on the ADMS project because it's a big investment to move from DMS to ADMS,” he explained. However, this transition is essential to manage the growing complexity of the grid, especially with the rise of electric vehicle (EV) chargers and distributed energy resources like solar power.
Dr Moustafa emphasised the importance of integrating these new energy systems into a single intelligent framework, leveraging big data and edge computing to optimise operations. This integration is vital for utilities to not only maintain grid reliability but also enable real-time monitoring and control. As grid flexibility and resilience become increasingly important, such intelligent infrastructure will define the future of utilities.
Reducing Power Outages with Huawei’s Intelligent Distribution Solution
Discussing how digital technologies can drastically reduce power outage times, Ding illustrated the current issues with traditional grid systems, where power outages can take hours to resolve due to a lack of real-time information. Huawei’s Intelligent Distribution Solution (short in “IDS”) aim to make power distribution networks more transparent, enabling operators to pinpoint issues within minutes and resolve them swiftly, thus improving customer satisfaction. “With clear distribution network topology, we can see where the problem is in three to five minutes and repair the failure in 10 to 15 minutes,” Ding explained. This rapid response benefits both the end user and overall grid efficiency.
The Middle East’s Ambitious Digital Transformation
The discussion also touched on digital transformation efforts in the Middle East. Huawei has been instrumental in supporting the one of the region’s utilities move towards a smarter grid. Ding outlined several ongoing projects, including the centralisation of substation monitoring and maintenance, and the use of AI to shift from manual to intelligent operations. These projects are part of the region’s broader vision to digitalise its energy infrastructure by 2030.
Huawei is also assisting in reducing power line losses – the inevitable amounts of power lost when electricity is transmitted and distributed across a grid. In the Middle East, line losses rate – an important indicator of the service quality of power grid, is generally lower than in regions like sub-Saharan Africa, but there is still room for improvement. Ding noted that the use of IDS has improved the ability to reduce the power line losses, as well to enhanced power supply reliability and expanded coverage to rural areas.
The Future of the Grid: Digitalisation, Decarbonisation, and Decentralisation
Dr Moustafa concluded the session by emphasising the ‘3D transformation’ of the grid: digitalisation, decarbonisation, and decentralisation. He explained that the future grid will be much more dynamic and bidirectional, requiring new levels of flexibility to balance supply and demand in real-time. “The grid needs to be more resilient and flexible,” Dr Moustafa stated. This shift is driven by the increasing integration of renewable energy sources, which, due to their weather-dependent nature, pose challenges to grid stability.
He also pointed out the growing importance of grid flexibility, especially as low-inertia renewable sources like solar and wind become more prevalent. To manage these challenges, utilities will need to invest in intelligent technologies that can adapt to the evolving energy landscape.
As countries across the Middle East and beyond strive to meet their clean energy goals, digitalisation will be pivotal in transforming power distribution and achieving sustainable progress.
