Swiss electrical engineering company ABB has announced that its technology will support the City of Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the development of next generation smart solar power systems.

As part of the Smart Dubai initiative, the data provided by the ABB Ability Electrical Distribution Control System can help Dubai Electric & Water Authority (DEWA) in maximising solar energy production round the year.

ABB's technology has been selected by DEWA to monitor the production of ABB’s Al Quoz photovoltaic solar system. It is a privately owned solar rooftop system, producing 312kW.

Power from this solar plant will be received by ABB’s facility and the surplus energy will be fed into the grid. ABB’s cloud-based platform is claimed to enable DEWA analysts to easily integrate power production data with other information such as weather forecasts and actual rooftop temperatures.

Even though, the UAE has high solar irradiance for a long period of time each year, the higher temperatures can reduce the efficiency of PV modules. In the months of June, July and August, temperatures in Dubai can reach up to 50-52°C. This can bring the temperatures of solar power system to up to 68°C.

ABB Ability Electrical Distribution Control System is a cloud based platform for electrical systems which can monitor plant performance, use data analytics to identify opportunities for optimisation and can help to remotely implement effective power management strategies.

ABB MEA, electrification products division lead division manager Loay Dajani said: “ABB’s cloud-based platform is enabling a new generation of data-driven strategies for power distribution systems. Data from ABB Ability Electrical Distribution Control System enables DEWA to understand the effect of temperature and other seasonal changes on the yield from solar power systems.

“The ABB Ability Electrical Distribution Control System 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.”

By 2030, Dubai aims to generate 25% of its energy needs from renewable sources and developing a viable solar power market is expected to play a key role in this.

Image: Dubai to deploy ABB’s smart solar power system. Photo: Courtesy of ABB.