DEWA pioneers fog monitoring and forecasting model
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)’s R&D Centre has developed a satellite-based model for forecasting and monitoring fog.
The model will be integrated with the planning and operation of power generation at DEWA, with the aim to improve the management of production.
In particular the focus is on the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world with a planned capacity of 5GW by 2030.
The model will also optimise energy production of the gas turbines at the Jebel Ali Power Plant and Water Desalination Complex, the largest single-site natural gas power generation facility in the world at a capacity of 9,547MW.
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“DEWA uses the latest technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and its advanced infrastructure to keep pace with the requirements of sustainable development,” comments HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA.
He adds that the integration of the model will support Dubai’s clean energy and net zero carbon emissions strategies to provide 100% of the emirate’s total power production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.
“We have outlined expansion plans for the energy and water infrastructure to meet the increasing demand according to the highest levels of quality, availability, reliability and efficiency.”
Key input to the model to further improve its accuracy should be the high resolution images from DEWA’s DEWA-SAT-2 6U nanosatellite, which is due to be launched in February 2023.
The low earth orbit satellite, DEWA’s second after the smaller 3U nanosatellite currently in operation, forms part of the company’s Space-D programme, which is developing several niche use cases for the operation of electricity grid and water networks.
In October, the satellite ground station was inaugurated with in house designed LoRa IoT terminals, which are capable of communicating using Infra-X LoRa terrestrial as well as LoRa Space-D satellite communication networks. This long range, low power communications protocol expands the coverage of the existing terrestrial communication network, enabling remote asset data to be collected faster and at lower cost, particularly in remote areas such as mountains, forests or deserts.
In addition to fog detection and forecasting, other use cases will include monitoring the salinity, temperature and quality of water.
Longer term, DEWA intends to offer satellite as a service use cases to other utilities.
