DEWA’s space nanosatellite for smart grids is now operational
The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has announced the operation of its DEWA-SAT-1 nanosatellite which the company sent into the earth orbit on 13 January 2022.
The company announced that it received its first signal and plans to use data from the satellite to improve the planning, operation and maintenance of its water and electricity infrastructure.
The nanosatellite was launched as part of the utility’s Space-D programme, in partnership with technology firm NanoAvionics on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that launched in Florida, US.
The launch made DEWA the first utility in the world to use nanosatellites to improve the maintenance and planning of electricity and water networks, according to the company.
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DEWA says the project will enable the use of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies including IoT, AI, blockchain and information exchange through space communications, Earth observation and remote-sensing technologies.
The satellite travels at 7.5km per second and across the earth orbit in 90 minutes.
HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA said: “Through the Space-D programme, we intend nanosatellite technology to complement the terrestrial IoT communication network to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of DEWA’s operations and support the digitisation of our electricity and water networks. “
Al Tayer said the project will help improve the efficiency of the grid through effective planning and monitoring as well as preventive maintenance of the smart grid and distributed energy resources such as electric vehicle chargers.
The satellite programme is also expected to help the utility reduce operational costs and improve customer services.
A 6U nanosatellite will be launched by DEWA by the end of 2022. The nanosatellite will be integrated with high-resolution image sensing technology for data collection and analysis and application to detect thermal fingerprints in high voltage transmission lines, substations, buildings and solar power stations.
