Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has launched Ground Station at the Research and Development (R&D) Centre in the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.
The independent ground station, which is part of DEWA’s Space-D program, is capable of tracking and communicating with DEWA’s satellites at their low Earth orbit (LEO) of 400-700 kilometers.
Mr. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA inaugurated the ground station in the presence of Mr. Waleed Bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business at DEWA, Dr. Ali Rashid Al Aleeli, Vice President of R&D at DEWA, along with the R&D Centre’s staff.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer MD & CEO – DEWA
“Through the Space-D program, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai in January 2021, we aim to make nano satellites a complementing technology to the ground IoT communications network. This will support the digitization of the power and water networks, enhance the planning, operations, and preventative maintenance for the generation, distribution, and transmission divisions as well as the smart grids and the electric vehicle charging stations. This will also cut costs, improve investment of DEWA’s assets, share knowledge and experience, as well as train DEWA’s Emirati staff. During Q1 of 2023, we plan to launch a 6U nanosatellite with customized high-resolution image sensing technology specifically designed for DEWA’s use cases.”
DEWA’s Space-D program has contributed to enhancing DEWA’s resilience and agility in monitoring and managing electricity and water networks, in addition to reducing costs, improving investment and management of its assets, and proactively supporting its networks. The program aims to build the capacity of DEWA’s employees and prepare Emiratis who are specialized in using space technologies in electricity and water networks.
The program takes advantage of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies to exchange information with the help of satellite communications and earth observation technologies. It also enhances the performance and efficiency of the photovoltaic solar panels at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world.
