Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has announced the completion of the region’s first pilot Virtual Power Plant (VPP) project.
This initiative highlights DEWA’s commitment to revolutionizing the management of Disturbed Energy Resources (DERs) and enhancing energy sustainability. HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, stressed the significance of a resilient distribution network in ensuring a reliable and sustainable energy supply, which is necessary for boosting the achievement of net zero by 2050.
The VPP integrates and controls various types DERs that support the smart grid, utilizing the cutting-edge technologies such as aggregation, instrumentation, Artificial Intelligence (AI) forecasting and optimization. Al Tayer also stated that the DEWA is currently testing the VPP with a digital twin of the power grid to determine its potential as enabling digital technology for large-scale system flexibility in power transmission and distribution.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer MD & CEO – DEWA
“We leverage innovation, research, our smart grid, and the latest disruptive technologies to ensure energy security and sustainability in line with the highest global standards. This supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to achieve 100% clean energy production capacity by 2050. Our commitment to enhancing the UAE and Dubai’s competitiveness in the energy sector involves reshaping and digitizing utilities, as well as consolidating DEWA’s position as a leading global utility,”
Waleed Bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence at DEWA, stated that the DEWA’s Research and Development Centre has provided update on VPP Project at eight international scientific conferences and peer-reviewed journals. This falls in line with DEWA’s effort to exchange effective experiences with stakeholders both domestically and internationally.
DEWA’s VPP is a smart network and digital platform that connects several small and medium-scale DER units. This includes photovoltaic solar systems, electric vehicle charging stations, battery storage system and other flexible loads. By offering grid services such as peak shaving, PV oversupply management, power factor correction, frequency regulation, energy balancing and renewable firming, DERs can support network operations and maximize the value to the grid operator and end customers.
The Research and Development Centre of DEWA has implemented the VPP by connecting real physical assets and managing them as single mixed portfolio of generation and load connected to grid. DEWA has integrated more than eight DERs with a total flexibility of 3.3 MW, through the VPP project.
