Powering smart cities in the GCC

Abu Dhabi was once heavily oil-dependent. The city has, however, transformed itself and today stands as a leading tourist destination, offering a high standard of living with a well-developed transportation network and a focus on developing science and technology. And to remain on the cutting-edge, the city has now shifted its priority to smart city development.

One such smart city initiative – Masdar City – was launched 10 years ago. Just a short drive from Abu Dhabi International Airport, the goal is to develop the area into a high-tech hub for companies across the world. Indeed, on the 2019 Smart City Index, published by the Institute for Management Development (IMD), Abu Dhabi ranks second in the Middle East, only slightly behind its neighbour Dubai. Globally, Abu Dhabi sits at number 56, ahead of international metropolises such as Tokyo and Osaka.

In 2019, the first Abu Dhabi Smart City Summit was held. A milestone in the city’s development, it served as a launchpad for smart city construction that had a real impact on people’s lives, delivering higher standards in terms of reliability and energy efficiency.

RELIABLE POWER FOR SMART HOMES
Integral to any smart city, smart homes directly impact the daily lives of residents, allowing them to experience the benefits of technology intelligence.

To develop smart homes within their precincts, several smart city project operators in Abu Dhabi have teamed up with technology providers to achieve their goals.

As a provider of smart home solutions and smart centralised Building Management Systems (BMS), Ubiquitous Telecommunications Technology (UTT) is currently working on numerous projects within the UAE capital. One of the most ambitious projects it is working on is the AI Reem Island project – spanning six towers and 1,272 apartments. Developed to cater to middle-class investors, the project was divided into two phases and, in each phase, two sets of physically isolated security access control networks and closed-circuit television (CCTV) networks were required. The project also needed a range of ICT devices to support data communication, data storage, and data processing. To ensure a constant power supply for all these devices, UTT required a reliable uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system. It also wanted to have both local and remote management access that is easy to use as well as a UPS system that offers low environmental impact and high efficiency.

BUILDING A RELIABLE ENERGY BASE
To help realise the UAE government’s goal and vision of delivering smart services and experiences through technologies, accelerating smart city construction, and building a ‘smart’ Abu Dhabi — UTT turned to Huawei’s UPS2000-G solution.

The UPS2000-G is a carrier-class UPS system that ensures zero interruptions of power supply for key devices with an efficiency rate of 95 per cent – a figure that reaches 98 per cent in eco mode – combined with low power consumption. In terms of online and remote management, all UPS systems are connected to a unified management platform, significantly simplifying user interface operations as well as device maintenance.

As more and more smart city projects are implemented in Abu Dhabi and across the wider UAE region, there will an increased focus on working with technology providers who offer products and services with higher efficiencies that deliver greater value.