< PreviousMohammed Al Mutawa Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi Jeremy Crane Faisal Abdullah Al-Yemni CEO, Ducab Group Director General, Abu Dhabi Fund For Development (ADFD) Chief Executive Officer, Yellow Door Energy Head of Renewable Energy Project Development Office (REPDO) Saudi Arabia M ohammed Abdul Rahman Al Mutawa is the first Emirati to become the CEO of Ducab Group, one of the UAE’s largest energy manufacturing businesses. Al Mutawa has been with Ducab since 2015 and most recently served as CEO of Ducab Cable Business. During his tenure, he has focused on strengthening Ducab’s market leadership in the UAE whilst aggressively growing the wire and cables export business that now generates about 25% of revenues and sells to over 20 countries. As a key member of the Group’s executive management team and a talented leader with a strong understanding of Ducab’s business as a manufacturer of cable and metal products, he has been a key driver in developing the company’s 5-year strategic plan. Al Mutawa previously served as Chief Commercial Officer at Ducab. M ohammed Saif Al Suwaidi is the Director General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD). He oversees the allocation of funding for renewable energy projects. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and ADFD have collaborated on a joint Project Facility to support replicable, scalable and potentially transformative renewable energy projects in developing countries. ADFD committed $350 million in concessional loans, over seven annual funding cycles, to renewable energy projects recommended by IRENA. Since January 2014, ADFD loans worth $214mn have been allocated to 21 renewable energy projects. IRENA/ADFD backing has helped to leverage over $420mn from other funding sources for remaining project costs. Around 120MW of renewable capacity is set to come online over the next few years. F or two decades, Jeremy Crane has been at the forefront of driving the global energy transition. In 2015, he established Yellow Door Energy, a venture that combines his profound energy expertise with a deep-rooted commitment to empowering businesses in emerging markets. Jeremy’s mission is clear: assisting enterprises in minimising energy costs, enhancing energy reliability, and reducing their environmental impact. Under Jeremy’s astute guidance, Yellow Door Energy swiftly rose to prominence as the leading distributed solar developer in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. With a remarkable portfolio of over 200 megawatts of solar assets across the UAE, Jordan, Pakistan, Bahrain, and KSA, the company’s shareholders include IFC, Mitsui, Equinor, and APICORP. S audi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy appointed Faisal Abdullah Al-Yemni as Head of Renewable Energy Project Development Office (REPDO) in 2019. Al-Yemni is responsible for driving the delivery of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious National Renewable Energy Program, with the aim of increasing the Kingdom’s renewable energy capacity to meet domestic needs while also creating a world- leading exporter and regional hub of renewable technology and manufacturing. Al-Yemni holds an EMBA degree from IMD Business School - Switzerland, an MSc in Sustainable Electrical Power - Brunel University London and earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia. The National Renewable Energy Program (NREP) is a strategic initiative under Vision 2030. 40 July 2023 www.utilities-me.com POWER 50Francesco La Camera Laurent Longuet Rami Ghandour Khaled Al Qureshi Director-General, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Chief Executive Officer, SirajPower Managing Director, Metito CEO, Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) F rancesco La Camera is the Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) based in Abu Dhabi. He was appointed at the Ninth Assembly of IRENA, the ultimate decision-making body of the Agency. Mr. La Camera took office on 4 April 2019 and brings more than thirty years of experience in the fields of climate, sustainability, and international cooperation. In his role, Mr. La Camera is responsible for leading the delivery of IRENA’s work programme and strategy in cooperation with the Agency’s member states. At a critical time for climate change and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, Mr. La Camera is tasked with redefining the structure and operations of the Agency in response to the needs of its members. Under his leadership the Agency has forged a series of new strategic partnerships with UN organisations including UNDP and UNFCCC. L aurent Longuet is the Chief Executive Officer of SirajPower Contracting LLC. Prior to SirajPower, Laurent spent more than 15 years working in the development and construction of international energy projects in Europe, Iran, Indonesia, and the Middle East for the Group Total. Laurent’s track record is built across a range of executive/ senior leadership positions in the renewable energy industry, particularly in the solar sector with Shams 1 Company, SunPower, and Akuo Energy. Under Laurent’s leadership, SirajPower to date holds the largest distributed solar energy portfolio of 100 MWp in the UAE and is rapidly expanding to become the regional Green Champion. SirajPower has made incredible progress since its inception in 2015. It has reduced over 85,000 metric tons of carbon emissions. The company has more than 600,000 sqm of roofs for solar PV installation and more than 190 buildings. R ami Ghandour joined Metito Group in 2004. He set up Metito Utilities to serve as the investment arm of the Group, providing complete water, wastewater outsourcing and partnership solutions to end- users. In this capacity, Rami spearheads the Group’s strategic partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, as well as equity investments. In pursuit of Metito’s commitment to sustainability and innovation, Rami has also established the Company’s alternative energy business and spearheads social responsibility efforts. Rami also serves as a Director on the Board of Metito Holdings, and has led the introduction of new multinational shareholders such Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group. Prior to joining Metito, Rami held positions as a process engineer and project manager at Bechtel. K haled Al Qureshi is the CEO of SWPC. He is a highly motivated & result oriented senior executive with extensive leadership experience in the water desalination industry throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This includes hands on experience with developing, operating and tendering Independent Water and Power Projects or IWPP, including their day-to-day management. He currently manages offtake contracts for 8 existing projects including 2 IWPPs, 5 IWPs, and 1 ISTP along with 8 more water projects under construction and 14 more under advanced procurement. This also involves overseeing the Kingdom’s privatisation efforts of water desalination, sewage treatment, strategic reserves, transmission lines and other related water projects. Al Qureshi serves as the Chairman of the IDA Public and Private Utility Advisory Committee. www.utilities-me.com July 2023 41 POWER 50Jesús Sancho Corrascosa Pietro Moro Ashraf Yehia Sebastien Arbola Director General, ACCIONA Middle East Managing Director, Xylem ME & Türkiye Managing Director, Eaton CEO, ENGIE Middle East, South and Central Asia, Turkey and Africa J esús Sancho Corrascosa started his career in the Aerospace field (The Boeing Co., Seattle, US and Daimler-Benz Aerospace, Germany) and in the Airport Infrastructure sector (Ferrovial, Spain). He has contributed to ACCIONA´s growth in the Middle East and actively participated in the tendering and execution of several infrastructure projects in the GCC. Some of the most complex tenders Sancho has handled include PPP, IWPP, IWP, ISTP, EPC, O&M and DBOM+F for Public and Private Customers. Water business of ACCIONA has consolidated its position as the top GCC leader in developing, designing, building, operating and maintaining water treatment plants in the GCC. It has been awarded three new PPPs in the water sector by SWPC (KSA) in the Madina, Burayda and Tabuk Independent Sewage Treatment Plants. P ietro Moro was recently appointed by Xylem as the new Managing Director for the Middle East & Türkiye. Moro, a key member of Xylem’s regional leadership and development team, has played a crucial role in driving the company’s expansion and business growth throughout the Middle East and Türkiye. In this position, he wis responsible for building upon the company’s substantial growth achievements thus far, while reinforcing Xylem’s dedication to resolving complex water issues. His primary focus is the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye, which represent significant growth markets for Xylem. Moro brings over 16 years of experience to his new position, having held various leadership roles within Xylem since joining the company in 2011. His expertise spans multinational and multifunctional teams, encompassing sales, strategy, engineering, and quality. A shraf Yehia is Managing Director of Eaton Middle East. Yehia has held this position since February 2019 and is responsible for the company’s operational and commercial business in the Middle East and increasing the organisation’s footprint in the region. Prior to this, Yehia joined Eaton in 2012 as part of Eaton’s acquisition of Cooper Industries and was part of part of the team that put together a successful transition between the two organisations. Yehia was general manager – MENAI for Eaton Crouse Hinds & B-Line from 2012-2019. Founded in 1911, Eaton is an intelligent power management company dedicated to improving the quality of life and protecting the environment for people everywhere. It reported revenues of $19.6 billion in 2021 and serve customers in more than 170 countries. E NGIE has merged its Africa portfolio with the MESCAT Business Unit under the leadership of Sébastien Arbola, Chief Executive Officer of ENGIE MESCATA (Middle East, South and Central Asia, Turkey and Africa). Sébastien Arbola was also appointed Executive Vice President in charge of Thermal Generation and Energy Supply activities at ENGIE Group level, effective 1 February 2021. The enlarged Business Unit MESCATA, with headquarters in Dubai, and offices throughout the region, will draw on ENGIE’s long term presence and experience in the region to keep accelerating the transition towards carbon neutral economies. Arbola leads operations ranging from large scale power generation and water desalination. Arbola, a graduate of Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris, has also been a Director at Tabreed since October 12, 2017. 42 July 2023 www.utilities-me.com POWER 50Thierry Froment Eng. Ahmed Al Shamsi Eng. Essa bin Hilal Al-Kuwari Eng. Saleh Al-Rumhi CEO, Veolia Water Technologies Middle East Managing Director & CEO Sustainable Water Solutions (SWS) President of Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation “KAHRAMAA CEO, Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC) T hierry Froment is the Chief Executive Officer at Veolia Water Technologies Middle East. He is a graduate of Mines ParisTech (1981) and holds a Master of Science in Structural Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley (1982). Mr. Froment started his career in January 1983, first in the Technical Department (2 years) and then as Drilling Engineer in Sedco Forex, a subsidiary of Schlumberger. In January 2020, following another change in Veolia Water Technologies (VWT) organisation, he became CEO of VWT Middle East region and joined the VWT Excom. In 2016, he moved to Dubai to become Chief Operating Officer (COO) of VWT Middle East responsible for the Middle East Business Units in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Lebanon and Turkey. In 2010, he followed the Veolia Executive Programme and became Executive Vice President and member of the Management Committee of VWT in charge of Oil & Gas. A hmed Al Shamsi serves as Chief Executive Officer of Sustainable Water Solutions (SWS) since June 2021. With over 20 years of experience, Ahmed is a seasoned energy executive with a proven track record in business excellence and global value creation. Prior to joining ADSSC, Ahmed led ADNOC Distribution company and oversaw all its transformation programs that increased the company’s revenue growth, upgraded its operations, and developed new platforms for value creation following the company’s globally anticipated IPO in 2017. Ahmed served a tenure of more than 10 years at Borouge, holding the positions of Senior Vice President for Global Supply Chain and Senior Vice President for Regional Middle East, Africa & Europe. He holds a Master’s degree in Quality Management from the University of Wollongong and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tulsa. E ng. Essa bin Hilal Al-Kuwari, President of Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation “KAHRAMAA,” is a prominent figure in Qatar’s energy and water sectors. Leading KAHRAMAA and holding key positions within Qatar’s water committees, Al-Kuwari’s influence extends beyond the country. As a board member of the GCC Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) since 2010, he represents Qatar in the Arab Governors Water Council. Al-Kuwari’s involvement in academia includes serving on the Advisory Council of prestigious institutions like Qatar University’s Faculty of Engineering and College of Business and Economy. With a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Qatar University and an MBA from the University of Hull, Al-Kuwari combines extensive experience, academic qualifications, and leadership acumen. E ng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Rumhi is CEO of Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC), which is dedicated to ensuring safe and reliable transmission and control services for Oman’s electricity. Under Al-Rumhi’s guidance, OETC has successfully executed vital projects that expand electricity services to support economic development. OETC is responsible for the growth and maintenance of the electricity transmission system throughout the Sultanate, including the interconnection link between Oman’s national grid and the GCC network. OETC has recently gained approval for a significant pipeline of projects that will integrate upcoming solar and wind power initiatives into the grid. These projects encompass grid stations, overhead transmission lines, and 400kV interconnectors across strategic locations, serving both the Main Interconnected System (MIS) and the Dhofar System. www.utilities-me.com July 2023 43 POWER 50Ahmed Ali Al-Ebrahim Eng. Nemer M. Alshebel Steve Lemoine H.E. Awaidha Al Marar CEO, Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) CEO of the National Water Company(NWC) CEO Dalkia EDF Group Middle East Chairman, Abu Dhabi Department of Energy(DoE) A hmed Ali Al-Ebrahim oversees the 400kV super-grid backbone that links the national grids of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait, with a collective installed capacity of approximately 120 GW. With 30 years of experience in power systems and infrastructure, Ahmed previously held leadership roles, including CEO of Sintegro International and Manager of Operations at the Ministry of Electricity Bahrain. He holds degrees in Electrical Power Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin (1986) and the University of Strathclyde in Scotland (1999), as well as an MBA from DePaul University (2003). He currently serves as the 2021 President of the Very Large Grid Operators Organization (GO15) and holds board memberships and leadership positions in prominent organizations within the power sector. W ith more than two decades of expertise in the water utility industry, Eng. Nemer Al-Shebel has proven his mettle in various senior roles encompassing operations management, business unit management, and program management. Currently serving as the CEO of the National Water Company (NWC), Al-Shebel spearheaded the distribution sector restructuring and privatisation program. This ambitious initiative involved merging 13 MEWA directorates into six regional distribution entities, as well as procuring public-private partnership projects, including six management, operations, and maintenance contracts. Additionally, he successfully secured several long-term upgrading and maintenance contracts for sewage treatment plants. Al-Shebel has a Bachelor of Civil Engineering obtained from King Saud University in 1996. S teve Lemoine, an accomplished leader with 15+ years of experience in the energy sector, is driving the growth and transformation of Dalkia EDF Group Middle East as its CEO. With a background in M&A deals, project financing, and team management, Lemoine’s expertise is highly regarded in the industry. Graduating from the prestigious SKEMA French Business School and Management, he prepared for a successful career in the field. Under Lemoine’s leadership, Dalkia Middle East has achieved significant milestones. The acquisition of US Chillers Services LLC solidified their presence in the Middle East and the USA, while securing major contracts for energy performance and district cooling in iconic buildings of the region. Dalkia, a subsidiary of the renowned EDF Group, is known for its commitment to greener and more efficient energy systems. H is Excellency Engineer Awaidha Murshed Al Marar is the Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE), the government body mandated to enable the UAE capital’s energy transition towards a more sustainable future. His appointment in 2017 to one of the most important and pioneering leadership roles within Abu Dhabi’s energy sector draws from his vast sector expertise to guide the DoE since inception DoE was established to drive the emirate’s energy transition efforts with a clear focus on creating a sector that promotes economic growth and social development, and environmental sustainability. H.E Al Marar has been heading DoE’s efforts on developing strategic initiatives that diversify and secure energy sources for economic, environmental, and social sustainability. 44 July 2023 www.utilities-me.com POWER 50Nasser Al Nasseri Walid Sheta S N Subrahmanyan Peter Terium CEO, Barakah One Company, UAE President, Schneider Electric, MEA CEO & MD, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) CEO of ENOWA, Saudi Arabia N asser Al Nasseri is the Chief Executive Officer of Barakah One Company, the United Arab Emirates-based joint venture subsidiary of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO). As CEO of Barakah One Company, Al Nasseri oversees all commercial and financial aspects of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant project. With Unit 1 of the plant operating commercially and generating clean electricity 24/7, Barakah One Company sells the electricity generated in accordance with the Power Purchase Agreement, signed with Abu Dhab in 2016. Al Nasseri played an instrumental role in the negotiations for the PPA as well as the financial close for the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant project, successfully concluded in 2016. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration majoring in Finance from the University of Arizona. S chneider Electric appointed Walid Sheta as the company’s President for the Middle East and Africa in 2021. Walid Sheta, who has been with Schneider Electric for 26 years and whose last role was Cluster President for North East Africa and the Levant, leads the company’s operations throughout the Middle East and Africa. Walid’s focus has been driving support for national and organisational sustainability initiatives across the region, as well as helping customers with digital transformation plans. Walid’s career at Schneider Electric has included various leadership roles, including Country President Nigeria, Business Development VP for Africa, and Strategic Account Executive for key energy accounts. From 2017 Walid has managed the company’s operations in the North East Africa and the Levant, where he has been able to achieve sustained growth. S N Subrahmanyan is Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Larsen & Toubro and serves on the Board of Directors of this multi-billion-dollar conglomerate. He is also Vice Chairman on the boards of LTI, L&T Technology Services & Mindtree and Chairman of L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Limited. Responsible for leading the breadth and width of L&T’s considerable business interests to new growth levels, Subrahmanyan rides on the enormous benefits of digitalisation, big data, and predictive analysis that he has implemented across the organization with special emphasis on innovation, project management and talent development, particularly in leadership roles. Armed with a degree in civil engineering and a post-graduation in business management, Subrahmanyan commenced his professional journey with L&T in 1984 as a project planning engineer. P eter Terium is leading the Energy, Water and Food sector of NEOM, where he is building an Energy System 100% based on Renewable Energy and sustainable water and food system. The production and export of green hydrogen will become one of the core activities for NEOM’s energy sector. As CEO of Innogy SE from 2016 until 2017, Peter embodied the transition of the energy industry. A Dutch top executive with a strong pan-European background transforming the German DAX listed company RWE. Recently ENOWA, along with SEC and Saudi Aramco emerged top bidders in what is billed as the largest ever auction of voluntary carbon credits held in Kenya’s capital Nairobi. A new master agreement with ENOWA will support Penn State research efforts in sustainable water solutions and it could attract investments of up to $6 million. www.utilities-me.com July 2023 45 POWER 50Khaled Al Huraimel Frank Janssens Ahmed S. Nada Daniel Zywietz Group CEO of Bee’ah, UAE Vice President - MEA, KROHNE COO at Masdar STS & President of MESIA Chief Executive Officer, Enerwhere K haled Al Huraimel is the Group Chief Executive Officer of Bee’ah and has served in this capacity since August 2009. His diligent leadership has facilitated Bee’ah’s growth from a local waste management company, to an award-winning, integrated environmental management establishment. His innovative business insights have uplifted Bee’ah, executing the company’s master plan for environmental sustainability, and of positioning Sharjah as a world-class city. As CEO of Bee’ah Group, Al Huraimel has spearhead the construction of the UAE’s first waste-to-energy plant, which was completed in April 2022 with the project now entering the testing and commissioning phase. The Sharjah Waste to Energy plant is the first project of Emirates Waste to Energy Company, a joint venture established by BEEAH Energy, the renewable energy business of BEEAH Group, and Masdar. A n experienced industrial instrumentation business leader, Frank has enabled growth in key industries and markets around the world for KROHNE through insight and a passion for building a customer- focused team. As Middle East and Africa head, Frank delivers engineered solutions for process and automation control across multiple industries and sectors: Oil and Gas, Water and Waste Water, Food and Beverage, Metal and Mining are just some of the areas that benefit from KROHNE’s industry-leading measurement equipment. The KROHNE Group is a global manufacturer and provider of process instrumentation, measurement solutions and services in many industries. Founded in 1921 and headquartered in Duisburg, Germany, we offer local contacts for instrumentation projects of any size in over 100 countries. KROHNE stands for innovation and highest product quality. A hmed Nada is the Chief Operations Officer and Deputy General Manager at Masdar STS (Masdar Clean Energy O&M Company) & President of The Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA). Masdar is a global and regional sustainability and renewable energy leader with utility scale projects that span across MENA, Europe, USA, Asia and Australia. MESIA is the only non for profit, solar association covering and bringing together the whole of the solar sector across the entire Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region Ahmed has been engaged in the Middle East rapid solar industry evolution and supported its growth through projects development, technology, supply chain and working closely with all the industry stakeholders. He presided over key early solar projects in the Middle East such as the Shams Maan 60MW in Jordan, DEWA 1, and DEWA 2 in UAE. A s the CEO of Enerwhere, Daniel Zywietz, is building the world’s first distributed utility, providing reliable energy services to customers across the construction, oil & gas, mining and hospitality industries using modular, transportable solar- hybrid mini-grids. . Daniel has more than 15 years of experience in management consulting, banking and entrepreneurship in Europe and the Middle East, with a focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainability topics. Prior to founding Enerwhere, Daniel held roles at led Ambata Capital’s Middle East operations, and was a member of Booz & Company’s Low Carbon & Sustainability group in the Middle East and A.T. Kearney’s Utility practice in Europe. Daniel is a regular public speaker on renewable energy topics. He holds a master’s degree in International Business, Maastricht University, and is the co-author of several studies. 46 July 2023 www.utilities-me.com POWER 50How is IFS strategically positioning itself in the regional and global utilities market? One of the key aspects in the utilities industry that deserves attention is mobile workforce management, also known as field service management where our company stands as a leader in this field. Another significant area of focus is enterprise asset management. We also offer complementary solutions that support and enhance these core areas. We are witnessing significant demand in both areas, mobile workforce management and enterprise asset management. Our company, IFS, has experienced remarkable growth, with a nearly 100% increase. This growth has been achieved through a combination of strategic acquisitions and organic development. The adoption of our solutions has been widespread, indicating a strong market reception. While we are currently located in the UAE, our customer base extends beyond this region. How can solution providers like IFS contribute in assisting these companies in achieving their objectives? While the industry focuses on major decisions related to power generation, it is equally important to pay attention to a multitude of small decisions made daily. By continuously striving for efficiency and practices such as reducing unnecessary travel, we can make a significant impact. During the World Utilities Congress, there was discussion about nuclear decommissioning. While older nuclear technologies are being phased out, some regions, including this one, are embracing nuclear power as part of their decarbonisation efforts. These decisions on the generation side are crucial, but there are also important choices to be made at the distribution level. For instance, the introduction of smart metering and the development of a more intelligent grid are key considerations. These advancements enable optimised consumption, variable pricing for consumers, and the integration of intelligent devices in the field. Our solution, integrated into SAP, enabled the efficient deployment of smart meters in Saudi Arabia. This not only improved efficiency but also reduced the number of unnecessary trips made by workers. In fact, by eliminating 15% of trips, significant fuel savings were achieved. Intelligent power Thomas Ligocki, Senior Vice President for Utility at IFS speaks to Utilities Middle East about the underlying benefits of integrating smart computing across various levels of utilities How can further digital solutions be implemented to empower end users? One important aspect for consumers is the ability to experiment, encourage, and inspire them to make intelligent choices regarding their energy consumption. Just like any device, if you put too much stress on the power grid, it becomes inefficient. An overheated and overstressed power Thomas Ligocki, Utility SVP at IFS 48 July 2023 www.utilities-me.com SMART UTILITIES“To ensure stability and consistency in the utilities industry, a robust enterprise asset management system is essential” transformer in the grid will not perform optimally and may need replacement. To address this issue, it is crucial to empower consumers to reduce energy peaks and valleys. For example, if a consumer owns an electric vehicle, they should have the opportunity to opt into a program offered by their utility. This program would allow them to choose when to charge their vehicle and when to temporarily pause the charging process. This concept can be referred to as demand response or curtailment. By automating these processes and establishing partnerships between consumers and utilities, there can be a mutually beneficial agreement where the utility has the permission to interrupt the charging process when necessary, ensuring the greater good and overall benefits. With multiple power generation sources feeding into the grid, how can solutions like yours contribute to enhancing grid stability? To ensure stability and consistency in the utilities industry, a robust enterprise asset management system is essential. Such a system enables tracking and monitoring of assets, including identifying those under stress, requiring inspection, maintenance, or replacement. Without this information, the network becomes inefficient. Consider a scenario where a power outage occurs, and quick restoration is necessary. If the phases of power connection are not properly managed, the system can still operate, but not at its optimal efficiency. Furthermore, the data from the field operations may not be effectively utilised in the SCADA systems and other office-based systems. Our solution focuses on empowering field workers with the right tools and equipment to collect accurate information while performing their tasks. This enables the seamless update of data in the enterprise asset management system, billing system, and other relevant systems of record. By obtaining the right information, informed decisions can be made, leading to an optimal operating environment. This approach not only saves money but also enhances overall grid efficiency, reducing line losses and other inherent inefficiencies within the power grid. How is it possible for electric vehicles to act as suppliers of power to the grid? It all comes down to giving consumers the option to make choices that benefit both themselves and the grid. One such option is utilising variable pricing, which may not be available in all jurisdictions. With variable pricing, consumers can take advantage of higher peak prices by discharging their electric vehicle batteries if they won’t be using them for several hours. The discharged power can then be sent back to the grid. Alternatively, if consumers don’t want to send it to the grid, they can use the power within their own homes to supplement their electricity needs, such as running air conditioners or lights. In fact, if a consumer has multiple electric vehicles, they could even consider selling the excess power back to the grid. This ability to leverage distributed energy resources marks a shift from the traditional model of centralised generation and distribution. Microgrids are emerging, comprising small wind farms, solar farms, and individual consumers with solar panels on their roofs, electric vehicles in their garages, and perhaps even large batteries. In this new landscape, consumers have the capacity to actively contribute to the grid by generating and supplying power. This decentralised approach empowers consumers and allows them to play an active role in shaping the future of energy distribution. How can your solutions help to fast-track a smooth transition to smart cities? Whether we are talking about devices placed along the power grid or in consumers’ homes, the ability to reprogram them at the edge is essential. It empowers utilities to collect valuable information such as voltage fluctuations and Transforming the power grid with edge computing diverse consumption patterns. By reprogramming these devices at the edge, utilities gain the flexibility to request new functionalities in the future without having to replace the hardware. The importance of edge computing goes beyond being a mere buzzword. It offers utilities the power and capability to evolve and adapt as new requirements and technologies emerge. By embracing edge computing, utilities can stay at the forefront of innovation and leverage data collection and analysis to drive efficiency and improved services without the burden of frequent hardware replacements. What measures should be taken to acquire the necessary skills that can effectively apply the latest solutions? Field workers are now faced with a more intricate and demanding environment. Providing them with the right tools is essential for their efficiency and effectiveness. One unique aspect of our solution is its flexibility. Field workers can seamlessly transition between devices as they work. For instance, they might start a task on a laptop and then continue on a smartphone, eliminating the need to complete one task and start another separately. Another innovative feature is the integration of GIS (Geographic Information System) into any device. This integration allows field workers to visualise the infrastructure they are working on, whether it’s buried pipes or overhead devices. To tackle the shortage of skilled workers, it is crucial to provide them with the necessary tools to perform their tasks efficiently, safely, and quickly. By doing so, we can enhance productivity, streamline operations, and bridge the gap caused by the diminishing workforce. www.utilities-me.com July 2023 49 SMART UTILITIESNext >