FEWA to drive green economy initiatives in Northern Emirates

By WAM Reprint | | Print |

DUBAI, Oct 30 2018 - The Federal Electricity and Water Authority, FEWA, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with Honeywell to drive sustainable development and green economy initiatives in the UAE’s Northern Emirates.

The collaboration details FEWA’s focus on driving significant energy savings of between 10 and 30 percent across a range of public sector buildings through the adoption of advanced energy efficiency technologies and to improve the standards of living and achieve sustainable growth by 2021.

Under the terms of the agreement which was signed at WETEX 2018, the parties will determine a Proof of Value, focusing particularly on Honeywell’s next-generation solutions that enable significant energy savings and adhere to sustainable environmental guidelines. These technologies include building management systems, energy management dashboards and energy performance contracting, EPC.

The partnership will support the goals of the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, which is considered the first unified energy strategy in the country based on supply and demand. The strategy aims to increase the contribution of clean energy in the total energy mix from 25 percent to 50 percent by 2050 and reduce carbon footprint of power generation by 70 percent, thus saving AED700 billion by 2050. It also seeks to increase consumption efficiency of individuals and corporates by 40 percent.

Commenting on the collaboration, Salim Bin Rabee’a, Executive Director of Electricity Directorate at FEWA, said, “One of our core objectives is conservation, which is in line with our country’s vision to achieve a sustainable future for the next generation. We are working with leading global technology companies like Honeywell to collectively reduce the UAE’s energy consumption through technology that provides more energy efficient solutions and reduces operational costs.”

Honeywell and FEWA will enter into an energy performance contract based on guaranteed savings focusing on Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning, HVAC, cost reductions, and operational efficiencies based on cloud-based analytics, in addition to ensuring carbon emissions reduction. Facilities of particular focus for the EPC will be schools, mosques, hospitals and FEWA’s offices.

The EPC will be managed through performance dashboards and reports providing visibility of building performance. The initiative also includes the deployment of Honeywell’s cloud analytics platform, Outcome Based Service, OBS, to support increased operational performance, optimal efficiency, increased comfort levels of building occupants, and maximise uptime to positively impact the bottom line.

“With nearly 50 percent of our portfolio linked to cutting-edge energy efficiency and energy management technologies, Honeywell is well positioned to support FEWA in reducing energy consumption. In line with the UAE and FEWA Vision 2021 and the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, we remain committed to reducing energy consumption to help achieve a sustainable future,” said Susanna Minoia, Chief Financial Officer, Honeywell Building Solutions, High Growth Regions.

Around 60 to 70 percent of energy demand in the UAE currently stems from building HVAC requirements, with split air-conditioning units making up an estimated 60-70 percent of cooling systems in the market. As part of the collaboration, Honeywell will provide FEWA with insights and data points on energy-efficient low global warming potential, GWP, refrigerants that can drive efficiencies in energy usage and cost. The collaboration highlights both organisations’ commitment to supporting the UAE Sustainable Development Plan in line with meeting the sustainability goals of the UAE and FEWA Vision 2021.

WAM/ /MOHD AAMIR/Nour Salman