Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)

What is it?

The public service infrastructure company responsible for the generation, transportation and distribution of water and electricity in the emirate of Dubai.

What has it done?

With the goal of reducing non-revenue water and improving the emirate of Dubai’s resilience in the face of severe water scarcity, DEWA undertook one of the largest advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) projects the world has ever seen. Completing the replacement of a phenomenal 245,000 water meters in 2017, DEWA has advanced the availability of meter readings to a near-perfect 99.9%, while reducing non-revenue water to 7%.

What makes it special?

Despite being one of the most water-stressed countries in the world, the United Arab Emirates has one of the highest per capita water usage rates, making water conservation essential. With the water meters successfully installed, DEWA was able to detect and resolve almost 10,000 leaks and identify 3,300 defective meters. The utility’s efforts were rewarded with substantial increases in billable water, amounting to AED46.7 million ($12.7 million) in extra revenue.

DEWA has demonstrated remarkable in-house capabilities, replacing fibre optics with an internally built machine-to-machine solution – an innovation later adopted by the manufacturer – and creating five operational dashboards to monitor the smart network, generating total savings of AED5.2 million ($1.4 million).

DEWA was awarded an international patent for its internally developed one-way data transmission system which automatically collects data from desalination plants, enabling operators to monitor assets from anywhere at any time, and providing crucial protection against the ever-growing risk of cyber-attacks.

Schneider Electric

What is it?

A global provider of automation, control and software systems to industries including the water and wastewater sector.

What has it done?

Schneider Electric landed an impressive range of projects in 2017, showcasing expert energy efficiency technology in the US, leakage detection skills in the UK, non-revenue water reduction expertise in India, and prowess in smart irrigation in New Zealand. Having merged with engineering software provider Aveva, Schneider has positioned itself as one of the biggest industrial software companies in the water and wastewater sector, offering end-to-end solutions from design through to operation.

What makes it special?

As well as helping the water utility in Bilbao, Spain, to buy its electricity at the best price in a deregulated market, Schneider Electric landed energy efficiency performance contracts in four US cities last year. Predicting annual savings of $1 million for these increasingly cash-strapped municipalities, Schneider continues to liberate utilities from hefty energy bills.

Combining IoT, machine learning and hydraulic modelling in its newly introduced Water Network Optimisation, EcoStruxure Maintenance and Advisor tools, Schneider has proven it is no one-trick pony. With a position on the highly regarded Smart Cities Council, this optimisation powerhouse is rapidly becoming the go-to smart city technology provider for both municipal and industrial players.

Recognising the growing need for security in cyberspace, Schneider Electric has partnered with industrial control system security specialist Claroty to enhance the end-to-end cybersecurity of its IoT-enabled EcoStruxure platform, offering its digital customers unrivalled defence against the ongoing threat of cybercrime.