Expo 2020 Dubai: supporting electrification targets for the future

The reach of Expo 2020 Dubai’s vision “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, which showcased cutting edge technologies to promote sustainability, the circular economy and digital architecture, is intended to create a lasting impact, one that extends far beyond the Expo’s closing date on 31 March, 2022. It is within this context that Enel X played an active role in Dubai, both as a premium provider and designer for the Italy Pavilion. Enel X understands that electrification is an effective and convenient answer to customer needs that enables the energy transition. In fact, enabling the electrification of customer energy demand is the decisive tool to complete the energy transition and the mandatory process of electrification, expanding access to the benefits of sustainability to all areas of use and all consumer targets.

As part of this technical partnership at the Expo, Enel X provided two smart LED light installations, called Second Sun and Second Moon, which by interacting with the environment, simulate the daily progression of sunlight, creating breathtaking spectacles for visitors. Enel GI&N equipped the exhibition area with a smart metering system integrated with IoT solutions to monitor consumption and lighting levels. Thereby showing that technology and innovation can be creative and beautiful. Particularly at a time when the increase in energy bills due to gas prices is causing concerns for Italian families, the adoption of renewable energy to reduce the dependency from gas, is gaining more traction as a concrete solution to become energy self-sufficient while saving money.

• Partner: Enel X has the technical, technological, and operational skills to form collaborative relationships with the targets, unlocking the opportunities of electrification to them;
• Enabler: the solutions offered by Enel X provide the targets with an ecosystem that allows them to achieve complete electrification and access added-value services;
• Facilitator: Enel X, by providing “turnkey” solutions and managing all related aspects,  from contracts to installation, allows its partners to enter the world of electrification simply and quickly;

Cities are the future of humanity, seeing as how much of the world’s population they house and how much of its resources they consume. Smart cities are the answer and the only way to create them is through electrification from renewables, which will have numerous benefits. By creating a more resilient system, in which storage plays a key role, countries can reduce their dependence on energy imports. But the electrification of consumption also makes sense in more stable times: it can reduce the cost of energy by 40% and the carbon footprint by 80%. Electricity is, quite simply, the most efficient energy solution: it is clean, cost-effective and has high-performance levels. In the case of smart lighting, the use of LED and remotely controlled adaptive lighting can reduce electricity consumption by 90%, while a municipality’s budget can be reduced by 40%. Electric buses are similarly cheaper to run on a per kilometer basis than their fossil fuel counterparts. The same is true of another key aspect of the smart city: smart and efficient buildings. Electric heat pumps are cheaper than the traditional version. Furthermore, as pointed out during a presentation on architectural lighting, smart cities also have the advantage of being beautiful places to live.

Citizens can play an active role, providing information to city managers via mobile apps. The mass of data gathered on open platforms can also help city managers redesign cities. The cities of the future will be smart, sustainable, connected, digital, livable and efficient. There are encouraging signs for the future, thanks to the attitude of the younger generation, whose members seem to prefer sharing cars to owning them; they are also more open to the idea of repairing and reusing products, rather than throwing them away and buying new ones. This fits in perfectly with the circularity model, which is essential to the city of the future.

A most pressing issue today for the international community, was the theme of the forum entitled  “On the Road to a Sustainable City,” organized by the Italy Pavilion in partnership with Enel X.  Michele Crisostomo, Enel Group Chairman, while addressing the audience presented a strategy meant to guide consumption towards an ever more sustainable energy future, an essential element for future smart cities.