Middle East Electricity round-up

Middle East Electricity goes from strength to strength. The event organisers Reed Exhibitions reported a 35% rise in visitors on 2012 for the first two days of the show. This is a highly impressive figure for an event which already regularly attracts around 15,000 visitors.

For the first time in its 38-year history, Middle East Electricity was co-located with the inaugural edition of Solar Middle East, featuring more than 100 companies. The vast majority of power equipment on show, of course, was good old diesel engines and gensets.

To much fanfare, Swedish diesel engine manufacturer Scania launched a new company, Scania Gensets, primarily aimed at prime power applications for the mining and construction industries.

Scania Gensets are available in two versions, open or closed canopy, ranging from 50 Hz 250-600 kVA and 60 Hz 280-665 kVA and powered by Scania 9.3 litre/5 cylinder or 12.7 litre/6 cylinder diesel engines. Scania Gensets will add a third engine to the range, a 15.6 litre/V8 with a power capacity of 800 kVA at 1800 rpm in 60 Hz later this year.

Caterpillar proudly showed off its new 20-cylinder diesel powered generator set – the C175.  The 25-tonne beast produces up to 4 MW, delivering what it claims to be the highest power output of any single high-speed diesel generator set available.

Along with a number of other exhibitors, Caterpillar was keen to emphasise its green credentials via its hybrid power system, combining a genset and UPS batteries integrated with a control system for wind turbines or solar PV. By optimising the usage of available renewable resources and operating the generator set at peak efficiency points, hybrid power systems reduce fuel consumption and maximise system reliability.

Yorpower was one of several other companies unveiling hybrid power systems, primarily aimed at telecoms. The UK firm said its brand new Hybrid Power Pack generated a huge amount of interest from telecoms company buyers and specifiers, as well as agricultural and industrial companies.

Cummins Power Generation launched its latest range of AvK 610 low-voltage power generator series.  The new range operates in the power range of 1,500 to 4,100 kilovolt-amps (kVA).

Bowman Power and Enerwhere made a big show of signing an agreement for Enerwhere to sell, distribute and support Bowman’s exhaust heat recovery technology in the Middle East and selected territories across Africa and Central Asia. Bowman’s technology works by recovering waste heat and pressure from the exhaust of large diesel generators, and turning it into additional electricity. The net effect is a reduction in fuel consumption of 6-9%, depending on the engine type and operating conditions.

SDMO proudly showed off its new compact 6 kW open canopy genset featuring Kohler KDW502 engine and it eventually unveiled its new genset control system after it successfully arrived a day late. The APM802 control system, which supersedes the Kerys system, is being sold as a thoroughly more user-friendly, touchscreen product.

The French company had a busy show. It also displayed the 2-2.2 MVA rated X2200C genset, featuring a MTU 16V400G23 engine, as well as 100 kVA J110K canopy genset featuring a John Deere 4045HF120 engine.

Italian genset OEM Visa launched a new digital control panel designed in-house, Guard Touch. The new controls will be firstly rolled out in its mid-range products, starting with its 300 kVA gensets, before stretching out to the rest of the range.

Turkish genset OEM Aksa was keen to note its new range of Mitsubishi engine-based offerings for the 1 MVA level. India’s Greaves Cotton unveiled a new baby 10 kVA genset, while China’s Kipor said it would launch a 2.5 MVA genset for the global market later this year, topping its range currently limited to 1.5 MVA.

Middle East Electricity award winners

The awards bash is a headline fixture at Middle East Electricity. At least, that’s what the press release says. The Oscars, it is not. Yet it does offer delegates a chance to sample considerably better food than on offer elsewhere at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre.

A special honour of the evening went to Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, CEO and Managing Director of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), who received the Power Personality of the Year award, in acknowledgment of his leadership role behind DEWA’s contribution to the economic development of Dubai.

Among the winners in the other categories were the Trojan Battery Company and Incon General Contracting, who took home the Solar Project of the Year Award for their role in developing the UAE’s first ever solar lighting project for rural area roads. The 11km stretch of solar-powered road lighting in the Wadi Sadr area, inland from the port town of Khor Fakkan was commissioned by the UAE Ministry of Public Works in January 2012, requiring no electrical installations or additional power infrastructure.

Another solar project won Best Innovation/Technology of the Year Award: Dubai Municipality and ALSA Solar Systems for their solar pumping systems project. Using a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable drip irrigation system that combines solar energy and treated sewage effluent (TSE), the solar pumping systems project is being implemented at 34 roundabouts across Dubai.

Award winners in full:

Special Recognition Awards winners: