Inspired by Saudi Vision 2030, the Saudi Arabia Smart Grid Conference (SASG) 2017, taking place in Jeddah, is showcasing some of the latest innovations and developments in the field of smart metering and automation by leading names in the industry
As the kingdom seeks to localise and build up renewable energy value chain, the event, hosted at Jeddah Hilton Hotel from 12-14 December, on Day 1 outlined various factors leading to the initiation of smart grid programme in the kingdom that include penetration of renewable energy and the increase in demand for energy efficiency.
Day 2 of the event was the launch of the two-day exhibition and seminars which saw around 70 companies like ABB, Saudi Aramco, SEL, Saudi Electric Company, STC, Siemens, Lucy Electric, Megger, Omicron and Honeywell in attendance among many others.
Speaking to Technical Review Middle East, Ian Sykes, Ian Sykes, director of strategic solutions customer team, Middle East at Sensus (a Xylem brand) said that Saudi Arabia is a very interesting market for smart meter technology and with the evolution of smart grid in Saudi Arabia, the state-owned utility company SEC has been at the forefront of leveraging this technology and implementing it.
Dr Hassan Faranghi from Energy Care, provider of advance metering solutions worldwide, also believes that Saudi Arabia is moving away from oil dependency in a very thoughtful manner towards the development of energy management systems."One of the largest markets in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is also one of the few countries who are taking steps towards mordenisation of their grid system."
Besides the exhibition, the quality of speakers too attracted the large amount of visitors to the show who networked and learnt about various technologies that the kingdom is adopting in real-time.
A special session of women in power was the highlight of the conference. Policy specialists, academicians and representatives from Saudi Aramco spoke about how can women contribute to the fulfilment of Saudi Vision 2030.
Day 3 of the conference will continue to host world-class speakers and exhibitors from the field of renewable energy.
