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Wired Up [Construction Week (United Arab Emirates)](Construction Week (United Arab Emirates) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) RELATED ARTICLES: Electrical showcase l From transformer to socket, MEP Middle East finds out how electrical system design and installation is charging on into the future The electrical systems powering our lives are being transformed. As with everything else in the 21st Century, the digital revolution is dictating the pace of change in electrical design and installation, but other influences are also playing a significant role. This confluence of factors has sparked considerable change in the way our power is provided and, for electrical engineers, it has been a time of adjustment and adaptation. For Sujata Gupta, head of electrical engineering at KEO's UAE design division, the rate of recent change may have improved the quality of systems but has demanded a lot of work from those in the industry. "With innovation and new technologies, especially in power distribution systems, lighting controls, telecommunication, security systems, home automation systems and other extra-light voltage (ELV) systems, electrical systems as a whole have become more reliable and easier to control," she says. "Convergent networks are considered for all the ELV systems. An integrated building management system (BMS) has become common practice for controlling and monitoring all the building services from one location. But the engineer needs to ensure that all the systems are suitable for seamless integration. The engineer also has to work harder to get all the details to finalise the appropriate solutions but, if successful, this will reduce the maintenance costs significantly and the client benefits in the long-term," Gupta adds. The push towards "greener" and more energy-efficient buildings has also had a big impact on electrical engineering and, while Gupta applauds such initiatives, she says her own particular experience in implementing the guidelines of the Abu Dhabi authorities has been a challenge. "Estidama regulations are mandatory for all buildings in Abu Dhabi and the engineers are encouraged to design systems that are even more efficient than required in international codes. This is an excellent initiative by the Abu Dhabi Municipality but at the same time can increase the work of securing authority approvals," she says. Anu Alexander, electrical coordinator for MEP contractor AE Arma Elektropanç highlights the increased adoption of solar energy, increased natural light in buildings, and the change to light-emitting diode (LED) lighting as ways in which this push towards greener building has affected the design and installation of electrical systems. He also identifies a range of other changes to which electrical contractors and consultants have had to adapt. Article continues on next page ... [[page-break]] "Fire alarm systems have been changed to analogue addressable systems where each device can be addressed so that during failures one can find the exact location of fault. These can be interfaced with different systems around the building like air-handling units (AHUs), for example, so that in case of fire, specific actions will be taken, such as AHUs shutting down, according to the regulations of civil defence. "Emergency lighting systems have been changed from self-contained systems to central battery systems, wherein each light is addressed and the backup can be increased as well. Nowadays, LED lights are used for emergency lights as per the client's requirement. Lighting control systems have also come into the picture, which use motion sensors and timers to reduces unwanted usage of lights. "All the above systems can be controlled and monitored by a BMS system which allows the end-user to control and monitor the systems via a control station," he adds. On the supplier side of the industry, commercial manager for Sentor Electrical David Robinson says that there has been a definite change in customers' demands recently. "We have started to see a shift in the specified products on many projects away from the previous norms, for certain," he says. "We have seen a clear emphasis from the project consultants towards specifying products which can provide increased energy efficiency and a lower whole-life ownership cost to the client. "Interior and exterior lighting products are a large part of our product offering and we are working closely with our manufacturer partners to ensure that we are offering the latest energy-saving technologies, such as LED-powered luminaries and smart lighting controls to the major projects that we are involved with," he adds. Emma Demaré, ABB's communications manager for India, Middle East and Africa, says that her company's products and technology have also had to keep pace with the effects of both the digital and green revolutions on the electrical industry. "We have noticed a number of trends evolving; these include intelligent solutions which move us from a preventive maintenance approach to a predictive maintenance mode, as well as the need to offer sustainable and environmentally friendly technologies whilst being user friendly," she says. "We are also producing compact and intelligent systems. Some examples of this evolution from the conventional to intelligent offerings include, on the one hand, our air circuit-breakers which have evolved into power managers. On the other, protection and control devices have evolved from discrete electromechanical, release-based devices to electronic devices and are available today as touch-screen bay computer devices with a user-friendly interface similar to the smartphones of today." Article continues on next page ... [[page-break]] While such advances in electrical hardware and software of late has no doubt improved the quality and reliability of electrical systems in the region, KEO's Gupta says that there are still areas in which improvements can be made. "Onsite renewable energy by photovoltaic (PV) panels, thermal collectors, improvement in the design of lighting systems and lighting control systems can play a major role [in the improvement of electrical design]," she says. "Currently, the lifecycle cost for photovoltaic panel systems are not as good as they could be due to the waste of energy when they are not in use. To overcome this, the government should consider providing incentives for the installation and generation of renewable energy sources." AE Arma's Alexander supports Gupta's point. "Steps should be taken to connect and synchronise non-conventional energy sources like wind energy to the power grid." Gupta also highlights the disparity between various authority electrical codes throughout the GCC, expressing her support for "unified codes and regulations in the GCC [which] will result in better time lines and quality product installations." Sentor's Robinson sees great potential for improved electrical design in the industry's increasing adoption of building information modelling (BIM), which his company has seized upon through its agreement with BIM developer Amtech to support and distribute their software in the region. "The announcement that the use of BIM will become mandatory for certain projects will undoubtedly force a notable change in both electrical system design and installation, as well as offer significant benefits for the building owner during the lifespan of the building and its ongoing maintenance," he says. Get Connected A healthy relationship between electrical contractors, consultants and suppliers/manufacturers is crucial to the success of any project, but this isn't always achieved. "I believe the lack of communication between these three parties is a major issue," KEO's Sujata Gupta says. "Professional and healthy communications can help improve the relationships to a large extent. Due diligence is also a key factor as every member of the project team is accountable for their actions. "Technical seminars and training aimed at the electrical design and product development also bring the consultant, contractor and supplier onto the same platform to discuss the technical and commercial aspects. From the contractor's perspective, AE's Anu Alexander says: "There should be proper communication and understanding between consultants, contractors and suppliers. Project specification for different systems should be in line with the systems. For that, proper communication should be made between consultants and suppliers prior to the preparation of specification. Also, various site conditions should be compromised by the consultant to ensure smooth installation." Suppliers and manufacturers can also do a lot more to help consultants and contractors deliver the technologically advanced electrical systems the market is now demanding, according to Gupta. "Local manufacturing of the electrical equipment will reduce the cost and shorten the delivery times. Further software development will also help designers to correctly design the systems. Manufacturers and suppliers should have lifecycle cost analysis for their products readily available. Monthly newsletters from suppliers defining new technologies and lessons learned would also help consultants execute their work effectively." Alexander adds that suppliers and manufacturers targeting contractors should focus on improving "cable pulling winch machines, hydraulic crimping tools for termination and less noisy hand tools and machinery." Facts: - 9,389 Kilowatt hours consumed per capita in UAE in 2011 (c) 2014 ITP Business Publishing Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info, an Albawaba.com company |