Etihad Esco deal to boost Dubai building retrofit market
DUBAI, January 10, 2018
Etihad Energy Services Company (Etihad Esco), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), has signed a memorandum of understanding with Talisen International, a leading systems integrator, to licence its Enterprise Sustainability Platform (ESP) solution for the Dubai building retrofit market.
Headquartered in Missouri, US, Talisen Technologies is a global leader of enterprise solutions for organisations with sophisticated networks, applications, and security requirements.
The group's partnership with Etihad Esco comes at a time when the Dubai government has set strategic targets to reduce electricity and water consumption by 30 per cent by 2030.
"Etihad Esco has a responsibility to manage energy conservation projects involving up to 30,000 buildings over the next 13 years. However, it did not have the software solution to manage the data for such a large building retrofit programme. That is where Talisen came in," remarked George Brill, the CEO of Talisen Technologies.
The company had gained some experience in Dubai, just before the 2009 recession. The building market was booming and in need of solutions that could integrate multiple building automation systems. Talisen was on the verge of its first deal there but pulled out of the region when the recession hit the Middle East hard in 2009.
After some market research in 2015, Brill and his business associate Mohan Menon teamed up to form Talisen International. Their plan was to re-enter the UAE and Middle Eastern market by securing a strong and capable licensee.
"Dubai seemed like the best place to start because the emirate had such a well-defined strategy for large-scale electricity and water reductions (Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030). In addition, Etihad Esco, a fully owned subsidiary of the Dewa, appeared to be an ideally placed partner," he stated.
Brill said he was excited about the prospect of being involved in such an innovative project with the Etihad Esco team. The Dubai project, he stated, would be in full swing in the coming days.
"Enterprise Energy Management is a 'team sport'. The ESP platform and Measurement and Verification (M&V) Centre will provide an 'arena' where all stakeholders can come together to realize the best possible savings for each project," noted Brill.
Etihad Esco chief executive Ali Al Jassim said the company was set up in 2013 to create a viable market in Dubai for building retrofits using energy services companies.
"The establishment of the Measurement and Verification centre is a reflection of our commitment to utilising the most advanced and innovative technologies to provide value-added service to its customers," noted Al Jassim.
"While the M&V Centre is an essential expansion of Etihad Esco's services, it will also enable us to utilise Talisen's experience and expertise in large city-wide energy data management and its latest Internet of Things (IoT) enabled technology platform, ESP, to closely monitor the performance of all client assets under its scope," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
