Information and Communication Technology (ICT) holds the key to reaping the benefits of a connected world of cities and a socially-empowered population, said a top official of SAP, a market leader in enterprise application software.

Dr Maher Chebbo, VP of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Utilities & Services Industries, SAP, was speaking at the 'Eye on Earth Summit' in Abu Dhabi on Monday. 

With cities emitting close to 80 per cent of all global carbon dioxide emissions, the way people plan, build and interact with the urban environment is irrevocably trending towards sustainable solutions, he stated.

By 2050, 70 per cent of the world’s population – by then around 9.1 billion according to the UN – will live in cities, stretching traditional energy resources to breaking point.

“ICT-driven solutions will help lower Middle East’s ecological footprint and facilitate sustainable resource management,” stated Dr Chebbo, who is also the chairman of ETP SmartGrids “Demand, Metering & Retail” (EU) and member of the EEGI (Electricity Grid Initiative) executive committee (EU).

The International Energy Agency has predicted that energy demand alone will surge 36 per cent by 2035 – a dramatic increase vividly reflected in the GCC, where demand for electrical power is expected to triple over the next 25 years.

Against a backdrop rife with worst case scenarios, the calls for game-changing overhauls of physical and digital infrastructure are growing ever louder, particularly in the Middle East where finite hydrocarbons overwhelmingly fuel both life and industry, he said.

“Smart grids will take us to where utilities, service providers, devices and consumers are connected in an e-marketplace – a place where powerful data analysis can lower ecological footprints, reduce increased energy demand and help manage resources in closed loop systems,” the expert noted.

Smart grids are already proving increasingly influential in Europe, with 211 projects up and running and investment totalling $6.7 billion to date, said Dr Chebbo, citing reports.

According to a study by Pike Research, the worldwide investments in smart grid infrastructure could amount to around $200 billion between 2008 and 2015.

Digital and eminently adaptable, smart grids are bidirectional and capable of meeting growing user demand to become proactive consumersthat manage and produce energy more efficiently, as well as reduce carbondioxide emissions.

They also obviate the need for electricity to flow from large central plants byintegrating scattered renewable energy production to the grid.

'At SAP, we are committed to a leadership role in development of ICT tools and technologies able to turn the smart grid vision into reality, building on our long-standing partnership with SAP energy actors on both the supply and demand sides of energy markets,” said Chebbo.-TradeArabia News Service