Oil is a topic that is on the
mind of almost everyone in the business world. While 2016 went by with
boardroom battles being fought by big oil against OPEC, 2017 promises to be no
less exciting; OPEC seems to have finally given up on trying to squeeze out the
competition by ramping productions. Rather, it is playing the waiting game and
extending production cuts to try and burn excess capacity to try and raise oil
prices. But meanwhile, oil prices stay low, not even half of what they were 3
years back.
What does this have to do with
the topic at hand? Well for one, a majority of the revenue generated by
governments in the Gulf are directly tied to oil prices and quantity sold. Gulf
countries were able to support a massive social security net, one which appears
unfeasible at the moment given the uncertainties in the oil market. Again, what
does this have to do with the topic at hand? Simple deductions can be made on
the basis of this information. Firstly, the Gulf countries need to diversify
their economy, from oil based economies, to manufacturing and services oriented
economy. Secondly it needs to trim its debt and send people to work or to get
skilled.
This is where smart grids will
come to play a striking role in the near future. Smart grids are similar to
conventional electric grids; they resolve the basic purpose of connecting the
end user to an electricity generating source. But, smart grids come with smart
meters, smart appliances, renewable energy resources etc. which provide a gamut
of solutions and services that cut down on transmission costs, save time taken
to detect leakages or breakdowns and help with multi-lateral cooperation in
terms of power sharing, wherever the need arises.
Declining oil revenues, decreased
social safety spending, widening deficits and the growing spectre of global
warming make it incumbent for GCC countries to adopt renewables and smart grids
as soon as possible. While the initial investment into renovating their
traditional grids may be large, it seems without a doubt that the long-term
benefits to smart grid technology will pay itself back many times over in the
future. Many countries in GCC and the world are taking to smart metering
programs on a war footing; the onus is on the integration of different solutions
and services into an existing grid (with minor modifications needed) rather
than on creating an entirely new grid, which would be unfeasible given the
inordinate amount of capital expenditure required.
The GCC countries are some of the
most energy intensive countries in the world. Countries like Saudi Arabia,
Qatar etc. consume significantly more electricity per capita than the the
global average. With ambitious plans to disinvest in oil and slowly move
towards manufacturing and services, it makes sense to start with a sector than
can offer steady employment to technical people, save money and also boost
infrastructure. “GCC Smart Grid Market By Business Type, By Country, Forecast & Opportunities, 2012-2026”, a
TechSci Research report goes into the nitty gritty of the challenges and
drivers of this upcoming industry, offering a strategic perspective along with
providing insight into the leading players and how they may grow their
business.