Dubai Municipality Director General Inaugurates Panasonic Home Energy Management System for Middle East Market at GITEX 2011

Panasonic Continues to Contribute to Society Through its Unique Total Energy Solutions Offering Safe and Secure Living Environment

Mobilk - Panasonic Middle East unveiled for the first time its Home Energy management System (HEMS) for the Middle East and Africa region at GITEX, the region’s premier IT exhibition.

Panasonic have effectively created an advanced model of a home at their stand at GITEX 2011. The Japanese manufacturer is demonstrating efficient use of energy by promoting widespread use of energy-saving devices and proposing new solutions that integrate measures for energy creation, storage and management.

“Dubai Municipality’s mission is clear - keep the city green and sustainable. Our projects and initiatives are designed to offer a better living. Panasonic is committed to becoming a green innovation company and the Panasonic eco home is what is needed to maintain a sustainable ecosystem,” commented, Engineer Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality.

"Panasonic is strongly committed to conserving the environment. As a global leader in the electronics industry, it is our duty to ensure a sustainable future, and the home energy management system will help us dramatically reduce the negative impact we are having on our natural world,” commented Masao Motoki, Director System Sales and Marketing Group, Panasonic Marketing Middle East FZE. 

 “With this new concept we are looking to change the mindset of the current generations to be more energy efficient and conscious of our natural world. We have to act now to give our planet a fighting chance for the future,” added Motoki.

This new technology, complete with preinstalled solar power generation systems and home-use storage battery systems, can be implemented across cities and towns, including homes, various facilities and public zones.

“The environment is at the centre of everything we do, and preserving it should be our number one priority. As an organisation, we are driven towards keeping our towns and city clean and eco-friendly. Panasonic is one of the few companies that is engaged in major eco initiatives in the region. Their Home Energy Management System will clearly benefit the region, because we desperately need to manage and reduce our daily energy consumption,” commented Eng. Mohammed Al Noori, Director of Environmental Centre for Arab Towns.

This revolutionary new concept will help households monitor and better manage energy consumption via an in-home display (IHD). Demand response will be achieved through Panasonics Smart Energy Gateway (SEG), which connects the smart meter and home appliances such as air conditioners. To get the bigger picture, the HEMS can be connected to government-owned smart meters and smart grid technology to enhance the efficiency and resilience of the power system.

Panasonics home energy management system connects appliances through a gateway (the small white box hung on the wall). Consumers can monitor energy consumption in the home and, if there are variable rates for different times of the day, schedule power-hungry jobs accordingly. In addition, Panasonic now sells Sanyo solar panels, so that people can track their panels electricity output, store that energy in batteries, and have the system decide when most beneficial to use that stored energy.  

“GITEX attendees continue to be drawn to our exciting week of activities, largely because we have such exceptional exhibitors showcasing breakthrough technologies,” said Trixee Loh, Senior Vice President, Dubai World Trade Centre.  “Panasonic’s leading-edge solutions for smart home energy management are nothing short of remarkable, and we are delighted that they have again chosen GITEX as their international platform for the launch of these solutions.”

Panasonic will promote its total energy solutions across the region to help reduce energy consumption and encourage the use of locally produced renewable energy. For example rooftop photovoltaic systems and lithium-ion batteries will be combined to create and store energy. In case of a power outage, the batteries will serve as a backup energy source for such facilities as lighting in common areas, elevators and water pumps.

The total energy solutions are designed to implement demand response, by combining smart meters with Home Energy Management System (HEMS). Each household will have an in-home display (IHD) so that users can view how much electricity, water or gas is being consumed. Demand response will be achieved through Smart Energy Gateway (SEG), which connects smart meter and home appliances such as air-conditioners.

To realize the consumed energy solutions of this nature, Panasonic will develop and evaluate energy creation and storage technologies that can work in the region’s challenging climatic conditions.  Technologies that enable demand response through the combined use of smart meters and HEMS will also be developed, and their energy-efficiency and comfort level will be evaluated.

With this kind of technology, cities and towns can support themselves with energy that meets basic needs. Panasonic’s effective energy management facilitate energy creation, saving and storage equipment for the four domains of wind, light, heat and water, enabling energy efficient use of the devices for the entire home. 

Panasonic aims to become the No. 1 Green Innovation Company in the Electronics Industry in Middle East as part of Panasonics group-wide global commitment to drive eco-innovation by 2018, the 100th anniversary of its foundation.

To achieve this goal, the company is pursuing its Eco Ideas for Lifestyles by promoting sustainable and comfortable green lifestyles as well as Eco Ideas for Business-styles with aims to reduce the environmental impact of its operations to a maximum extent and spread technologies and ideas that are brought forth through such reduction efforts. Panasonic is combining these environmental efforts and business growth.