Look: Dubai’s futuristic gas station is 40 per cent ready
Ghaf-tree inspired service station is located at EXPO 2020 site
Dubai: ENOC Group, the official integrated energy partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, on Monday announced a new milestone in the construction of its Ghaf-tree inspired service station located at the Expo 2020 Dubai site.
Construction of the region’s first LEED Gold certified service station has reached an impressive 40 per cent. Work began in August 2019 and the service station is expected to be completed by June this year. After Expo 2020 Dubai, the service station will be open to the public as part of the site’s legacy phase.
During the first phase of testing, the station will service approximately 500 official Expo 2020 Dubai vehicles that cater to VIPs officials and operational vehicles. The station will be equipped with six pumps to serve up to 80,000 litres of fuel, which can fuel up to 2,000 vehicles daily.
Saif Humaid Al Falasi, Group CEO, ENOC, said: “The ‘Service Station of the Future’ embodies our commitment to ‘reimagine energy’ by creating a prototype of the future of retail service stations. In addition to serving as a testament to our drive to innovate and set new standards for the industry, this station will contribute to Expo 2020 Dubai plans to leave behind a powerful legacy for Dubai and the UAE.”
48 % power savings
Using smart, energy-efficient and renewable solutions including wind turbine generated power and photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, the service station will achieve overall power savings of 48 per cent. This is equivalent to 228 MWh per year. The clean energy initiatives will also help reduce approximately 100,000 kg of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to the benefit of planting 114 trees annually.
High efficiency LED fixtures will be used to save up to 30 per cent energy compared to regular LED and 60 per cent as compared to conventional lighting. A navigation lighting system with motion and occupancy sensors will allow up to 15 per cent savings in energy.
Additional energy conservation measures include the use of low-flow water fixtures targeting at least 40 per cent reduction from baseline water consumption.
The wind turbines with a capacity of 5 kWp output will convert renewable wind energy to electrical energy with on-grid net metering facility. The service station also comes with chargers for electric vehicles.
Carbon fibre canopy
The structure of the service station’s canopy is constructed from carbon fibre making it three times stronger and five times lighter than steel. The Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) - commonly known as polymer - cushion allows natural light penetration and provides 100 per cent UV protection.
Vapour recovery systems will be onsite to recover gasoline vapour with 70 per cent of all fumes converted to fuel, which will improve nearby environment as it controls the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emitted.
Powered by advanced multimedia and interactive modern electronic dispensers with cashless payment capabilities, artificial intelligence technologies such as advanced data analytics will reduce queues and wait-time; enhancing the overall customer experience.
For added safety measures, the station uses advanced fuel management and gauging systems that continuously monitor inventory and integrity of the tanks; providing 24 hours leak detection coupled with turbine pump interface monitoring systems.
The engineering and architecture consultants for the service station are AEDAS for design & architecture, ARCADIS for design & construction supervision and TEBOBIAN as the LEED consultant for the project.