As a leader in the HVAC industry, LG Electronics is strengthening its foothold as a pioneering provider of smart energy solutions in the Middle East & African (MEA) market.
According to Mordor Intelligence, a global market research company, the energy management system market in the MEA region is expected to grow at an annual rate of 11.87% to reach USD 3.76 billion by 2021[i]. As such, continuous research and development of efficient energy management policy is undergoing in government and international organization-scale in the MEA region.
In particular, members of the Gulf Cooperation Council are increasing investment in energy infrastructure by utilizing smart grid, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Saudi Arabia have all announced energy policies up until 2030 to maximize energy efficiency. Africa is not an exception. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, energy demand in Africa is expected to increase 2 fold by 2030[ii], while United Nations Environment Program analyzed that in regions like Africa where energy access is restricted, efficient energy management is significant in times where demand skyrockets.
In tropical climates like the MEA, where the temperature goes high as 50°C, the key to smart energy management is in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) solutions. Representatively in Saudi Arabia, 70%[iii] of energy consumption is used in cooling compared to 48%[iv] in Europe.
To tackle such needs, LG Air Solution provides highly efficient HVAC solutions. LG’s representative line for its HVAC solution is the VRF system, MULTI V, is equipped with ever powerful and reliable LG’s ultimate inverter compressors, which are vital to the efficiency of a VRF. LG inverter technology offers maximum efficiency in part load as well as full load conditions with a large range of frequency operation, and enhanced compressor reliability. Numerous MULTI Vs are currently successfully under operation in diverse sites in the MEA region.
One exemplary site is MEA’s first net-zero energy city, the Sustainable City by Diamond Developers. Requiring a highly efficient HVAC solution, especially needing a part load operation and controlling and monitoring the AC units from a smartphone, all the challenges were met by LG and the City is now enjoying the best energy efficiency.
LG also provides smart energy management with its BECON (Building Energy Control) Cloud Solution, an IoT-based platform. Through numerous sensors in the BECON Cloud, remote real-time monitoring, energy efficiency management, and energy saving is possible. Maintenance service teams are also set up in the MEA region with a strong basis in Dubai, UAE and several sites in the region have adapted BECON Cloud and are receiving remote maintenance service.
Expanding into the smart energy business with its technologies in HVAC solution, LG’s capabilities have been demonstrated in Korea’s LG Science Park, a world-class R&D complex with an area of around 175,207m2. Not only the most up-to-date HVAC system has been adapted, but the innovative energy solution for energy management and renewable energy facilities have been realized. For instance, simulation for energy use based on information on weather, building facility data, operating history, etc. is held to predict energy demand with BECON solutions and manage energy supply and demand. Review and analysis of energy production, saving, and load are also undergone through renewable energy facilities for smart energy management. With these advanced technical capabilities realized in LG Science Park, LG will move on to globally expand its technological leadership in smart energy management.
Mr. James Lee, President of LG Electronics Middle East and Africa said, “Starting from 2020, the MEA region is welcoming key momenta with numerous international events and government-led construction projects that can lead to high demand in energy solutions. With LG’s smart energy solutions that can maximize energy efficiency, we will contribute to the changeover of MEA cities to become intelligent.”
