By Rafiq Vayani
DUBAI: ENOC Group unveiled a new concept design service station – a modern, sustainable, and architecturally unique station which will be located on the Expo 2020 Dubai site.
The new concept design station draws from the rich heritage of UAE’s traditions in the form of its national tree, the Ghaf, that was adopted to symbolise the Year of Tolerance by the UAE Government earlier this year. The Ghaf tree is known for its high sustainability and deep roots that make it resilient even in harsh weather conditions.
The station is built on an exoskeleton of the Ghaf tree structure, which acts as supporting columns for the carbon fibre canopy – a light material three times stronger than steel. This is the first time that carbon-fibre is being used to construct the entire structure of a service station canopy. This is one of the innovative solutions that makes the Ghaf Tree station the first LEED Gold certified service station in the region.
His Excellency Saif Humaid Al Falasi, Group GEO, ENOC, said: “The Ghaf tree service station is our way of celebrating the UAE’s rich heritage. Our nation’s successes have been largely influenced by its rich culture and deep-rooted values and traditions. These traits were the setting stones for our journey towards prosperity and will undoubtedly continue to propel our nation forward.
The Ghaf Tree service station will serve the Expo 2020 Dubai fleet during the six months of the Expo, contributing to the delivery of a successful event. In the legacy phase of Expo, the station will serve District 2020, a highly accessible, well-connected urban development.
“Dubai will continue to witness transformational growth, largely driven by the emirate’s ability to adopt innovative technology solutions. As the integrated energy partner of Expo 2020, we envisioned a concept that is representative of how we have incorporated cutting edge technologies and digital transformation to pave the way for a new generation of service stations in the country and the wider region.” Added Al Falasi.
For the first time in the region, ENOC will be implementing wind turbines to generate an average of 30 to 40 Kw (Kilowatt) of power from wind energy. Additionally, high performance Photo-Voltaic (PV) solar panels, installed on the canopy of the service stations will generate up to 180KWp of energy per hour, which is about 30 per cent more than the average energy required to run a station. The on-grid solar system has net-metering to near zero energy for the service station.
Paul Dwan, Director – Partnerships, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “Collaborating with partners who share our vision and values is essential to Expo 2020 Dubai. With the Ghaf Tree service station, ENOC will create the future of their industry and make a significant contribution to sustainability and mobility, two key subthemes for Expo 2020.
“The UAE is a dynamic nation that drives innovation, and is the first country in the Arab region to host a World Expo, which has traditionally always been about innovation. The smart infrastructure implemented on the Expo site will provide a model for smart and sustainable cities of the future, starting with District 2020.”
The highlight of ENOC’s Ghaf Tree service stationAdvanced machine-learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies and data analytics to manage the queuing and waiting times in the forecourt and improve the availability of services and assets.
The station also includes various technologies such as solar powered autonomous waste water recycling to convert waste water for irrigation, digital displays, integrated Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations, multimedia-interactive modern electronic dispensers with cashless payment features, as well as occupation sensors and indication signals at fuelling positions to indicate to customers in queue if there are empty spaces at the dispensers.
In addition, the new iconic service station will also implement technologies such as vehicle mapping surface lighting for signage way findings, using lights to mark traffic flow to direct vehicles to the fuelling area, entry and exits to the station.
