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Siemens with solutions for a more efficient use of energy to protect the climate.

 
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23 Mar 2007

Given the current public policy discussions on climate change, Dr. Christian Urbanke, member of the Group Executive Management of Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution (PTD), has outlined a series of measures to improve energy use. "Climate change is the biggest global challenge we face. We must do something now," Urbanke said Tuesday during a preliminary meeting of the World Energy Dialogue, a key technology event of the Hannover Fair 2007, which takes place April 17-19.

Energy efficiency plays a key role in this issue, and it is also an area of strength for Siemens. The company's scope of activities ranges from efficient power generation, transmission and distribution to diverse applications in the area of industrial production, consumer goods as well as energy-saving services. Almost every Group of Siemens is working in its respective markets on this issue. They are developing and producing energy efficient products and systems that have the same performance using less energy.

Urbanke referred in his remarks to an example of what energy efficiency can achieve in a coal-fired power plant. "If one increases the efficiency of a 900-megawatt coal-fired plant by one degree, then the same amount of power will be produced annually with 130,000 fewer tons of coal and with about 130,000 fewer tons of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere," Urbanke said.

Osram has developed a small LED spotlight with output of more than 1,000 lumens.
Osram has developed a small LED spotlight with output of more than 1,000 lumens.

If all coal-fired power plants were upgraded today with the latest technology, then the amount of carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by about two billion tons annually. Siemens and E.ON are working together on a new power plant project in Irsching, Bavaria, that will be set the new standards for performance capacity, economy and environmental compatibility. With a targeted efficiency of 60 percent in a combined cycle operation (gas and steam), Siemens seeks to set the world record for combined cycle power plants.

Siemens is also working on innovative power plant designs for the environmentally com-patible use of coal. One example is the so-called IGCC technology, or integrated gasification combined cycle. An IGCC power plant is a combined cycle generating facility with an upstream coal gasification plant that produces synthetic gas. The IGCC plants produce between 60 and 80 percent less sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide than the most advanced conventional coal-fired power plants.

Wind turbines from Siemens with a capacity of 5,500-megawatts today save about nine million tons of CO2, and wind power will experience the strongest growth among renewable sources of energy in the coming years. But fossil fuel-fired power plants will remain the backbone of power generation for the foreseeable future.

Urbanke noted in his speech that power generation is not the only area in which industry can do something to help protect the climate. "Energy transmission and distribution is a second important area where energy generated from fossil fuels can be conserved through improved efficiency," said Urbanke. Modern high-voltage direct current facilities permit the energy-efficient transmission of large amounts of power over long distances, up to 1,400 kilometers, with little energy loss. For instance, Tasmania and Australia are connected with high-voltage direct current lines so that Tasmania can deliver "green power" from its hydroelectric power plants to Victoria during peak periods.

"In Europe, the use of energy-efficient regulated drives, such as those being developed by our Automation & Drives Group, could increase the potential savings to the tune of 36 billion kilowatt hours or 2.5 billion euros annually. They can be driven in partial load over their lifetime and consume as such less energy. Another way to save energy is through the use of energy-recovering converters and energy-efficient motors. At today's electricity prices, the necessary level investment for this would pay for itself in two years," Urbanke said. By comparison: a refrigerator in a household uses on average 330 kilowatt hours of electricity annually.

Siemens VDO Automotive (SV) has developed a new direct-injection system for internal combustion engines that could lower both fuel consumption and emissions. With a Piezo Direct Injection system, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are reduced up to 20 percent.

"Energy-saving technologies have also been developed for rail vehicles, such as trains and tramways," said Urbanke. For rail vehicles that stop frequently, it can make sense to store the energy used in braking and then recycle it again for acceleration. Siemens Transportation Systems has developed such systems.

The most visible potential for energy savings currently comes from the example of the light bulb. If a light bulb is replaced by a 20-watt "energy saving bulb," it will save 1,200 kilowatt-hours of electricity over its lifetime as well as a half ton of CO2 emissions. The Siemens Group Osram produces such energy saving bulbs. One product, the Dulux Longlife 20 Watt, has a comparable brightness of a 100-watt light bulb but uses about 80 percent less electricity and lasts about up to 15 times as long as a light bulb.



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