Low and Medium Voltage
With its products, systems, and solutions, the Siemens Low and Medium Voltage Division makes sure that the electrical power transmitted via medium- and low-voltage networks reaches the end consumer safely and with low losses.
Electricity frequently covers considerable distances before it is available to industry or private households. From the power plant, it is initially transmitted over high-voltage, long-distance networks. For regional distribution, it is transformed to a lower voltage level in step-down substations and then transported from there via medium-voltage systems to local transformer substations or directly to large facilities such as factories or hospitals. Medium-voltage systems supply electrical power to a region of several localities, or parts of a city. Low-voltage supply networks branching out from additional transformer substations are responsible for the final distribution as far as the electrical socket.
High network requirements
Every technical system in industries, buildings, or hospitals depends on a reliable power supply. Even a brief power failure can have serious consequences. The requirements for current distribution are thus many and varied. The grid must remain stable, for example, even when it is being fed by naturally fluctuating power supplies from wind or solar power plants. In addition, a large number of small energy sources such as roof-mounted photovoltaic plants must be integrated into the grid. Further requirements include compliance with extremely high safety standards and all legal norms.
The solutions from Siemens Low and Medium Voltage (LMV) provide all this and are thus of fundamental importance for a stable power supply. They are used by power suppliers, industrial companies, and infrastructure customers. Switchgear, busbar trunking systems, protection, switching, measurement and monitoring devices, switches and electrical outlets, and numerous other components play a role in the safe and economical handling of electrical power. They increase the energy efficiency of large buildings and industrial applications and make smart grids possible in the first place.
Multi-talents for the medium-voltage range
The product spectrum of medium-voltage equipment covers a wide range of switchgear for different functions as well as non-switching components such as fuses, instrument transformers, or surge arresters. Another important part of the Siemens portfolio are the mains converters that function as AC converters or frequency converters, depending upon the requirement. Among other applications, medium-voltage converters are needed for supplying power to ships from an onshore source, for offshore wind turbines, and for the steel industry. Since the trend in all industries is toward increasingly higher plant outputs, LMV offers modular medium-voltage converters that can be combined flexibly and can be used for applications that have more as well as less critical requirements. They are designed for small to large power ratings as required.
Power system stability must be guaranteed at all times, regardless of whether the wind is blowing and whether or not wind turbines are feeding electricity into the grid. Power reserves as well as voltage and supply quality must be maintained. For this, Siemens offers the modular energy storage system SIESTORAGE for power distribution networks. Another application area of SIESTORAGE is providing an emergency power supply for computer centers and hospitals as well as for sensitive industrial production processes. In addition, there are energy storage solutions for energy-efficient buildings, island networks, and small self-contained auxiliary networks for public transportation and for applications in electromobility.
Ships need a power supply even when they are berthed in port. With SIPLINK (Siemens Multifunctional Power Link), a medium-voltage system that can be flexibly coupled with distribution networks, ships can be connected to the medium-voltage network of the local power supplier, creating an environmentally friendly solution. The usual diesel generating units otherwise required for powering the on-board supply system can then be switched off. This increases the supply quality, saves fuel costs, and significantly reduces pollutant emissions in harbors. Offshore drilling platforms are another important application area of SIPLINK.
Low voltage – right to the last electrical outlet
After the power has been transformed to low voltage at medium-voltage substations, it is distributed right to the electrical outlet via low-voltage networks. For this final distance, Siemens also supplies the complete range of products, systems, and solutions for power distribution and electrical installation technology in industry, infrastructure, and buildings.
At the center of it all is the Siemens concept for the end-to-end distribution of electrical power known as Totally Integrated Power (TIP). This forms the backbone of the power supply and hence provides the basis for reliable and efficient functioning of building equipment, industrial applications, and infrastructure. The concept covers the planning and configuration as well as the installation and operation, thereby enabling the entire optimization potential of TIP to be harnessed.
It is particularly important to eliminate the fire risks that can be caused by faulty electrical installations, for example in old buildings, by defective electrical cables and equipment, or by careless handling of them. Siemens has developed a protective concept for this, featuring as its core element the new fire protection switches. These are combined with other switches and supplementary components, based on the type of existing or planned electrical system, and thus offer maximum protection against fires.
The products for low voltage are supplemented by communication-enabled software tools that can link power distribution systems to the building automation or industrial automation systems. All systems are certified according to international standards and can be used globally. Comprehensive service and support activities – from initial information about planning and installation all the way through to operation – round out the range of services.