SIEMENS

A 6-MW gearless Siemens turbine weighs about the same as a 3 MW unit with a gearbox.

The SWT-6.0-120 is the third wind turbine model from Siemens that operates without a gearbox. Instead, the unit is fitted with an innovative direct drive system. Extensive trials are now being conducted on a prototype installed off the Danish coast. Large-scale production of the unit, which is particularly light weight, is scheduled to begin in 2014. Up until now, high-output wind turbines have tended to be disproportionately heavier than systems with a lower output rating. The SWT-6.0-120, by contrast, weighs only as much as a conventional wind turbine in the two- to three-megawatt (MW) class. Moreover, the use of very robust construction techniques has cut the costs associated with the turbine, towers, and foundations. This in turn will further reduce the price of power generated by offshore wind turbines. Experts from Siemens Wind Power in Denmark developed the six-megawatt wind turbine especially for rough offshore conditions. For one thing, an ingenious but simple design has substantially reduced the number of rotating parts in the system. This, in turn, minimizes the risk of downtime, while enhanced diagnostic methods increase the system’s reliability and thus its availability. Offshore wind power facilities need to withstand the high winds and severe weather encountered at sea for around 20 years. Associated maintenance should be kept to an absolute minimum because repairing a wind power plant on the open sea costs roughly ten times as much as fixing an onshore installation. To date, Siemens has installed over 700 wind turbines in European waters, with a combined output of 1,900 megawatts.

Pilot carbon dioxide separation facility near Hanau.

Apilot project being conducted by Siemens and E.ON has shown that CO₂ separation can be carried out in power plants just as expected. More than 90 percent of the CO₂ in flue gas at the Staudinger coal-fired power plant near Hanau, Germany, was separated in demonstration projects. This feat was achieved using an environmentally-friendly detergent made from the dissolved salt of an amino acid. The detergent is able to bind CO₂ and then release it later. The test at the pilot facility, which has been operating since 2009, also revealed that the innovative technique reduces the power plant’s efficiency by only six percent — much less than expected. The separation system, which can also be retrofitted to existing power stations, will undergo testing in an even bigger project in the U.S. at the end of 2012.

Siemens is testing software for a self-organizing electric grid.

Siemens and the Allgäuer Überlandwerk (AÜW) energy company in Kempten, Germany, are testing a smart grid in cooperation with RWTH Aachen University and the Kempten University of Applied Sciences. The joint “Integration of Renewable Energy and Electric Mobility” (Irene) project, which is scheduled to run for two years, is being funded by Germany’s Ministry of Economics and Technology. The project’s goal is to intelligently integrate and operate the numerous photovoltaic units, wind turbines, and biogas facilities that AÜW has linked into the grid. A selforganizing energy automation system from Siemens will make this possible. Thanks to software recently developed by the company, it will be possible to improve energy distribution planning and coordination and thus to operate the grid more efficiently (see "On-the-Job Optimization"). As part of the project, a charging infrastructure will be established for electric vehicles, which will be able to utilize electricity produced in an environmentally-friendly manner — for example, from photovoltaic units. The vehicles could be used as electricity storage units in the future. For instance, as components of the smart grid, they would store surplus electricity and subsequently return it to the grid during periods of peak demand. Participating companies see the project as a winwin situation. Consumers will save money through changed energy consumption habits and energy suppliers will be able to market their electricity more efficiently.

Low losses: An 800-kV transformer for overhead HVDC transmission in China.

Siemens is building power converter stations for a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system with a record capacity of 2,000 megawatts (MW). Starting in 2013, the new HVDC Plus technology will transmit 2,000 MW as direct current over a distance of 65 kilometers underground. The system, which was financed in part by the European Union, will link the French and Spanish grids. At the moment, the two countries’ grids are linked only by low-capacity lines. Power grids will have to be substantially upgraded throughout Europe if more renewable energy is to be used in the future. If large amounts of power are to be transmitted over long distances underwater or underground rather than via overhead lines, alternating current is not suitable. That’s because cable capacitances would cause high-loss charging and discharging phases. In contrast, in an HVDC system, transmission losses are 30 to 40 percent lower than in a comparable three-phase alternating current line. Siemens technology will enable two cables to transmit 1,000 MW of power each at around 320 kilovolts, which is the maximum voltage that today’s cables can handle. Compared to their predecessors, the HVDC Plus power converter stations have much to offer. In addition to being more flexible and robust, they are also less susceptible to breakdowns.

Taipei 101 has cut its energy costs by $700,000 per year.

The Taipei 101 skyscraper has been granted “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” (LEED) certification in Platinum. The tallest green building in the world, the tower uses 30 percent less energy than conventional structures. Lighting and air conditioning systems are automatically switched off in unoccupied rooms and offices, while ice produced using cheap electricity at night helps to cool the building during the day. Thanks to these and other measures, the building has reduced its CO₂ emissions by around 3,000 metric tons per year. Siemens played a major role in this success story by serving as a LEED consultant. The company installed building management, safety, and lighting solutions in Taipei 101 in 2004.

The Airabesc lamp combines LEDs and OLEDs.

Osram and 2DO-Design have developed a lamp that combines organic (OLED) and conventional (LED) light-emitting diodes. The “Airabesc” consists of 11 rectangular OLED panels with small LEDs mounted in between. The multilayered OLED panels, which are one hundred times thinner than a human hair, are made of layers of organic material that’s vapor-deposited onto glass. The OLEDs are exceptional in that they radiate light across their entire surface.