Technology for the Environment

In Brief

^? Several studies released in 2006 and 2007 confirmed that we face climate change brought about by greenhouse gases such as CO₂, which are produced mainly through the combustion of fossil fuels. To ensure the effects remain manageable, the earth’s temperature must not rise by more than 2 °C. The global energy supply therefore has to be put on a new foundation that generates low amounts of carbon   ^{more at  Trends,  Facts and Forecasts and in the  Interview with Prof. Schellnhuber}

^? All means have to be exploited to achieve this goal. Energy consumers will need not only more efficient solutions for heating systems, household appliances and lighting, but also energy-saving industrial motors and more fuel-efficient transportation. Energy producers, meanwhile, will have to focus on boosting the efficiency of their power plants and generating more energy from alternative sources such as water, wind, biomass, geothermal heat and waste. In each of these areas, Siemens has developed solutions that are already usable today   ^{more at  Energy Efficiency,  Building Systems,  Energy from Waste,  Energy for Tomorrow and  Environmentally Friendly Transportation}

^? Siemens is also working on technologies for the future, such as fossil-fuel power plants that sequester CO₂ and store it safely underground. Other developments include fuel-cell hybrid power plants that are designed to achieve an electrical efficiency rating of 70 %. This is 10 % more than the best combined cycle plant currently under construction. Siemens is also researching an extremely efficient automotive drive system in which the electric motors and brakes will be incorporated into the wheels   
^{more at  Power Generation,  Fuel Cell Power Plants and  Transportation}

^? Thanks to an in-house standard, Siemens systematically takes environmental factors such as energy efficiency and the prevention of harmful substances into account when planning new products    ^more

^? New solutions have also been developed for water purification. They range from sophisticated biological processes in which bacteria destroy the pollutants and chemicals are not required to plasma techniques which can eliminate substances that were previously non-biodegradable    ^more