With the DynaGridCenter project, Siemens worked alongside partners in science and research to develop the next generation of grid control centers. For the first time, assistant systems visualize dynamic processes that bring the energy transition to the power grid and provide targeted recommendations for actions to optimize the grids and prevent blackouts.
Siemens Building Technologies Division is acquiring Building Robotics Inc., a market leader in the fast growing digital workplace experience app domain. The simple-to-use app Comfy enables people to take control of their environment and provides feedback on their space. With this acquisition, Siemens is setting a further milestone in smart building solutions.
Siemens and The AES Corporation announced on July 11, 2017 their agreement to form a new global energy storage technology and services company under the name Fluence. The joint venture will deliver the Advancion and Siestorage energy storage platforms and will continue to develop new storage solutions and services. Fluence will empower customers around the world to better navigate the fragmented but rapidly growing energy storage sector and meet their pressing needs for scalable, flexible, and cost-competitive energy storage solutions. Its global headquarters will be located in the Washington, DC area with additional offices located in Erlangen, Germany and other cities worldwide. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2017, subject to regulatory and other approvals.
Siemens AG is constructing a modern and sustainably designed Siemens Campus Erlangen in the southern part of the city of Erlangen, Germany. By 2030, the company's research center in the south of the city will have been transformed step-by-step into one of Siemens' most advanced locations worldwide. Future-oriented office, research and laboratory jobs will be located on the campus. Equipped with the most advanced building and energy technologies, it will be developed over the long term into Siemens' first CO
2-neutral location worldwide. A new urban residential and living environment will arise on the campus grounds. Siemens will be part of the community as never before. Designed by the Frankfurt architects KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten, the campus's open plan will link the company and society and provide a basis for the exchange of ideas.
The construction project has a planned investment volume of some €500 million and will cover an area of 54 hectares. Siemens Campus Erlangen underscores the company's long-term commitment to its Erlangen location and will be a symbol of innovative power for employees and for the region. The project was planned and designed in close cooperation with the state of Bavaria and the city of Erlangen.
The first passenger train will roll through the Gotthard Base Tunnel early June 2016. Siemens has supplied the tunnel control and fire protection systems for the world's longest railway tunnel. The sophisticated safety system has over 200,000 sensors, and places maximum demands on logistics and data processing.The control system controls and monitors all installations completely automatically. The tunnel is fitted with sensors, control electronics and surveillance equipment. This includes video cameras in the multifunction points, which are connected by optical fiber cables to two tunnel control centers located at the north and south entrances. Siemens has installed a tunnel control system in each center, each system acting as a reserve for the other. The movement of each train is recorded, and displayed in the control center. The system controls the entire infrastructure, which has 3,200 kilometers of electrical cables and 2,600 kilometers of data cables. It detects a door that has not been closed properly or a light that has failed. When required, the ventilation system is activated, the light at the next emergency stop point is switched on, and the doors are opened automatically. What is actually happening is seen on screen by the around 60 employees on duty in the centers. "Events" are classified according to five alarm stages. The system provides information and decision-making steps for each stage to help the head of operations. Sensors check the trains for overheated brakes and leaks before they enter the tunnel and without requiring them to stop. However, the main task of the new system is to maintain availability. The maintenance periods, such as close-down times and spare parts requirement, can be efficiently planned with a new tool.It goes without saying that safety is paramount in a tunnel where in the near future more than 200 trains a day will barrel through the tubes at speeds up to 250 km/h. The tubes are connected every 300 meters by crosscuts that allow train passengers to escape to the other tube in case of a fire. Each tube has two emergency-stop stations 600 meters in length which allows the evacuation of up to 1,000 passengers.