San Francisco is considered an especially environmentally friendly city. The urban environment is characterized by an extensive public transport system. In September 2014, San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has awarded Siemens a contract to deliver an initial 175 light rail cars at a value of USD648 million. The order included an option for additional 85 cars. One year later, SFMTA exercised its option for another 40 light rail vehicles for the public mass transit network. This is one of the biggest orders for light rail cars ever placed in the USA. The trains are being built in the Siemens plant in Sacramento. Today, every third tram or light rail vehicle in the USA is made by Siemens.
Over 100 years ago, on August 5, 1914, the first electric traffic light was installed on a city street in Cleveland, Ohio, marking a milestone in traffic management. Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz (photo), at that time the busiest intersection in Europe, installed the famous five-sided traffic light tower made by Siemens in 1924. Today the red-yellow-green signals are an integral part of city landscapes worldwide. On the outside, traffic lights haven’t changed much over the last decades. But inside a traffic light, groundbreaking changes have taken place. Traffic lights have become more intelligent over the years: modern traffic management takes into account the current traffic situation and optimizes traffic flow, for example, by allowing "green waves" or by prioritizing emergency vehicles, buses, and trams.
More than 100 years ago - on August 5, 1914 - the first electric traffic light went into operation, a milestone for traffic control. Today, it is hard to imagine a world without the redyellow-green signals. And the success story of the traffic lights is continuing with "1-watt technology". This achievement has enabled Siemens to revolutionize the market and improve the energy efficiency of standard 230 V LED technology by up to 85 percent, a huge benefit for tight city budgets and for the environment. Equipped with the new technology, a typical intersection with around 55 traffic signals (red - yellow - green) avoids more than 6,000 kilograms of harmful carbon emissions a year.
Utmost reliability and maximum availability are critically important for ensuring the cost-efficient operation of rail vehicles and the infrastructure they use. After all, malfunctions and downtimes cost money, cause delays and frequently also lead to compensation claims from passengers, local transport purchasers and freight customers. Long before faults actually occur, their potential sources should be identified. To provide this information, Siemens is the first company in the rail industry to operate a special data analytics center, located in Munich, Germany.
Now things are getting down to business: following the initial test phase in the fall of 2016, the Siemens SiBike app is going live in Marburg. In the weeks between now and mid-November, dozens of cyclists will be subjecting this system – which gives priority to bicycles in city traffic – to a stress test that is taking place under realistic conditions. Beginning on October 5, 2017, SiBike is launching on a 700-meter stretch of the Erlenring road in Marburg, Germany. Dozens of volunteer "test pilots" will be helping optimize the "green wave" app. And beginning at the end of November, all Marburg residents will be able to download the SiBike app to their smartphones.
By the way: Marburg is a trendsetter. Since the project's successful start last year, numerous cities in Europe and the U.S. have already expressed interest in this technology.
In many areas of the world, existing power infrastructure is stretched to the limit by growing demand for electricity. Reliable power supply systems are a major enabler of economic development, yet needs are growing at a pace faster than the ability to erect conventional power plants. The task at hand in these regions is to deploy efficient mobile power generating capacity quickly to fuel economic development. In some cases the need is temporary, and after some time the mobile power plant might be relocated to a different location to perform a similar duty.
Siemens has now specially developed its SGT-A45 TR gas turbine for this rapidly growing market – a new aero-derivative gas turbine integrated into a mobile unit that delivers an electrical output of up to 44 megawatts, can be installed and commissioned in less than two weeks and begin generating electricity immediately. This light-weight gas turbine offers outstanding power density, high fuel efficiency and good operational flexibility, making it an ideal choice for customers who urgently need power and regions with less developed infrastructures.
Demonstrating the company's commitment to supporting Iraq's power sector, Siemens has expanded an existing service agreement with KAR Group in Iraq to provide comprehensive operations and maintenance (O&M) for two newly added SSC5-2000E power plant units at the Khormala plant in the Kurdistan region.The 930-megawatt (MW) natural gas-fired power plant meets nearly 30 percent of the power demand targeted by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), supplying more than four million Iraqi people with reliable electricity. The extension of the service agreement is set to improve operational flexibility, availability, and performance of gas turbines for the next 15 years.The agreement between Siemens and KAR Group aligns with Iraqi energy production goals. According to the Mena Power Report 2017, the current power demand in Iraq stands at 21GW and is growing faster than supply. The Kurdistan Regional Government plans to increase capacity by building new power plants and increasing the efficiency of existing facilities."With more than 20 years of experience in O&M of power plants, we currently manage approximately 2,800 MW across the Middle East and North Africa region and over 16,000 MW globally," said Gianluigi Di Giovanni, Senior Executive Vice President of Siemens Power Generation Services in the Middle East. "Our global resources and fleet expertise enable us to provide complete plant services and management. The plant is truly a landmark project, supporting the development goals of the Kurdistan region. That's why we are proud to expand our collaboration with KAR Group to deliver reliable and stable electricity supply to people's homes."The Khormala multi-year agreement with Siemens covers the operation and maintenance of six SGT5-2000E gas turbines, six SGen5-100A generators along with the associated auxiliary and ancillary systems. It also includes the implementation of Siemens Power Diagnostics®, which is part of the company's "Digital Services for Energy" portfolio, to improve asset visibility, reliability and availability.Siemens data-driven services enable valuable data from different assets to be analyzed. From there, data is transformed into actionable insights—such as diagnostics, troubleshooting and condition forecasting—that can help improve plant reliability and reduce downtime. In addition, the data processed by Siemens Power Diagnostics® can help balance maintenance costs, improve inspection intervals and provide invaluable insights into operational risks.Siemens has managed the operation and maintenance of Khormala since 2013 under a multi-year services agreement. Currently, the company has more than 40 personnel on-site managing the power plant on behalf of KAR Group.
The Finnish Railways, VR Group, ordered 80 electric Vectron locomotives from Siemens. The new locomotives are designed to operate reliably even under the extreme climatic conditions in Scandinavia during their long service life. Siemens was able to provide clear evidence of their capability during comprehensive test and authorization trips in Sweden and Norway. For Siemens this marks the largest single contract so far for its latest generation of Vectron locomotives and the first for this type in the broad gauge version.
Siemens has been awarded a contract to provide 152 new S70 light rail vehicles (LRVs) for Sound Transit, the regional transit system serving the Seattle and Central Puget Sound area in the US state of Washington. The S70s light rail vehicles will be built at the Siemens rail manufacturing hub in Sacramento, California. The fleet is expected to begin testing in 2019.
Building on its commitment to innovative power plant solutions, Siemens has been awarded a contract from Colbún S.A. to upgrade the Central Termoeléctrica Nehuenco-I plant with Siemens' Power Plant Automation T3000 Cue (SPPA-T3000) system. The 368-megawatt (MW) combined cycle power plant is located in Quillota, Valparaíso Region, in Chile and provides electricity to approximately 350,000 homes in the region.