Sustainable cities
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Sustainable urban development poses a multitude of challenges and opportunities, especially in the Gulf region. Between three quarters and to over 90 percent of the region’s population already lives in cities. And the numbers are rising. Around the world, about 70 percent of greenhouse gases, two thirds of the energy consumed, and 60 percent of water consumption can be attributed to cities. Especially in arid regions, an efficient water supply is crucial. To face the challenges arising from urbanization and demographic change, cities are looking at ways to improve the efficiency of their infrastructures. With the right technology, sustainable cities can increase the quality of life for their residents, while also becoming more environmentally friendly.
With integrated technology solutions and the world’s most comprehensive environmental portfolio, Siemens is committed to being part of the region’s success story. Our long-standing expertise has given rise to sustainable solutions for transportation infrastructure, green buildings, water treatment facilities, and public safety systems that will help ensure sustainable city development – for existing as well as for new cities.
Siemens initiatives such as the worldwide Sustainable Cities Roadshow continue to promote ideas for the green city of the future. With the renewable energy company Masdar Abu Dhabi, Siemens has established a long-term strategic partnership via the Masdar institute – this is the largest global commitment of its kind.
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Cities continue to grow as more and more people move to urban areas. This shift towards urbanization places increasing strain on existing city infrastructure systems.
On the one hand, cities and communities should optimize their infrastructures to provide modern, efficient and people-oriented services. On the other hand, there is little financial leeway. Siemens Financial Services creates more leeway for public-sector clients by offering attractive financing solutions, some involving private investors.
In the United Arab Emirates, Siemens has invested a total of 75 million dollars in two Masdar Clean Tech funds; the most recent of which was launched in January 2010. The fund invests primarily in companies in the fields of green energy technologies, environmental resources, energy efficiency and materials efficiency.
International sports events are increasingly the reason for infrastructure investments. For the 15th Asian Games held in Doha, Qatar in 2006, Siemens erected a state-of-the-art temporary airport terminal at the Doha International Airport in Qatar in a record time of eight months. Siemens also contributed their expertise to design, develop, supply and implement a comprehensive physical security system, making the games a safe and pleasant experience for both visitors and athletes.
Among others, the Doha International Airport temporary terminal included arrival and departure areas, baggage handling system, electronic security systems and check-in counters.
In addition to combating terrorism and organized crime and preparing for natural disasters, city administrations also need to protect buildings and large-scale events. A secure e-government strategy, which includes new personal identification cards, electronic IDs and controlling access rights to IT resources, allows them to enhance public security without inconveniencing citizens.
The Siemens portfolio contains comprehensive security solutions and services focused on intrusion detection, video surveillance, access control, control centers and danger management. Siemens equipped the Police General Headquarters in Dubai with software and security technology. Thanks to a high-tech emergency call system, police, the fire department and ambulance services are able to respond more quickly and collaborate more effectively.
Dubai: The Police General Headquarters is equipped with software and security technology by Siemens.
With its modular Green+ Hospitals concept, Siemens is firmly gearing its healthcare portfolio towards environmental care and sustainability. We help hospitals reduce energy costs through energy optimization, building automation and the use of energy-saving equipment, ensuring more comfort for patients at the same time. A smooth and safe workflow with structured clinical pathways, short examination times and the comprehensive use of IT are also key to the economic efficiency of a hospital. From January 23 to 26, Siemens presented its solutions for a sustainable healthcare infrastructure at the “Arab Health 2012”.
Traffic is one of the biggest contributors to climate destruction – and mobility continues to increase in our society. Sustainable cities need efficient and affordable solutions for local public transportation to prevent traffic jams and reduce CO2 emissions.
A cross-system helps to guide the different traffic flows in an environmentally friendly and efficient manner. In 2007, Siemens equipped a command and control center for uninterrupted traffic surveillance and control in Abu Dhabi city with its 24/7 traffic monitoring systems. The SITRAFFIC Concert traffic management system helps operators make the right decisions and respond to traffic congestions.
Abu Dhabi city: intelligent traffic management
Siemens offers products and solutions for safe, attractive and environmentally friendly local public transportation: Hybrid buses with an ELFA drive system harness a significant amount of the braking energy and use 30 percent less fuel. The fully automatic and driverless Avenio low-floor tram is another example for environmentally friendly transportation with significant savings potential.
At the beginning of 2011, the Siemens Mobility Division successfully completed the first phase of electrification of the “Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro" project. This new rail link along the pilgrimage route in Mecca allows pilgrims to travel quickly and comfortably between holy sites in and around Mecca. Siemens also supplied the electrical equipment for a Cable Liner Shuttle at the New Doha International Airport in Qatar.
Inspiro – Cost-effective and environmentally sound
Siemens is convinced that future urban transportation will largely be dominated by electromobility. Against this backdrop, Siemens presented new products and solutions for urban mass transit at the UITP World Congress and Exhibition in Dubai from April 10 to 13, 2011. The highlight was the presentation of the brand-new mass transit train Inspiro. Utmost priority was placed on the environmental compatibility of the train with reduction in power consumption ensuring high energy efficiency. In addition, the Inspiro provides more space for passengers and enables them to board and exit much faster.
Electromobility will also be a key technology for private traffic in sustainable cities. By integrating electric vehicles into the smart grid, they not only consume energy but become a part of the energy system. During peak power generation times – for example periods of strong wind or intense sunshine – electric vehicles store energy which is returned to the grid in times of high demand.
Air traffic is growing rapidly and plays a significant role in metropolitan regions. In addition to efficient passenger processing, airport operators value smooth and efficient baggage handling. Siemens offers a highly diverse portfolio, including completely new baggage handling concepts.
At the Bahrain International Airport, for example, Siemens provided the turnkey installation of a new remote baggage handling facility. And at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport, Siemens installed a state-of-the-art baggage handling system to process the increasing number of transfer passengers, enabling the airport to expand its capacity to now be able to handle 18 million passengers per year.
Around the world, cities are responsible for two thirds of all energy consumption and 70 percent of greenhouse emissions. A sustainable energy supply is crucial: Energy security, affordability and environmental impact must be carefully balanced.
Sustainability in the energy conversion chain begins with power generation. In Abu Dhabi, the Shuweihat combined power and desalination plant, a Siemens turnkey project, can generate approximately 5,000 megawatts of electricity and 1.4 million cubic meters of drinking water daily. More than half the energy released through gas combustion is converted into electricity. In 2012, the Barka III and Sohar II, two turnkey combined cycle power plants located in Oman, will start up operation in simple cycle mode and will be extended to combined cycle mode in 2013.
Efficient: The Shuweihat combined power and desalination plant provides energy and drinking water.
Renewable energy sources are gaining in importance due to climate change and limited fossil fuel resources. Siemens offers green solutions for wind and solar energy, including the most advanced technologies for solar-thermal power plants. Siemens is also participating in the Desertec initiative to provide sustainable power to Europe, the Middle East and North Africa with solar thermal power plants in the Sahara and wind farms in North Africa.
In the future, smart grids will be the only way to ensure secure energy supplies. Components such as decentralized energy generation and electric vehicles need to be integrated into the grid. New concepts include power grids designed to accommodate fluctuating power feed when using renewable sources. In the first project phase of Masdar City, Siemens will implement an innovative power grid combined with advanced building technologies. This will serve as both an energy efficient power solution and a living research and development platform.
Especially renewable energy is often generated at locations far removed from where it is consumed. An efficient way to transport energy to cities and people are gas-insulated transmission lines (GILs). Siemens is the technology leader in the field of GILs. They are suitable for direct and alternating electricity and can be laid both above and below ground. Their transmission loss is up to 70 percent lower than that of overhead lines. As part of the expansion of the power supply network in the United Arab Emirates, Siemens Energy delivered four turnkey high-voltage substations for the “Dubailand” theme park and supplies equipment like substations and gas-insulated switchgear for the expansion of the high-voltage grid in Qatar.
Intelligent energy conservation plays an important role in sustainable city development. A sophisticated energy management system allows utility companies to be more productive while using less energy. This has a positive impact on operating costs and the environment. SIMAIN® Energy Optimization identifies areas for potential optimization in energy management, analyzes potential savings and implements measures for the sustainable reduction of energy costs and CO2 emissions.
Clean water is crucial when it comes to public health and quality of life. The management and supply of water present a challenge to megacities and metropolitan areas. A reliable and safe supply of quality water can only be achieved by treating and reusing wastewater and purifying drinking water. Cities are confronted with rising energy costs, increasingly strict environmental standards and – in some regions – water shortages.
Siemens offers the largest selection of water and wastewater solutions in the industry sector. SIMATIC process controllers and SIWA PLAN water management solutions help plants to operate as cost-effectively as possible. They offer users fast access to a wide range of information and use data processing to point out potential problems before they become an issue.
Siemens offers the widest range of water and waste water solution in this industry.
Filtration technologies such as MEMCOR® submerged membrane bioreactor systems – the most advanced technology for membrane filtration and biological water treatment in the world – ensure reliable results. With Aramco Overseas Company, B.V., a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, Siemens has signed an exclusive patent and technology license agreement for the commercialization of the EcoRight membrane bioreactor, a new wastewater treatment and water reuse system. This first-of-its-kind system integrates membrane bioreactor technology with additional purification processes to treat highly organic wastewaters, ensuring the cost-effective reuse of difficult-to-treat wastewater.
Singapore, Asia’s greenest city, has turned to Siemens technology to handle its water supply needs. NEWater helps treat wastewater and make it pure enough to drink.
Another innovative solution is the CannibalTM process for biological solids management. This process eliminates the biological solids produced by activated sludge wastewater treatment systems and reduces the costs associated with sludge disposal.
Buildings have enormous potential for improvement – up to 60 percent of their consumed energy can be saved using intelligent building technology, sustainable architecture and comprehensive energy solutions.
Assessing a building's cost effectiveness means taking into account all costs that will be incurred during its lifespan – not just development costs. Savings potential can be fully exploited through transparency in use and operation, ongoing upgrades and the improvement of individual components – or through comprehensive energy modernization and accompanying energy services. This type of maximized energy efficiency takes pressure off public sector budgets while protecting the environment at the same time.
Green buildings require an efficient infrastructure, accurate information management and continual real-time maintenance. Combining these requirements can reduce the facility’s greenhouse gas emissions, improve indoor air quality and maximize efficiencies. With Total Building Solutions (TBS) Siemens integrates all systems that are part of the building services infrastructure, such as cooling, ventilation, climate control, access control systems, video surveillance, burglar and fire alarms and evacuation systems. It provides greater convenience and improves safety and security for people and assets. Buildings become simpler to run and function more reliably – at lower cost.
Siemens integrated a holistic security concept into the building management system for the luxury hotel Atlantis, The Palm, located on the man-made palm-shaped island of Jumeirah in Dubai. Security management solutions range from guest identification to surveillance of the front desk, all entrances and access roads. The system automatically sends a text message (SMS) to the responsible hotel staff member whenever a critical alarm occurs.
Holistic security concept for Atlantis, The Palm: Guests can feel more safe and secure
Reliable power distribution in buildings requires integrated solutions without coordination problems, delays and additional costs. Siemens Totally Integrated Power (TIP) provides all the necessary support for power distribution projects, from the planning stage onward. It brings important advantages for everyone involved, from electricity planners and installation engineers to users and operators: fast, cost-effective configuration and low operating costs.
Lighting alone accounts for almost 50 percent of a building’s energy consumption. The innovative OSRAM lighting systems are fully compatible, save energy and money and actively contribute to protecting the environment. The new stars in lighting systems for buildings and homes are LED. The highly efficient Osram LED lamps last many times longer than conventional incandescent lamps and consume 80 percent less energy.
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