IN SHORT
ESSAY
€30 to 60 billion, depending on the
technology. Given the long depreciation periods, that is much less per
consumer than appears at first sight.
The need to expand the grid is occasionally used to demand less regulation and higher returns. Now and
again, we see attempts to reduce
efficiency requirements and to increase profit margins. If these ideas
gain ground, then it really can become expensive for the network users
and end customers. A second cost
driver could be the tendency to conceal privileges or subsidies, even for
particular branches or stakeholders
in the use of system charges. If these
charges are waived or considerably
reduced for these branches and stakeholders, the costs for the remaining
network users become commensurately higher.
The main obstacles to new networks,
though, are undoubtedly not the
framework conditions for investors,
but the approval procedures, which
have often been intolerably long in the
past. The recently adopted Grid Expansion Acceleration Act, most notably,
marks an important new direction
here. It will streamline procedures
to ensure uniform regional planning
and approval. And so, in future, the
Bundesnetzagentur will be responsible for the following:
• the ten-year network development
plan, updated yearly, which the
Bundesnetzagentur will submit every three years, at the latest, as a
draft for a federal requirements plan
Matthias Kurth
President (2001–), Bundesnetzagentur (German Federal Network Agency)
Background
Chief Regulator
Kurth studied Law and Political Economics at the University of Frankfurt/Main,
Germany. He was admitted to the bar in
1978.
Served as MP in Hesse state parliament
(1978–1994). State Secretary in the
Hesse Ministry of Economics (1994 to
1999).
In February 2001, Kurth was appointed
President of the Regulatory Authority
for Telecommunications and Posts, later
renamed the Federal Network Agency –
Germany’s supreme regulatory agency
for telecommunications, gas, and
railway networks as well as postal services.
“The exit from nuclear power has
been decided and the accelerated
expansion of energy from renewable sources is under way. Now,
grid expansion and optimization
must keep up.”
for the transmission network, which
will be submitted to the lawmakers;
• specialist federal planning, which
will examine planned routes and
corridors with a view to their compatibility with regional planning and
the environment and whose findings will be binding on the federal
states and local authorities; and
• planning approval procedures for
specific line build projects when an
ordinance requiring the consent of
the Bundesrat determines that the
Bundesnetzagentur will carry out
these procedures.
This will strengthen the Bundesnetzagentur’s contribution to accelerating
expansion of the grid. If all the procedures could be carried out uniformly
under federal authority, it would be
possible to achieve timescales of around
five years. Crucially important here,
however, is constructive participation
by a wide public at an early stage.
Power lines are not particularly attractive, whether above or below ground.
But attractive or not, they are needed,
and it is vital that this is understood.
Those affected at the local level need
to accept that particular construction
measures are required at the federal
level and need to be able to have their
say much sooner, and more vigorously, than hitherto. Procedures should
therefore be transparent and must be
conducted openly for all those who
are interested and/or affected. I expect
constructive participation from intensive, open discussions that are held
in a timely manner and that have been
well prepared. People do not want to
be presented with plans that have already reached the completion stage.
No, they want to take part, to have a say,
in finding the best solution possible.
The exit from nuclear power has been
decided and the accelerated expansion
of energy from renewable sources is
under way. Now, grid expansion and
optimization must keep up. Many
questions and challenges still remain.
But all these questions can be resolved
and all the challenges can be met, given
commitment on the part of all concerned. p
Living Energy · Issue 6/February 2012
85
International News in Short
Twelve brief news items on current projects, recent developments,
and the latest innovations in the Siemens Energy portfolio.
Taking to the Hills: Solar Farm for South of France
In mid-October 2011, Siemens put the
Les Mées solar farm in the department
of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in France on
line. Located at an elevation of 800 meters above sea level on the wide, undulating La Colle des Mées plateau, the
solar farm comprises a total of 112,000
solar modules covering an area of
70 hectares. For this project, Siemens
installed a total of six turnkey photovoltaic (PV) power plants. Siemens was
not only responsible for grid connection
and the control systems for Les Mées,
but also for supply and installation of the
inverters, low- and medium-voltage
components and transformers.
The customer was Eco Delta Développement (EDD), whose subsidiary Delta
Solar and Siemens jointly developed the
PV farm in the district of Les Mées. The
plant design met the demands for maximized efficiency despite the difficult
landscape. Siemens erected the six PV
plants in Les Mées in only ten months.
The solar power plants, for which Siemens
will also handle maintenance, will generate a combined peak output of 31 MWp.
Approximately 12,000 French households can thus be supplied with clean
electricity.
“The Les Mées project demonstrates
that we’re the right partner for successful, on-schedule implementation of
complete PV plants,” says Martin Schulz,
Vice President of the Photovoltaics Business Unit of the Siemens Solar & Hydro
Division.
An engineering and construction
wonder: the Les Mées solar farm on
the 800-meter-high La Colle des
Mées plateau near the French Alps,
completed in just ten months.
Siemens Smart Grid Portfolio Enhanced
Photo: Siemens
84
With the aim of enhancing its global
market position in the field of smart metering, Siemens closed a deal in December
to acquire eMeter, a meter data management specialist based in San Mateo,
California (USA). “The acquisition means
that the EnergyIP meter data management software of eMeter will become an
Living Energy · Issue 6/February 2012
integral part of our smart grid portfolio,”
says Jan Mrosik, CEO of the Smart
Grid Division of the Siemens Infrastructure & Cities Sector. “Ever-increasing
demand for more efficient power supply
networks for cities and utilities make
this acquisition even more important.”
Siemens has partnered with eMeter
since 2008. With the EnergyIP platform,
Siemens is now one of the world’s
leading providers of meter data management software, which can efficiently
read out, manage and provide the increasing quantities of data from smart meters
in the power supply network.
86
IN SHORT
IN SHORT
New Combustion Test Center for Gas Turbines
Being Built near Berlin
Siemens is in the process of building a
new combustion test center for gas turbines in Ludwigsfelde, Germany, just
south of Berlin. The test center is scheduled to begin operation in 2014. “We
are investing €66 million to be able to
study and validate the combustion processes in gas turbines in our own test
center. That will enable us to build even
more efficient gas power plants,” says
Roland Fischer, CEO of the Fossil Power
Generation Division within the Siemens
Energy Sector. The test center will
study various parameters such as output,
efficiency, emissions and the stability
of the flame on a single burner on the
test bed, and the results will play an important role in the design and ongoing
development of Siemens gas turbines.
“The combustion processes going on inside gas turbines at temperatures of
1,500 degrees centigrade and higher
make extreme demands on the materials,” explains Fischer. “Combustion is
the key to even higher efficiency in
gas turbines, but there are limits to our
ability to simulate it on a computer.”
Up to now, Siemens has relied on external test facilities in evolving its gas
turbine burners.
The importance of the Berlin area for
the sector is reflected in Siemens recent
investments in its established main gas
turbine manufacturing plant. Just this
year, the company spent €17 million on
expanding and renovating its test facility
in Berlin-Moabit, in which fully assembled gas turbines are tested under power
plant conditions. A new drilling station
for gas turbine casing parts has also been
installed there at a cost of €13 million.
In 2009, Siemens invested €42 million
in a new production shop for gas turbine
blades. Just last year, Siemens inaugurated a new logistics center for gas turbine parts in Ludwigsfelde, in the immediate vicinity of the future combustion
test center. Furthermore, two new pro-
New 6-MW Direct Offshore Wind Turbine Launched
Siemens recently launched its new 6-MW direct-drive wind
turbine at the European Offshore Wind Energy Conference in
Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The prototype of the new SWT
6.0 was installed in Høvesøre, Denmark, in May 2011 and the
first trial operation was initiated a month later. The turbine’s
low weight and smart design will contribute significantly to
the reduction of the cost of energy for offshore wind power.
It is also optimized for service and maintenance work, with a
helicopter-hoisting platform integrated into the nacelle rear,
allowing easy and safe access for service technicians. The nacelle, housing far fewer parts than geared wind turbines, is
particularly spacious and gives technicians easy access to key
components.
The SWT-6.0 will be available with rotor diameters of 120
and 154 meters and is purpose-built to endure the harshest
conditions offshore. It features the Siemens direct-drive design with 50 percent fewer parts than comparable geared wind
turbines. With a tower head mass of less than 350 tonnes,
the SWT-6.0 sets a new standard as the lightest machine in
its class. This unique combination of robustness and low weight
significantly reduces infrastructure, installation and service
costs, and boosts lifetime energy output and profitability.
“Our new 6-MW offshore wind turbine incorporates the aggregate engineering know-how gained through the last three
decades,” says Henrik Stiesdal, Chief Technology Officer of the
Siemens Wind Power Division. “We expect the SWT-6.0 turbine to become the new standard for offshore wind power
projects around the globe.”
This direct-drive wind turbine is offered with two different
rotor blades. The SWT-6.0-154 features the largest rotor blade
in the 6-MW class, using the new B75 Quantum Blade. This
75-meter-long blade delivers enormous strength at low weight,
and thanks to its unique airfoils, it offers superior performance
Installation of combustion burners –
the key to higher gas turbine efficiency
– in Siemens’ new manufacturing
plant in Berlin.
duction shops are being built as part of
a refurbishment program costing around
€30 million in Siemens’ Berlin switchgear plant, which manufactures components for power plants and high-voltage
networks.
Charitable Solar Energy Project in Mexico
Siemens has donated project management and funding for a charitable project
called “Luz cerca de todos” (light close to everyone) in the Mexican state of Querétaro.
While the capital, Santiago de Querétaro, has a good infrastructure, about 30,000
people in remote highland villages and farms are still not connected to the public
power grid. They spend up to 40 percent of their income on candles and batteries,
so these articles are used sparingly. Thus, schooling and information are limited.
But recently, with the help and support of Siemens and its local employees, 182 solar
power systems were installed in homes, as well as 10 at public buildings of nine
towns, in the region. The project not only brings light to the people, but saves them
money and opens up better educational opportunities. “We not only want to create
jobs and expand our business in the region, but also to contribute to the development
of the communities where we operate,” says Louise Goeser, CEO of Siemens
Mesoamérica.
Further Information
To access a short YouTube film on the “Luz
cerca de todos” project, please scan this QR code
with a reader app on your mobile device.
Living Energy · Issue 6/February 2012
at a wide range of wind speeds. The SWT-6.0-120 is equipped
with the proven B58 rotor blade. This blade will bring direct-drive
technology to places where air traffic and height restrictions
ordinarily preclude wind turbine installations of the 6-MW class.
Siemens pioneered the offshore wind power industry when it
installed the world’s first offshore wind power plant in 1991,
and it has successfully installed more than 700 more since
then. The company is continuing to thoroughly test and validate the performance of the SWT-6.0 turbine. In addition to
prototype testing, Siemens runs every component through a
simulated 25 years of highly accelerated lifetime testing
(HALT). A preseries of up to 50 SWT-6.0 wind turbines will be
installed at on- and offshore sites in Denmark, Germany, the
Netherlands and in the UK during 2012 and 2013.
The prototype of the new SWT-6.0 wind turbine: With rotor
diameters of 120 and 154 meters, it is designed for the
most challenging offshore sites and is the lightest machine
in its class.
Integrated Desalination Facility and CCPP in Singapore
Photos: Siemens
Siemens employees in Mexico installing
a solar power system at a remote home
that is not linked to a public utility.
87
Siemens has received an order from
Hyflux Ltd. to build a natural gas-fired
combined cycle power plant (CCPP) as
part of the largest seawater desalination
facility in Singapore, Tuaspring, which is
scheduled to go on line in 2014. Siemens’
scope of supply will include a model
SGT5-4000F gas turbine, the heat recovery steam generator, one SST5-3000
steam turbine, an SGen5-2000H-series
hydrogen-cooled generator and the
SPPA-T3000 instrumentation and control
system as well as the associated auxiliary and ancillary systems. What’s more,
Living Energy · Issue 6/February 2012
Siemens has concluded a long-term
service agreement with the client covering the major components, and will also
supply the plant’s electrical switchgear
and transformers.
“We view this first order from Hyflux
to be a demonstration of their trust in
our know-how and technology,” says
Lothar Balling, Head of Gas Turbine Power
Plant Solutions at Siemens’ Fossil Power
Generation Division. “Siemens places the
greatest value on tried-and-tested and
highly reliable technology, and this will
be a decisive factor on the electricity
market in Singapore. With an efficiency of approximately 59 percent, the
Tuaspring plant will contribute significantly towards securing Singapore an efficient
and thus economical as well as clean
power supply.”
Olivia Lum, Group CEO and President of
Hyflux, is also very positive about the
collaboration, adding, “We are delighted
to award this contract to such an experienced and reputable company as
Siemens.”
88
IN SHORT
Sustainable Energy for All
The year 2012 has been designated by
the United Nations as the International
Year of Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL).
This was officially launched on January
16 at the World Future Energy Summit in
Abu Dhabi. The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced
this major global initiative aimed at raising energy to the top of the international
agenda and making sustainable energy
for all a top priority. The Secretary-General invited leaders from business, government, international organizations
and civil society to come together to develop and launch this initiative. Peter
First Order for Siemens SGT-750 Industrial Gas Turbine
Siemens has received a first order for
its 36-MW SGT-750 industrial gas turbine.
Purchaser is the Germany-wide natural
gas pipeline network operator WINGAS
GmbH, a Kassel-based joint venture of
the BASF subsidiary Wintershall and the
Russian company Gazprom. The SGT-750
will be deployed in a cogeneration plant
at the landfall station of the Nord Stream
pipeline, which runs through the Baltic
Sea from Vyborg, Russia, to Lubmin,
Germany.
In the future, the Nord Stream pipeline
will link Europe with the large natural
gas reserves in Siberia. The electric power
from the SGT-750 will be fed into the
grid. The heat of the turbine will reheat
the pipeline gas which has lost pressure
during its 2,100-kilometer journey from
Siberia under the cold ocean, and restore
it to the temperature needed for further
distribution. With an electrical efficiency
of 38.7 percent, corresponding to a shaft
efficiency of 40 percent, the SGT-750 has
the highest uptime in its class. Siemens
is responsible for supply, installation and
commissioning of the turbine including
the generator and auxiliaries, as well as
the electrical infrastructure for the grid
connection.
Argentina Powers Up Last Two Substations
of NEA-NOA Project
Part of the extra-high-voltage transmission line
of the NEA-NOA project in Argentina.
2011 marked a huge milestone for Siemens Argentina: the energization
of the last two substations of the NEA-NOA 500-kV interconnection –
a joint venture with Siemens in Colombia, Brazil and Germany. The
project, whose total cost was more than US$725 million, involved the
construction of an extra-high-voltage transmission line stretching over
1,200 kilometers from the northeastern (NOA) to the northwestern
(NEA) regions of Argentina.
The interconnection will increase the trading of electrical energy
between Argentina, Brazil and Chile, as well as a reliable electricity
supply for about 6 million people (about 18 percent of Argentina’s
population) within Argentina. The power lines and substations are the
backbone for the social and economical development of the NEA-NOA
region, which formerly lacked a reliable electricity supply.
For the project, Siemens provided electrical and electromechanical
engineering, 500-kV and 132-kV high-voltage equipment, 500-kV
reactors, medium- and low-voltage switchgear, protection and control
systems, electromechanical erection and materials, and commissioning and start-up.
With the delivery of the final Siemensbuilt turbine rotor blade components
to the Drax Power Station in Selby, the
largest steam turbine modernization
project in UK history is moving rapidly
towards completion.
Increased efficiency with new turbine
rotors and blades: the Drax Power
Station in Selby, UK.
tually reaching 1,800 TWh in 2020. Gas
turbine power plants – especially highefficiency CCPPs – will play a major role
in this increase. After the USA, China
and Japan, in 2010 Russia was the fourthlargest power generator worldwide.
Siemens recently opened a new turbine
production facility in Charlotte, North
Carolina (USA) as a supplement to its established manufacturing plant in Berlin.
Also planned is a further gas turbine production facility in Saudi Arabia.
Living Energy · Issue 6/February 2012
The £100 million contract to replace
the low-pressure and high-pressure turbines on all six units at the power station was signed in 2007 between Drax
Power Limited and Siemens AG. It set in
motion the manufacturing of 28 separate turbine rotors weighing over 2,800
tonnes and over 80,000 individualized
turbine blades, which, laid end to end
would stretch the distance of a marathon.
The contract also secured the establishment of a global supply chain and a sixyear installation initiative, as well as forging a unique, industry-leading relationship
between the two companies. This complex
undertaking will help Drax Power Station
increase its overall efficiency to almost
40 percent and reduce emissions of CO2
by one million tonnes a year, equivalent
to taking 275,000 cars off the road.
Says Peter Emery, Production Director
at Drax, “Through increasing the overall
efficiency of the electricity generation process, the new turbines make a meaningful reduction in our carbon footprint.
This, along with the fantastic working
relationship we have built with Siemens,
is definitely something to celebrate.”
Jürgen Bahr, Head of the Drax project at
Siemens Mülheim, adds, “Over the last
two years, each unit has been delivered
successfully and on schedule. The whole
team has demonstrated excellence
throughout the project. We have to thank
the team at Drax and our colleagues in
Newcastle for their cooperative approach.”
Market Launch of Regulated Distribution Transformer
Photos: Siemens
€275 million in our gas turbine site in
Saint Petersburg, and consequently will
create 500 jobs in the region,” says
Michael Suess, CEO of Siemens Energy.
In addition to manufacturing the turbines,
the site will also feature R&D activities
and service operations for the CIS gas
turbine fleet installed over the past two
decades. This commitment is part of
Siemens’ plans to eventually invest
€1 billion in Russia and create a total
of 4,000 jobs. Total power generation
in the CIS member countries is expected
to increase by 2 percent annually, even-
proved service delivery. Also encouraged
are the establishment of public-private
partnerships to encourage private investment flows in support of the three
targets and their implementation.
Siemens has answered the call and committed to doing its part to achieve these
goals on a local, national, regional and
global basis. As one of the world’s largest suppliers of ecofriendly technologies
Siemens has the opportunities to encourage these global targets.
Largest Power Plant Modernization in UK Close to Completion
Global Gas Turbine Manufacturing Network Expanded: Joint Venture in Russia
Siemens has launched a joint venture
in Russia, called Siemens Gas Turbine
Technologies, with its Russian partner,
Power Machines. The two companies have
been cooperating for more than 20 years
on related manufacturing and marketing
solutions. The new joint venture, in which
Siemens has a 65 percent stake, plans
to build a new production facility in Saint
Petersburg. Starting in 2014, the new plant
will produce advanced, high-efficiency
gas turbines for the growth market in the
Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS). “We intend to invest approximately
Löscher, President and CEO of Siemens
AG, is one of the principals in the highlevel group of the UN Secretary-General.
The initiative has three interlinked global
targets that it aims to reach by 2030:
■ Achieving universal access to
modern energy services
■ Improving energy efficiency by
40 percent
■ Producing 30 percent of the world’s
energy from renewable resources
The initiative calls for all partners to take
bold action through strengthened enabling policy, expanded capacity building,
new and enhanced financing, and im-
In the first quarter of 2012, when Siemens rolls out its new state-of-the-art distribution
transformer with on-load voltage regulation, the energy industry will already be looking
at the future of a reliable renewable energy supply. With ever-increasing numbers of
consumers depending on solar and wind power to deliver electricity, a practical solution was needed to deal with fluctuating voltages due to varying sun conditions or wind
velocity. The innovative technology of this new transformer, the FITformer REG, will
soon make problems like this a thing of the past, assuring delivery of a constant level
of power, without the need for network reconfigurations or additional installations.
The system is also easily monitored, efficient and virtually maintenance-free, and it can
easily be upgraded at any time in the future. This all translates into both cost and time
savings. More good news: Even with the on-load voltage regulation added, the dimensions are only slightly increased, allowing customers’ specification to be met while still
facilitating installation in a compact substation.
Living Energy · Issue 6/February 2012