In Short
Integration of
renewable
energy sources
Microgrids
A modular
design to cater to
any requirements
Peak load
management
Less need for grid extensions
Siestorage ensures the integration of renewable energy sources into the grid,
high quality of power supply, and total reliability.
Storage
Illustration: Siemens
Stabilizing the Grid with Siestorage
Enel is Italy’s largest power company and one of Europe’s
leading energy providers. In recent years, the share of electricity coming from renewable energy sources – such as wind
and solar – has increased significantly, presenting some system stability issues. This prompted Enel to pioneer solutions
to increase hosting capacity of distributed generation from
renewable energy sources. Since 2012, the Italian company
has been working with Siestorage, the modular energy storage system from Siemens. Siestorage is based on lithium-ion
batteries, which can buffer short-term grid fluctuations within a fraction of a second. The system applies modern power
electronics to the grid, acting as an additional energy source
or handling generation peaks.
The energy storage solution has been installed in Enel’s medium-voltage distribution grid. It features an output of one
megavoltampere and has a capacity of 500 kilowatt-hours –
that’s the average daily power consumption of around
50 households. Despite its impressive capacity, the storage
solution still fits into a normal shipping container. Enel uses
Siestorage for voltage regulation as well as for the integration of renewable energy sources and an electric vehicle
charging station into the medium-voltage grid. “The solutions from Siemens help us to push ahead with climate-neutral power generation from renewable energy sources, as
they increase distribution grid hosting capacity regardless of
the intermittent and nonprogrammable nature of renewables,” explains Paola Petroni, Enel’s Head of Network Technologies.
siemens.com/siestorage
Living Energy · No. 8 | July 2013
83
In Short
Wind Power
Introducing the World’s Largest Wind Turbine Research
and Development Test Facility
This spring, two Siemens test centers for wind turbine technology were inaugurated in Denmark. With their combined 27,000
square meters of indoor space, seven blade test stands in Aalborg and three blade test stands in Brande together form the
largest blade test facility in the world – not only in size but also
in scope. They are capable of testing current cutting-edge technology, such as Siemens’ 75-meter-long B75 blade, the largest
wind turbine blade currently in operation, and are designed to
also accommodate the even larger blades of the future.
The new R&D test facilities are fully equipped to test all major
components of Siemens direct-drive and geared wind turbine
platforms, using highly accelerated lifetime tests (HALT). These
HALT testing programs can run for up to six months, exposing
prototypes to much higher loads than they would normally
experience over the course of an entire working life in the field.
Potential flaws can thus be reliably eliminated, providing added
value to Siemens customers.
Energy Management
New Browser Game in Search of Perfect Energy Mix
What is it like to build a sustainable energy system? The new
browser-based Power Matrix Game simulates the construction
and development of a region’s energy supply. In this strategy
game players will have to invest their assets wisely to generate as much power as needed using as little resources as possible. The goal is to find the perfect energy mix to create a
growing, wealthy city in a clean environment – and with happy inhabitants. Should the funds be invested in a coal-fired
84 Living Energy · No. 8 | July 2013
power plant, a state-of-the-art gas and steam power plant, a
wind farm, or any one of the numerous additional power generation methods? What is the perfect balance between these
options? The Power Matrix Game offers interesting insights
into the correlation between different forms of power generation and grid technologies in a way that mirrors reality.
powermatrixgame.com
Photos: Siemens
The aim of the
Power Matrix
Game is to
provide a city
with clean and
reliable power.
In Short
Control Technology
Solutions for the Monitoring
of Photovoltaics
In order to ensure maximum profitability of photovoltaic
plants, reliable operation and predictability are key requirements – and are the only way to ensure that the energy
generated can be marketed as effectively as possible. The
Siemens PV Monitoring Solutions fulfill these requirements
and make plant performance fully transparent for operators –
regardless of location, and in real time. This transparency
allows operators to take immediate measures in the event of
an outage in order to minimize yield losses.
Siemens PV Monitoring Solutions include a range of functions
and features, such as the precise and comprehensive detection and evaluation of plant data based on Siemens’ marketleading control system. By utilizing weather data and forecasts along with complex forecasting algorithms, dependable
energy generation forecasts for up to seven days are enabled.
The web-based platform “Siemens PV Portal” allows for remote
access to customizable information and key performance indicators at any time.
Based on project-specific requirements, Siemens PV Monitoring Solutions span the entire process of planning, engineering, installation, and commissioning, and include all components for plant monitoring and control, as well as individual
service packages from remote monitoring to full operation –
for maximum reliability and yield.
Geothermal Energy
New Steam Turbine for Geothermal Power Plants
Power generation from geothermal energy is a mature technology. Contrary to solar or wind power, geothermal energy
can be used around the clock, resulting in high-availability
base load power plants using this natural energy source
worldwide. According to the Geothermal Energy Association’s
2012 international market overview, the global capacity of
geothermal power plants was more than 11 gigawatts. Geothermal resources most often appear in areas with high seismic
activity, so turbines are frequently affected by highly corrosive
steam. These challenging physical conditions require specially
adapted steam turbines.
At the GeoPower Indonesia conference in Jakarta, Indonesia,
in June 2013, Siemens presented a new geothermal steam
turbine to serve the power range up to 120 megawatts. The
SST-500 GEO is a single-casing, double-flow condensing
turbine and can be deployed in geothermal power plants with
a range of steam conditions, being suitable for both singleand double-flash applications. Like all Siemens geothermal
turbines, the SST-500 GEO is designed with an impulse-type
steam path. The materials of all its components are specifically selected according to the particular conditions and the
specific steam chemistry of the application to resist corrosion
and corrosion-related cracking. It withstands live steam temperatures of up to 250 °C and steam pressures of up to 15 bar
absolute, and includes resource- and turbine-stage-specific
high-grade materials as well as special features for moisture
removal at every stage. “The SST-500 GEO will enable us to
participate in the geothermal growth we currently see in
regions like the eastern coast of Asia, the western coast of
the Americas, and parts of Africa,” says Markus Tacke, CEO
of the Industrial Power Business Unit of Siemens Energy.
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In Short
Gas-Insulated Lines
Two GIL Systems Operational in China
The vertical construction of the GIL
lines proved to be an engineering
challenge.
When completed, Xiluodu will be China’s
second-biggest hydropower plant.
At the Xiluodu underground hydroelectric power plant in China, Siemens is currently
installing the world’s largest and most powerful gas-insulated power transmission
system. Boasting a single-pole length of 12.5 kilometers, it has a transmission capacity of 3,900 megavoltamperes per system. The seven gas-insulated line (GIL)
systems – with a nominal voltage of 550 kilovolts – will connect the underground
plant, across an altitude difference of 480 meters, to the overhead lines at the
Xiluodu dam. The dam is part of a major development on the Jinsha River, one of
the tributaries of the Yangtze River, in Yunnan and Sichuan. Two of the seven GIL
systems have already successfully
passed high-voltage tests, while work
on the other systems is in full swing to
ensure that they can be commissioned
by summer.
In March 2010, representatives of the
Three Gorges Project Corporation who
also oversee the Jinsha project visited
the power plant in Kaprun, Austria –
where a 420-kilovolt three-phase GIL
system already transmits a capacity of
540 megavoltamperes over a distance
of 155 meters to an overhead line that
runs directly to the substation. Convinced that GIL technology was the perfect solution to the larger scales required
by China’s second-biggest hydropower
plant in Xiluodu, the corporation charged
Siemens with the task of supplying,
installing, and testing the largest GIL
system in the world.
Sustainability
TransnetBW has installed and is operating the world’s first extra
high voltage level grid transformer, which is insulated and cooled
by vegetable oil instead of mineral oil, in Bruchsal, Germany.
Among the many advantages of using biodegradable oil is its
environmental compatibility. Thus, the new grid transformer will
be the first of its capacity without a water-hazard classification.
This means it can be operated in direct vicinity to drinking water
production plants or environmental protection areas. Moreover,
there is no need for collection tanks and separation plants, lowering the installation costs. A further advantage: Compared to
mineral oil, vegetable oil is less inflammable, thus facilitating
operation in densely populated areas.
Convinced by the novel technology’s many benefits, Siemens is
dedicated to taking it further. At the transformer station in
Bruchsal, the operational aging and cooling behavior of the vegetable oil-based insulation system will be examined, promising
practical insight on further improvements. Applied at the vital
intersections of different transmission levels, this innovative
technology is a further step in “greening” the grid.
86 Living Energy · No. 8 | July 2013
The world’s first 420-kilovolt grid transformer in a test setup.
Photos: Siemens
World Premiere of 420-kilovolt
Vegetable Oil-Insulated Grid Transformer
In Short
Power Transmission
Five FACTS Support Expansion of Peruvian Power Grid
In February 2013, Siemens received the latest of three orders
from Abengoa Transmission Sur (ATS) in Peru. Along the
southern coast of Peru, ATS is installing a 500-kilovolt transmission line that will extend for 872 kilometers. Today, around
60 percent of Peru’s energy consumption is generated by
hydropower plants, which need to be connected to Peru’s
industries and population, concentrated in the coastal cities
of Lima, Chimbote, Chiclayo, and Trujillo.
The long transmission corridor will require a total of five
flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS) for reactive power
compensation and voltage stabilization. The five FACTS are
scheduled to go into operation in 2014, as part of three individual projects. While Siemens Energy Peru will be responsible for regional tasks on-site, such as construction, experts
from Germany will handle certain engineering aspects.
Siemens Energy Brazil will be responsible for building the
systems, which also includes the manufacture of the capacitor banks.
Smart Grid
Award
Siemens and Teradata Form
Global Strategic Partnership for
Big Data in the Utility Sector
Best of Corporate
Publishing Awards
for Living Energy
Huge quantities of data – so-called “big data” – are generated
when utilities operate smart grid infrastructure with enhanced
automation, new sensor technology, communication systems,
and software applications. For instance, one million smart
meters will produce a data volume of up to several petabytes
a year. Currently, there are 178 million smart meters installed
worldwide; this number is expected to double by 2016. Only
the ability to collect, organize, and analyze this volume and
variety of high-velocity data in a way that is relevant and
accessible to business will bring real value to utilities.
Siemens and Teradata are joining forces to develop data
models, which include further enhancements to Teradata’s
industry-leading Utilities Logical Data Model, the core element of utilities’ data analytics. Through this collaboration,
Siemens Smart Grid further optimizes its portfolio of solutions, which will provide energy utilities with a much higher
level of transparency on the status and activities in their networks. This will allow customers of Siemens Smart Grid to
improve the reliability of their infrastructure and to run their
grids more efficiently in an increasingly cost-sensitive environment.
The Living Energy editing team is
delighted to announce that the
seventh issue of Living Energy
was awarded the prestigious silver medal at this year’s Best of
Corporate Publishing (BCP) contest. It is the leading competition
for corporate publishing in Europe. In addition, the Living Energy report “Repowering Kirishi”
by Moritz Gathmann, published
in the same issue, received the
Corporate Publishing Excellence
Award for its outstanding journalistic quality. View
the documentary film by award-winning film director Vitaly Mansky, which complements Gathmann’s
report, at
siemens.com/living-energy/kirishi
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