Siemens: Siemens shows new digital solutions for the transition to sustainable infrastructure

At this year’s Light + Building trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany, Siemens will showcase its vision of digitalization as a key pillar of the infrastructure transition required to tackle climate change and global sustainability challenges. The company’s motto at the show is “Smart infrastructure is sustainable infrastructure”, and Siemens will be demonstrating products, solutions and services to make the transition of buildings and grids possible.
“Digitalization is a key enabler of sustainability, and if we are to build resilient, adaptive, efficient and livable infrastructure, intelligently applying technology to create smarter buildings and grids will be essential,” said Matthias Rebellius, member of the managing board of Siemens AG and CEO of Smart Infrastructure. “If digitalization is the brain, sustainability is the heart. By enabling our customers to meet their individual ambitions, together we can drive forward a transition to sustainable infrastructure.”
The transformation is urgent; almost 10 billion people will live on our planet by 2050, the majority in urban areas.​Around 40 percent of all energy used globally is consumed in buildings, and another one third by industries. Together, digitalized buildings and electrification systems can support a more sustainable future.
Adaptable solutions to future-proof buildings
Building X is the recently launched smart building suite for net-zero buildings, and a highlight at the Siemens Light + Building booth, with its AI-enabled applications, secure connectivity, and open platform. Building X is the first offering built on the principles of Siemens Xcelerator; an open digital business platform and marketplace to accelerate the digital transformation across industries, buildings, grids and transportation.
Siemens will also be showcasing a broad range of Building Services which combine technology with the expertise of its digital building professionals to reduce costs, drive revenue and growth, meet sustainability and regulatory requirements and optimize building performance. As part of a range of offerings based on an X-as-a-Service (XaaS) business model, Siemens will be demonstrating Energy Flexibility Services. This enables clients to combine different energy sources, optimizing between alternative sources as well as fluctuating energy prices in the market, to help meet customers’ decarbonization goals, reduce energy costs and – in some cases – both.
The latest version of Desigo CC, Siemens’ integrated building management system, has also been upgraded with several new software features, which will be on display at Light + Building 2022. Desigo CC sites can now be monitored from the Building X Operations Manager cloud application, covering different customer needs in managing their buildings, whether on-premise or off-premise, in the cloud as well as in hybrid setups.
Safety and wellbeing for tenants, employees and visitors
With health, safety and occupant wellbeing a key priority for building owners and operators, Siemens will also be demonstrating a range of digital technologies to protect people and infrastructure investments. From a safety perspective, Siemens will showcase a range of fire protection solutions and services. These include the Cerberus FIT fire safety solutions for small and medium-sized buildings, as well as the award-winning Li-ion battery fire protection solution.
Siemens will also show for the first time a new portfolio of digital services for fire safety. By connecting fire detection systems to the cloud, the portfolio uses the data – combined with expertise from service personnel – to help customers meet and exceed safety guidelines by moving from reactive to proactive operation. Services such as continuous condition monitoring for detectors, remote diagnosis reports and an automatically updated eLogbook help customers to minimize the impact of external risk factors, enable access to real-time data for swift decision-making, and improve business continuity through uninterrupted operation.
In addition, Siemens will also exhibit new security solutions including Building X Security Manager. This cloud application enables combination with well-established solutions to deliver hybrid scenarios between cloud and on-premise. Software, including Siveillance Video, Control Pro or Siveillance Access portfolio, as well as third-party solutions, can connect using modern APIs and low-code for seamless integration. This integration opens up new possibilities, such as creating the ‘control room of the future’ or transforming to data-driven and smartphone enabled access control, improving occupants’ experience.
Optimizing performance for all buildings
Siemens’ building automation exhibits in Frankfurt will focus on productive and efficient rooms, as well as building performance. On display will be the recently released PXC7 controller, which completes the new generation of Desigo automation and showcases the ability to deploy BACnet Secure Connect to strengthen cybersecurity.
Focusing on indoor air quality (IAQ), Siemens will show the new IAQ multi-sensor and the recently upgraded RDG200 thermostat with built-in CO2 sensor for balancing energy efficiency and IAQ. For the dynamic hydronic balancing for heating and cooling systems, Siemens will show the new 6-port PICV (pressure independent control valve); KNX for smart building control, with the complete DIN-rail mounted device portfolio and the TC5 touch room unit, which supports multi-discipline applications such as colored light control or logic operation.
Enlighted, a Siemens-owned company for smart and sustainable buildings, will be launching new solutions including Space Intelligence and Location Intelligence, to elevate use of IoT building data for operational productivity and sustainability. With Space Intelligence, new data APIs for building occupancy, efficiency and location will help enterprise companies understand activities within their spaces, gain access to deeper analytics, provide accurate ESG reporting and use visualizations for better space decisions. Location Intelligence, a Real Time Location Service (RTLS), improves workflows and asset management, especially in healthcare and warehouse settings.
Focus on smart electrical installation and power distribution
Siemens will also show technology for reliable, cost-effective and energy-efficient electrical installation and power distribution, addressing the challenges of increasing consumer numbers, power distribution complexity and the integration of renewable energy and additional loads, such as electric vehicle charging. The measuring and communication capable SENTRON installation devices offer a smart solution for overall protection of people, plants and systems, as well as transparency of energy flows, whether a new system or a retrofit. By evaluating data and with the help of condition monitoring, energy efficiency can be significantly increased and the lifecycle assessment improved. Installer and switchgear manufacturers benefit from innovative, flexible, and future-proof systems including easy planning and rapid installation.
Smart power distribution maximizes network efficiency along the entire value chain, and ensures greater sustainability. At Light + Building 2022, Siemens will highlight SIVACON 8PS busbar trunking systems, which offer many benefits of intelligent power distribution when compared with conventional cable installation. Advantages include quick and easy planning in 3D and in compliance with Building Information Modeling (BIM), a practical BusbarCheck app to support installation and documentation, and high adaptability to new use concepts, and communication with higher-level systems or clouds.
Planners Lounge
In the early phases of a project, planners face multiple challenges, including customer requirements for future-proof technology and the lowest lifecycle costs. Regardless of which planning phase or industry customers belong to, Siemens supports projects with know-how and BIM-capable data, with consideration for cybersecurity. At Light + Building 2022, Siemens will also show the ‘Planners Lounge’, demonstrating how Siemens supports customers on site with the planning and conception of technical building equipment, including the electrical power distribution.