Everything under one hat
Siemens Smart Infrastructure toured Switzerland under the motto "Creating environments that care". In recent weeks, the experts demonstrated in Zurich, Montreux, Basel, Lucerne, Bern, Geneva, Locarno and Romanshorn how the intelligent networking of building technology is already creating added value today.
In the Middle Ages, when a castle lord needed a guard dog to catch a scoundrel, the result was at most a disturbance: The faithful dog could possibly be tricked by a Cervelat, as Iwan Raz, Portfolio Consultant at Siemens Security Systems, visualized with the help of an amusing video game sequence. Among other things, security systems are about protecting people and property and supporting operational processes. Raz mentioned access control with digital visitor management as an example, where the aim is to make the visitor experience both safe and comfortable. Security systems can provide support here. Raz illustrated this with another example: In a modern industrial park, for example, there may be an invisible cable buried in the ground, protected from the weather and maintenance-free. If someone crosses this imaginary line, this cable, the movement is detected by a capacitive field.
The detection triggers the video management system (VMS) and shows the affected image section. This interaction works much better today than it did ten years ago, said Raz. Another exciting application includes Siemens' fence monitoring as a proven perimeter protection. Usually, camera systems are used as a supplement to be able to verify alarms immediately. Artificial intelligence helps to efficiently evaluate various features such as the object type and the direction of objects (e.g., passers-by and vehicles) and to display them in a user-friendly way in the video management system. Measures can be derived quickly and effectively on the basis of various evaluation functions.
Mechanical locking systems have been part of mankind for centuries. Since 1960, however, with the first electronic locking systems, access control has evolved significantly. With the constant development of locking technology, it was possible at some point to show who, when, where and how was allowed to enter a building. What is added today is the flexibility with which, for example, a guest can be assigned the right to enter certain buildings and/or rooms "over-the-air" via a smartphone. The connectivity of individual security systems is therefore increasingly in focus. For this purpose, Siemens offers standardized API interfaces on the one hand, and corresponding consulting services with a focus on the customer process on the other. This enables all parties involved to design optimal system solutions.
Digitizing fire protection brings customer benefits
There are several opportunities for digitization around fire protection. Already during planning via creation, benefits can be generated with BIM processes, such as automatic detector placement or collaboration via BIM-360, and quality can also be improved. The service technician, who visits once a year as planned, is supported by evaluations that can be called up periodically and digitally. If necessary, problems can also be solved more quickly remotely than if the technician has to travel to the site - which saves the user time. Siemens is focusing on its Sinteso fire alarm solution, which is connected via a cloud. In addition, the BIM and facility management solution "Ecodomus" can simplify complexity for all trades while the plant is in operation. Using a digital twin, the various objects can be explored to evaluate, for example, the location or data sheet of a specific I/O module that has reported a fault. The future will also be digital in fire protection.
Save energy
Hansjörg Sidler from Siemens, who deals with the topic of energy efficiency, spoke about the holistic approach of energy engineering solutions. In view of the current situation in the energy market, he could not resist listing some bizarre approaches to innovation and savings as examples. For example, he told of an investor who, as a precautionary measure, had already purchased two million francs worth of heating oil for his production in the spring. Thanks to the existing dual-fuel burner, he can simply switch from gas to oil starting in October. The 20 gigawatt hours of gas already purchased can thus be sold again from the fall and the additional proceeds invested in energy efficiency.
"An additional heat pump including a peak load boiler is still the right thing to do from a CO2 perspective. However, with the current extremely high electricity prices, it may make sense to heat only with the peak-load oil boiler for a short time," Sidler says. "From an overall economic perspective, such an energy investor is doing something sensible with it," Sidler concedes. If he has too little electricity in the winter, he simply heats oil again toward winter. Siemens is currently receiving a lot of questions about the net-zero issue. In any case, new approaches to decarbonization are needed, says Sidler. The technology group is primarily concerned with existing plants in order to sound out the energy-saving potential. Prior to an initial project, a workshop is usually held to explore different variants of CO2 optimization, including budgeting, followed by the simulation of various target/actual scenarios. The "roadmap" approach is generally recommended in order to sound out step by step which measures with individual interim targets will lead to success.
The municipality of Mont-sur-Lausanne, for example, is proud of a current energy-saving project. Thanks to an energy-saving contract with Siemens Switzerland, the municipality in the canton of Vaud can now save a total of 60,000 Swiss francs per year at its Mottier sports center. The guarantee promise is contractually set for 15 years, Siemens says. The most important energy efficiency measures included renovating the ventilation and lighting systems and installing solar panels on the roof. Siemens was commissioned by the municipality to carry out other measures, such as replacing the water treatment system and optimizing the electrical installations.
The fact that any system only fulfills its purpose if the individual parts fit together is also evident in sports. As a small highlight, ski racing luminary Didier Cuche gave a presentation. Thus, in the environment of top-class sports, various parameters played a major role. Cuche emphasized that not only the ski boots, but also the supervisors and the condition and maintenance of the slopes have a significant impact on success as a ski racer. Siemens thus wanted to create a link to building technology. Because here, too, the following applies: People can only feel safe and be successful if they are optimally coordinated with each other.
