Hanover Fair Showcases “Energy Mix of the Future”
by Design World Staff
Sunday, May 03, 2009
The world’s largest industrial technology show, held annually in Hannover, Germany, highlights thirteen flagship fairs, including the debut of the “Wind” fair. Energy efficiency, renewables and cost efficiency are recurrent themes throughout.
Hannover Messe 2009 (or Hanover Fair, as it’s commonly referred to in
the U.S.) was held April 20-24 in Hannover, Germany, serving as the
world’s largest gathering of industry professionals, exhibitors,
industry organizations and nations. “Leading personalities from science
and industry come together in Hannover in order to present
technologies,” said Dr. Willi Fuchs, Director of the Association of
German Engineers (VDI).
Dr. Reinhard Hüppe, Managing Director of
the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (ZVEI),
stressed, “HANNOVER MESSE is the most important event of the year for
the electrical engineering industry—not least for the electric
automation and energy sectors. Only in the context of free competition
can these sectors demonstrate their true strengths.”
Siemens takes a leadership role
Highlighting
the Fair’s main themes, the focus for Siemens AG at Hanover Fair was on
cost-effective innovations and energy-efficient solutions. Siemens
views the current economic environment as a good opportunity to
increase its market share in industrial equipment and solutions.
Speaking
at a press conference held prior to Hanover Fair, Klaus Helmrich, CEO
of the Drive Technologies Division, stated, “It is especially in times
of changing economic conditions that industrial companies expect
systematic solutions that help cut costs while also securing their
investment. As leading industry suppliers we are deliberately targeting
energy-efficient and cost-effective innovations, which permit our
customers to achieve an early return on investment.”
Against the
backdrop of declining greenfield business, it is efficiency,
flexibility and reliability of existing plants that have gained in
importance in the global marketplace. “Here, economical operations go
hand-in-hand with environmental protection using green solutions,”
stated Jens Wegmann, CEO of Siemens Industry Solutions. “In a large
number of modernization projects, they help us save more than three
quarters of the cost of energy.”
Roughly 50 percent of the
overall power consumption in developed countries is used in industry,
over two thirds of which is consumed by electric drive systems. “We
estimate that the use of variable-speed drives and highly efficient
motors could generate global savings of 120 terra-watt hours,” Helmrich
continued. “Payback for the majority of our new drive systems is less
than 18 months.”
Besides drives, control systems also contribute
towards energy efficiency by ensuring that power is only used where it
is actually needed. “While individual energy-efficient products can
make a considerable contribution to reducing energy consumption, only a
smart combination of these systems from planning through to operation
within the framework of Siemens’ Totally Integrated Automation can
effectively leverage this potential,” stated Ralf-Michael Franke, CEO
of Industrial Automation Systems. “We are driving forward our world
leading automation portfolio with innovations designed to increase
productivity and cut costs for our customers.” For example, said
Franke, “The new Simatic S7-1200 Micro-Controller is setting whole new
standards and opening up new dimensions in terms of performance and
efficiency for our customers.”
13 shows in one
Hanover Fair 2009 encompassed 13 leading trade fairs, including:
• INTERKAMA
• Factory Automation
• Industrial Building Automation
• MDA (Motion, Drive & Automation)
• Digital Factory
• Subcontracting
• Energy
• Wind
• Power Plant Technology
• ComVac
• Surface Technology
• MicroTechnology
• Research & Technology
One
of the featured topics at the Fair was “Energy Ef?ciency in Industrial
Processes,” with a special display for innovative and energy-efficient
products, solutions and processes. A model of a bioethanol plant (5 x
2.5 meters) illustrated ways of optimizing consumption, while a
presentation area dedicated to reference projects focused on examples
of best practice in optimizing energy efficiency in industrial
processes.
The fourth annual World Energy Dialogue took place at
Hanover Fair on April 21 and 22. Chaired by Dr. Klaus Töpfer, former
Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),
the dialogue featured contributions by federal ministers and
well-recognized energy experts and policymakers from Europe, Africa,
Asia and the U.S.
While these activities highlight the
importance of energy savings, there are also growing pressures on
industrial companies to save costs by increasing productivity over the
manufacturing and product life cycle. At Hanover Fair, Siemens
showcased its portfolio of Totally Integrated Automation
(TIA) and digital engineering solutions designed to improve
efficiencies and lower operating costs. “In addition to consistent,
end-to-end IT systems for asset management, human-machine interfaces (HMI) and manufacturing execution systems
(MES), we at Siemens are focusing on developments in digital
engineering to make production advantages available to our customers,"
explained Franke.
Siemens is poised to serve industry across all
three sectors of the environmental portfolio—energy efficiency, water
management and pollution control. And, with TIA and digital engineering
solutions, Siemens provides its customers with competent and specific
support for cost-saving innovations.
::Design World::