INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Green Technology
Siemens opens digitalisation
centre to advance smart
energy systems
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The Digital Grid Centre in Abu Dhabi is a collaborative space for
development, demonstration and testing of digital technology in
energy systems, which focuses on the core pillars of digitalisation
including cybersecurity, Digital Twins and the Internet of Things.
S
iemens has opened a Digital Grid Centre in Abu Dhabi, UAE,
to advance the digitalisation of energy systems in the Middle
East, supporting smarter cities and industry. The centre enables
Siemens to collaborate with customers in developing, demonstrating
and testing digital energy solutions, and provides remote support for
the utilities, oil and gas, industrial and infrastructure sectors.
Using lab simulations and live data connections, the Digital Grid
Centre enables Siemens to remotely provide service and support
for customer operations, including preventative and corrective
maintenance, simulation and testing. For example, customers will be
able to witness Factory Acceptance Tests conducted abroad without
needing to travel, using a live remote monitoring system to ensure
equipment is ready to be installed on-site.
“Our energy systems are evolving as decentralisation and a
diversifying energy mix impose greater complexity on our electricity
grids,” said Franco Atassi, Head of Smart Infrastructure for Siemens in
the Middle East.
“Managing and protecting these intricate energy systems requires
intelligent application of digital technologies, and our Digital Grid
Centre directly addresses this challenge. We will use the centre
to support our customers in their Digital Transformation, working
together to develop and implement technology for smarter cities and
industries in the Middle East.”
how these technologies can turn Big Data into smart data, unlocking
greater potential from energy networks to improve reliability,
efficiency and grid safety.
Customers will also be able to experience how Digital Twin
technology can replicate physical grid infrastructure in the virtual
world, simulating the performance of energy networks before they
are constructed.
Insights from these Digital Twins can then be used to support the
planning and design of grids for long-term reliability, performance
and cost efficiency.
Cybersecurity is a core element of the Digital Grid Centre.
Operational Technology (OT) is a rapidly growing target for
cyberattacks and the protection of critical infrastructure requires a
holistic, always-active approach to security.
Siemens offers comprehensive cybersecurity services for industry,
utilities and power grid operators and the Digital Grid Centre allows
customers to embrace Digital Transformation while keeping data and
equipment secure.
The centre joins the company’s MindSphere Application Centres
in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt as part of an on-going regional
investment into digitalisation. n
With a dedicated team of engineers, the centre focuses on six pillars of
digitalisation: Remote collaboration, cloud and data (IoT), cybersecurity,
digital substation, Digital Twin and energy efficiency analytics.
The centre demonstrates the potential of connecting energy systems
to the Internet of Things (IoT), capturing data for consolidation,
visualisation and analysis in a cloud-based operating system such as
Siemens’ MindSphere.
MindSphere enables the connection of products, plants, systems and
machines to the Internet of Things, deriving real-world value from
data using advanced analytics. The Digital Grid Centre will show
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INTELLIGENTCIO
Siemens has opened a
Digital Grid Centre in Abu
Dhabi to support smarter
cities and industry
www.intelligentcio.com