Tapping into the potential of smart energy infrastructureA guide to how smart grids are making the energy transition successful for power utilities, businesses and societyTable of contents1.Preface: This is a revolution! Let’s act and create impact32.An energy system in turmoil calls for more speed to transform43.Opportunities for everyone74.The Siemens offering94.1.Siemens Xcelerator for grids94.2.Areas of excellence for a smart energy world115.Open invitation – let’s ideate and create together!16 2TAPPING THE POTENTIAL OF SMART ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE Our lives and the way we do business depend on a sustainable, secure and affordable energy supply. Over the past 100 years, the power grid has under-gone countless technological changes. But mega-trends such as climate change, digitalization, and urbanization – coupled with the drive to decar-bonize and decentralize – are leading to a trans-formation of the energy landscape at unprece-dented speed. In addition, the risk of global pandemics, rising geopolitical tensions, possible gas shortages and increasing prices have the potential to create an energy crisis, that can only be averted if we reinvent the way we plan, build and manage energy. Advanced energy systems already reflect this growing complexity. All power utilities – from generation through transmission to distribution – need to manage volatile generation and load profiles as well as multi-directional power flows from more and more distributed, increasingly renewable sources. Sources and points of use include central and distributed generation facili-ties, substations, electric-vehicle charging points, intelligent buildings, behind-the-meter solar generators, campus-based storage solutions and microgrids, critical...
