Siemens 2009 Annual Report Download - page 25

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Electricity from the sun
In an age of dwindling fossil fuel sup-
plies, renewable energy sources are
becoming increasingly important.
Photovoltaic systems, which convert
solar power directly into electrical en-
ergy, are both a key technology for
climate-compatible power generation
and a major future market, with pro-
jected annual growth rates of  per-
cent over the next few years. And our
company is well-prepared to seize this
opportunity. Active in the area of pho-
tovoltaics for more than  years,
we’re poised to continue expanding
our solar business.
As a general contractor, we’re focus-
ing on developing and implementing
large-scale photovoltaic systems for
customers in the industrial and energy
sectors. For example, we’ve supplied
systems integration technology for
Bavaria Solarpark, one of the world’s
largest solar power plants. And in
Italy’s Campania region, we recently
installed a -MW solar power plant,
which is supplying some  local
households with ecofriendly elec-
tricity.
Long-distance HVDC technology
Electricity from renewable energies is
seldom generated in cities. More often,
it’s produced far away from the places
where it’s needed most. As the follow-
ing examples illustrate, our high-volt-
age direct-current (HVDC) transmission
systems are transporting large amounts
of electricity over great distances with
minimal loss – all around the world.
We’ve built a -kilometer HVDC
undersea cable connection between
Australia and Tasmania that is capable
of transporting up to  megawatts
(MW) of electricity. Since mid-,
Long Island, New York and Sayreville,
New Jersey have been linked by a
 - MW HVDC system we delivered. In
India, our HVDC technology is improv-
ing the energy efficiency of the -
MW link between Ballia and Bhiwadi
while reducing annual
CO emissions
by , tons compared to conven-
tional alternating-current systems. In
China, we’re currently constructing
the world’s first -kV HVDC system.
The new system’s high voltage will
ensure that losses during transport
are even lower than with other types
of HVDC transmission. Linking the
Yunnan and Guangdong provinces,
the system will transport up to ,
megawatts of carbon-free hydroelec-
tric power over a distance of , kilo-
meters – reducing
CO emissions by
some  megatons a year.
Sustainable IT solutions
Our company’s commitment to pro-
moting both economic growth and
environmental stewardship is reflect-
ed in our IT for Sustainability program.
As a global player with comprehensive
industry expertise, we’re helping cus-
tomers improve energy and resource
efficiency across all business process-
es and operations while substantially
reducing
CO emissions and costs. We
provide everything from consulting
services to IT and communications
solutions to energy management sys-
tems and intelligent supply networks.
Our Transformational Data Centers,
which also encompass energy recov-
ery concepts, can increase capacity
utilization by over  percent and re-
duce energy consumption by more
than  percent. Our United Commu-
nication Solutions and Services enable
simple and intuitive communication
across all media and forms of commu-
nication, cutting energy consumption
and minimizing the need for business
travel. And our electronic power auc-
tion platform coordinates cross-border
electricity capacities, enabling grid
operators to increase their efficiency
by improving network utilization.
// 02
Urbanization and
sustainable development
66 Our structure
 Climate change and energy supply 30 Globalization and competitiveness