Siemens 2012 Annual Report Download - page 47

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we’ll need a public consensus to implement all of these things. Grid expan-
sion will entail installing hundreds of kilometers of transmission lines all across
Germany. And the construction of additional pumped-storage hydropower
plants to store energy temporarily will also have an impact on the environ-
ment. We have to convince people and make it clear that the transition to a
new energy system cannot be accomplished from one day to the next but will
require a great deal of patience, money and effort.
In which of these fields do you anticipate major advances?
. : We need highly efficient plants, but it will take time to develop
them. After all, Siemens didn’t develop its high-efficiency combined cycle
plants overnight. And we’ll also need time to install HVDC transmission lines
and smart grids throughout Germany. Until that happens, coal-fired plants
will also be a component of the evolving energy system. While such power
plants will still be necessary as a backup for many decades to come, they’ll be
more efficient than before, delivering the same output while consuming
much less fuel.
Now you’ve brought up the topic of the energy mix. How will the
energy mix at EnBW look ten years from now?
. : While EnBW will also still be operating conventional plants in ten
years, we intend – compared to today – to double the share of renewables by
, expanding their capacity by about , megawatts. Renewable energy
sources include offshore wind, onshore wind, photovoltaics, biogas and water.
To obtain an economically viable mix, all types of renewable energies will
have to be combined. That’s how the restructuring of the energy system will
succeed.
What do you expect of Siemens in this context?
. : We expect that Siemens will always be at the cutting edge of tech-
nology and that we can count on Siemens as a technology leader who provides
us with efficient solutions – solutions that make sense from both an eco-
nomic and an environmental perspective. We value Siemens’ power of inno-
vation. And we value the trust that we have in Siemens, which has evolved
over many decades, just like the plants that we built together and are suc-
cessfully operating today. We expect Siemens to continue pursuing this strat-
egy and to offer us the best solutions on the market. And we at EnBW wish
Siemens every success in this endeavor.
..//
..//-
 – Plans are far advanced for the con-
struction of the world’s most efficient natural
gas power plant – an order placed by Stadt-
werke Düsseldorf, a municipal utility in which
EnBW holds a majority stake. Here EnBW
Chief Technology Officer Hans-Josef Zimmer
examines up-to-date project planning infor-
mation from Siemens. The plant is expected
to begin supplying ecofriendly electricity
and district heating in .