Siemens 2013 Annual Report Download - page 81

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Vienna is growing – and its quality
of life is increasing
Many Viennese don’t realize it, although
they experience it every day: Siemens is
creating real quality of life in their city. One
prime example is the twelve zero-emission
electric buses running on lines 2A and 3A
in the city center. In 2013, this very well-re-
ceived electric fleet earned Wiener Linien
accolades that included the State Prize for
Mobility, the highest honor awarded by
Austria’s Ministry of Transport, Innovation
and Technology. Georg Freimüller sees the
buses as a crowning achievement for public
transportation in Vienna. “The electric buses
are quiet, comfortable and fast – and they
emit no carbon dioxide,” he says. Thanks to
our drive concept, the buses consume
some 25% less energy than diesel or natu-
ral-gas buses. What’s more, the electric
buses run on green electricity. About 75%
of the energy consumed in Vienna is
produced in the city – at facilities which
include one of Europe’s largest biomass
power plants. Plans call for increasing the
share of renewables in the city’s energy mix
to 50% by 2030. And that target entails a
new set of challenges, since the amount of
energy derived from the wind and the sun
naturally fluctuates. Reinhard Brehmer, one
of the managing directors at grid operator
Wiener Netze, is already working on the
solution. “To achieve a balance between
supply and demand, we’re introducing
smart grids in Vienna,” he says. “A pilot proj-
ect to test smart electricity meters and their
integration into the grid is already under-
way.” Siemens is supplying the software
that manages the consumption data – one
more intelligent infrastructure solution for
Vienna.
A living laboratory for the city
of the future
Wien Energie, Wiener Netze and Siemens
are working together on the smart infra-
structure of the future at a new community
called “aspern Vienna’s Urban Lakeside.”
The new district, which is being developed
on the site of a former airfield, will be
home to 20,000 people and create 20,000
jobs by 2030. Reinhard Brehmer, who’s also
the managing director of Aspern Smart
City Research, has high hopes for the
“living lab.” As he explains, “In aspern, we
have a unique opportunity to try out smart
new ideas for energy-efficient urban infra-
structures on a community-wide level.
Working with Siemens, we’ll test new types
of links to the low-voltage grid and inte-
grate schools, homes and offices in the
power grid.”
Vienna is a growing city that’s optimally
equipped for the future. Mayor Michael
Häupl sees the aspern community and the
research project with Siemens as steps
clearly geared toward further enhancing
the city’s quality of life by introducing
smart, automated infrastructure solutions:
“This isn’t just about building roads and
housing. We also want to ensure that future
generations enjoy the same high quality of
life that Vienna has already achieved.”
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Energy savings with electric buses %
Zero-emission electric buses equipped
with our drive technology consume
some % less energy than diesel or
natural-gas buses.