Adrian Wood, CEO, Siemens Qatar.
Siemens Qatar is working in close cooperation with local authorities and stakeholders, in developing the critical infrastructure and key facilities in Qatar related to digitalisation, automation, IoT and charging infrastructure for e-cars and e-buses, a senior official of the Company has said.
The affiliate of the German tech and engineering giant—Siemens AG— has been bringing cutting-edge technologies into Qatar to help the country achieve its ambitious goal of becoming a sustainable knowledge-based society.
Siemens Qatar, in collaboration with local universities, is set to launch its famous cloud-based MindSphere platform within a few weeks. MindSphere is an open cloud platform or ‘Internet of Things (IoT) operating system’ for applications in the context of the IoT. The platform will allow industrial customers to make decisions based on valuable factual information.
In collaboration with other local partners, the Company has also successfully completed a pilot project in terms of e-car charging infrastructure, and now it is working to drive that forward across the country.
The company has also signed an agreement with Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa), to transform all its meters smart by the end of 2020.
“Kahramaa is working with other stakeholders, including the QEWC (Qatar Electricity and Water Company) and some concern ministries to driving it forward. They are looking at the requirements of the country in terms of infrastructure. There are a number of smart projects (not specifically related to e-charging only), but smart initiatives, which are all in line with the vision 2030. And we look forward to support Qatar with the needful technology to drive that forward,” Adrian Wood, CEO, Siemens Qatar, told The Peninsula on the sidelines of an event recently.
Commenting further on charging infrastructure, he said that the next step of automation in terms of vehicles is going toward “e”. “You have got e-buses and e-cars. We are heavily involved in developing the charging infrastructure, and the automation of the e-cars and e-buses, like the drive systems. We are very excited that it’s coming. And we are looking forward to work together.”
Wood added: “We bring our latest technology into Qatar such as smart devices and equipment, know-how and smart user data, and contributing to help Qatar achieve its goal through energy efficiency and many other ways. We are also involved in knowledge transfer through different ways such as organising training workshops and seminars.”
He also said the Siemens Qatar organizes some 50 to 60 seminar every year which equates between 14,000 and 15,000 man-hours of transfer. The company also works closely with several local universities for knowledge transfer and training transfer, in addition to knowledge transfer with many end-users.
Providing further details about the Siemens’ MindSphere platform, he noted that the trends and requirements of the future is digitalisation. The best way to drive that forward is having IoT cloud platform to collect the data, to put the apps on and to drive the algorithm you need. How do you do that? You put that in a platform, and Siemens has that platform which is called MindSphere, which collects the data from industrial world and enables the end-users and other people to drive it better.
Siemens is very actively involved in Qatar, especially in power generation. The company has provided steam turbines, gas turbines, transformers and other equipment. It is heavily involved in energy transmission and distribution. The company supplies technology to transmit and distribute approximately 60 percent of the power in Qatar.
It is also having extensive presence in the field of building technology, which include building management system, energy efficiency, security system and others, which make a building more efficient and sustainable, especially in terms of energy use.
The subsidiary of German engineering marvel is currently focusing on automation and digitalisation in Qatar. Under the digitalisation it takes data and using the building more efficient and cost effective and saving money.
These are some of the key areas Siemens is currently focusing in the Qatari market to help Qatar achieve its long-term objectives to become efficient and sustainable.
“When you look at energy efficiency, there are a number of ways to address the issue, one is green energy such as renewable (Concentrated solar power, CSP) and the other is: getting more from what you have got by making the process more efficient. If you are able to save 20 to 30 percent of power or water consumption in a building that makes it more efficient and sustainable,” Wood said.
