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Infrastructure

Continental begins construction of its first plant in Lithuania

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Continental is expanding its European production capacities, celebrating the groundbreaking ceremony for its first plant in Kaunas, Lithuania.

From the second half of 2019, electronic components for the European market will be manufactured in the technology company’s new electronics plant.

Components will include door and seat control units as well as gateways and units for intelligent glass control, whose film technology allows the vehicle glazing to be darkened automatically or via user input.

[Read more…] about Continental begins construction of its first plant in Lithuania

ABB wins $150 million order to grid-connect world’s largest offshore wind farm

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ABB has won orders worth over $150 million from Danish energy company, Ørsted (previously Dong Energy), to supply technologies for the grid connection of Hornsea Project Two, slated to be the world’s largest offshore wind farm.

Hornsea Two is a 1,400 megawatt (MW) project under construction in the North Sea about 100 kilometres off the Yorkshire coast. Upon completion, it will be able to deliver enough clean electrical power to meet the needs of more than 1.3 million homes annually.

The additional power supply will support economic growth in the UK’s Humber region, and help the UK meet its target of generating 15 percent of energy needs from renewable sources by 2020.

[Read more…] about ABB wins $150 million order to grid-connect world’s largest offshore wind farm

Power grid: Integrating large-scale battery energy into the electricity network

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One of the most challenging issues for power grids is energy storage. The ability to store energy would enable the supply of uninterrupted electricity to customers, but battery technology has been too expensive or not good enough – until now, with all the electric cars on the roads. Claude Olsen, of Gemini.no, explains

Batteries have become so cheap that they can be used for more than just smartphones and electric cars. Now, national electricity network companies will use them to stabilize the power grid.

In the Norwegian city of Skien, the Odds football stadium Skagerak Arena will, next year, be almost self-sufficient with electricity from 5,000 square meters of solar cells on the roof.

However, since the big peak in power consumption is on the day of the match, the energy produced on the other weekdays must be stored in large batteries.  [Read more…] about Power grid: Integrating large-scale battery energy into the electricity network

Ardenna and HUVRdata partners on industrial asset inspection solution

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Ardenna and HUVRdata, who announced a collaboration in April to integrate their respective capabilities into one platform, now have a fully automated defect detection, reporting and analytics solution for the energy sector.

This enhanced platform unites Ardenna’s AI-based automated defect detection software with HUVR’s Automation and Enterprise Industrial Asset Management Reporting and Analytic toolset to provide customers with a solution for industrial asset inspections.

HUVRdata’s platform offers the storage of inspection data from disparate sources in a database, customer-defined inspection checklists and report formats, diagnostic analytics, and business system integrations. The integration of Ardenna’s software automates the defect detection process and automated defect labelling.

[Read more…] about Ardenna and HUVRdata partners on industrial asset inspection solution

Smart cities: Embracing technology for urban mobility advancement

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By Francois-Joseph Van Audenhove, partner at Arthur D. Little

Urban mobility operators face evolving customer needs and behaviors as well as a spate of technological advancements, driven by the fourth industrial revolution, that must be embraced in order to stay competitive in the short term, and require transformation for operators to stay relevant in the long term.

Major developments have opened up a range of new mobility options for individuals and now customers expect operators, particularly of public transport, to offer services that are fast, reliable, convenient and personalized.

As such, technological trends and new mobility solutions could lead to a very different mobility ecosystem in the future.  [Read more…] about Smart cities: Embracing technology for urban mobility advancement

Belt & Road: Much more than a revival of the ancient Silk Road

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A huge amount has been written already about the so-called Belt and Road initiative or project, but it looks like this is just the beginning. 

On the face of it, the Belt and Road refers to a plan to create a logistics network that brings together Europe and Asia with road, rail, and sea routes.

It’s an idea China came up with, and its leaders have made enthusiastic pronouncements about it, even though the project will cost an estimated $1 trillion over the next decade or two. But it’s an open-ended, complex project, so such estimates could just be Communist Chinese propaganda.  [Read more…] about Belt & Road: Much more than a revival of the ancient Silk Road

Growing use of biometrics and optoelectronics in building access systems

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Biometrics, beyond fingerprinting, will drive the next generation of mobile and office security

When it comes to optoelectronics technology in today’s biometrics, a lot of attention has been on its role in security – particularly its use in access control systems, for instance, in industry or at immigration checks. 

Optoelectronics refers to technology that uses light, or optics, and electronics.

With increasing numbers of users managing sensitive transactions, such as online banking and shopping, on mobile devices, user authentication is becoming essential.  [Read more…] about Growing use of biometrics and optoelectronics in building access systems

Indonesia moving towards energy-saving intelligent buildings

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The building energy management systems (BEMS) market in Southeast Asia is set to develop at a compound annual growth rate of 12.2 per cent to 2020, according to Frost & Sullivan.

Next-generation IT solutions such as cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) are enabling the implementation of a new class of BEMS that offer both comfort and optimized energy performance, in new and existing buildings.

Due to a combination of policy support, tax benefits, educational and awareness programs, smart and green buildings in Indonesia are forecast to reach as high as 20-25 per cent of the market by 2025.  [Read more…] about Indonesia moving towards energy-saving intelligent buildings

Siemens to acquire software framework provider for building automation and IoT

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Siemens is acquiring J2 Innovations (J2), a leading software framework provider for building automation and IoT, headquartered near Los Angeles, California.

The company has been a successful player in the Internet-of-Things (IoT) software business for 10 years, building a strong reputation in the US and internationally with its FIN (Fluid INtegration) Framework technology.

Both parties have agreed not to disclose financial details. The transaction is expected to close by the end of May 2018.

[Read more…] about Siemens to acquire software framework provider for building automation and IoT

Adeunis and ARC Informatique partner to create new building management system solution with LoRaWAN at its heart

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Two recognized players in IoT technologies are integrating their solutions to achieve IoT equipment integration with an existing building management system (BMS) using LoRaWAN technology at the heart.

The Grenoble Alpes University Hospital’s technical teams wanted to be able to instrument and control various equipment quickly, inexpensively and without cabling (Ethernet and power).

The Grenoble Hospital asked Adeunis and ARC Informatique the question of how to best solve this operational challenge.  [Read more…] about Adeunis and ARC Informatique partner to create new building management system solution with LoRaWAN at its heart