21 minute read
Product & Industry News
Smart spaces create safe, comfortable, and energy-efficient workspaces
The demands on our office buildings have changed over the last few years: flexibility, digitalisation and energy efficiency are what’s important. At the same time, these buildings should create a comfortable, healthy and safe environment for employees. So-called smart spaces achieve this balancing act: sensors record how many people are in a room and also monitor, for example, which workplaces and areas are actually being used. Based on this data, the use of space can be digitally mapped and optimised.
Wireless sensors offer huge advantages
Wireless radio sensors form the basis for such smart spaces because they collect the required data in a maintenance-free way. The advantages of wireless sensors are obvious: they can be flexibly installed in a room and the system can be expanded with additional sensors at any time without having to open walls and use cables. However, it is hugely beneficial for these wireless sensors to be battery-free because it’s no secret that batteries contain hazardous substances that are bad for our environment. In addition to that, copper is also becoming increasingly expensive.
EnOcean has chosen a more sustainable approach for its wireless sensors: they obtain their energy from movement, light and temperature differences according to the principle of energy harvesting and therefore require neither cables nor batteries for smooth operation. The combination of wireless and energy harvesting enables new applications entirely without maintenance requirements and battery waste.
Smart workplace management
Even post COVID, many office workplaces will no longer be used by all employees five days a week, but more likely only three or four days. As a result, a relevant number of workstations will always remain unoccupied and won’t be needed anymore. With desk-sharing and hybrid working models, employers can save up to 30 % of the costs for furniture, energy, and rent.
Maintenance-free motion sensors detect at any time how many people are in a building or room, when and where. Vibration sensors attached to desks reliably monitor which workstations are currently being used by employees and which ones are still free.
Optimise the carbon footprint of buildings
Unused desks also mean unused spaces that can become real energy consumers. This is an important aspect, as buildings are responsible for around 40 % of global CO2 emissions. For example, if an area is only used at certain times or very rarely, heating, cooling, ventilation, and lighting can be adjusted accordingly. In addition, collecting data on space utilisation can help determine which areas are rarely used which can help companies decide whether to continue renting them. This not only reduces rental costs, but also directly saves a lot of CO2.
Battery-free and wireless radio sensors like those from EnOcean offer a cost-effective and sustainable way to set up smart spaces in almost any office building – for more energy efficiency and cost savings as well as more flexible, safer, and comfortable workspaces.
For further information visit www.enocean.com
Building Connections is focus for future of real estate and facility management as Planon rebrands
Planon, the leading global provider of smart sustainable building management software, today announced a rebrand to reflect its agile and communicative approach to connecting buildings, people, and processes.
Planon, the leading global provider of smart sustainable building management software, today announced it has redesigned its brand to reflect its evolving mission to connect buildings, people, and processes in facility and workplace management.
At the centre of the new brand is Planon’s new promise: Building Connections. With this focus, the company will help organisations build a better work experience that fosters a sense of belonging and encourages people back into the workplace.
Unveiling the new brand identity, Planon CEO Pierre Guelen said: ’As we emerge into a post-pandemic world, organisations are seeking new ways to create engaging, healthy, safe, and resilient workplaces, that create social connections and put sustainability at the heart of everything they do.
‘Planon is committed to empowering building users, owners, and service providers with insights that help them connect buildings, people, and processes. By eliminating data silos, our solutions help stakeholders to view all the building insights they need in one place. This allows them to focus on creating engaging working environments that encourage productivity and have a positive impact on the planet.’
The new brand reflects the company’s agile and innovative approach to helping organisations adapt to new, flexible, hybrid working models. Planon is set to support facility and real estate managers as well as service providers to create sustainable, ‘people-centric’ workplaces where employees can work and thrive.
Planon is committed to providing all building stakeholders with the actionable and meaningful insights they need to transform the future of the workplace and build better connections.
For further information please visit https://planonsoftware.com
Smart automation controllers from Siemens now available for all types of buildings
Desigo PXC7 building automation controller enables tailor-made and scalable solutions for larger buildings
Speeds up and simplifies engineering and commissioning process
Higher resilience and availability thanks to BACnet Secure Connect communication
After the launch of the PXC4 and PXC5 controllers for the optimized control of small and medium-sized buildings, Siemens has added the PXC7 to its Desigo portfolio to offer even more flexibility to building automation practitioners. This new addition allows professionals to program heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) applications for larger buildings. Thanks to its simplified integration capabilities, the Desigo PXC7 controller supports system integrators in providing a complete automation solution.
The controller is natively equipped with cloud connectivity so users can execute maintenance tasks remotely, allowing for faster reaction and saving travel time and costs, as well as additional services over the building lifecycle. Desigo PXC7 brings the new standard communication protocol BACnet Secure Connect to the new line of PXC controllers, a crucial requirement to secure connected building automation systems and defend them against cyber attacks.
The combination of compact hardware with the intuitive engineering software helps project managers to gain efficiency over the whole lifecycle, from engineering to operation. The Desigo engineering framework provides pre-configured libraries together with consistent and harmonized workflows to save training time and speed up project completion.
For further information on Siemens Smart Infrastructure, please see www.siemens.com/smart-infrastructure
For further information on Desigo controllers, please see www.siemens.com/pxc-controllers
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PowerExchanger integrates renewables and stabilizes the grid to keep the power on 24/7
• Innovative Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) functionality supports renewable energy integration • Helping to lower costs and cut energy bills for mission critical facilities including data centers • Storing power to balance the grid and reduce costly outages
With more intermittent renewable energy generation on the world’s power networks, and fossil fuel supplies experiencing major disruptions, distributed power reserves are becoming increasingly important to maintain grid stability and keep the power on 24/7. To support this transition, ABB is launching PowerExchanger, an innovative feature for its UPS products, which allows battery reserves to provide ancillary services to the grid, reducing costly downtime and cutting energy and operating costs.
UPS equipment is used to provide back-up power in the case of a grid supply failure and it can also eliminate brownouts, over-voltages, and electrical noise. The UPS’ back-up power is drawn from its energy storage capacity, which often goes unused. With PowerExchanger fitted to new or existing ABB UPS systems, these batteries can be used to help the grid respond quickly to unexpected imbalances between power generation and demand, to reduce costly outages.
By using PowerExchanger to join markets for grid ancillary services, for example Fast Frequency Response (FRF), operators can now generate a new revenue stream, which lowers the cost of operating this capital-intensive equipment. Ideal for Low and Medium Voltage data centers, PowerExchanger ensures a minimum energy reserve is retained by the UPS battery, so in the event of a complete grid outage, the critical load will always be protected. PowerExchanger can also deliver additional financial and performance benefits, thanks to peak shaving. When peak-time energy comes at a premium, PowerExchanger enables on-site UPS energy reserves to cover consumption peaks and keep costs low.
“Against the global backdrop of rising energy prices and supply uncertainty, our customers are under increasing pressure to optimize the use of installed assets and improve efficiencies – all while supporting the transition to renewable energy,” said Paolo Catapane, UPS Product Manager for ABB. “A powerful way to do this is to harness the untapped potential of the energy storage held within a UPS, which is what our new PowerExchanger can do. It provides demand response functionality, helping to stabilize the grid while generating a healthy revenue for operators and lowering operating costs, making it ideal for use in mission critical facilities such as data centers.”
ABB’s new PowerExchanger is now available as a feature for ABB’s mid to high-power UPS solutions and is quick and easy to retrofit on existing systems.
For more information on ABB PowerExchanger visit [PowerExchanger - UPS Systems | ABB]
Virtual Engineer wins AI Specification Award
Strand Technologies has clinched a prestigious AI Specification Award for its innovative Virtual Engineer - a technology solution for the control and diagnostics of automatic doors, gates and barriers.
It won the Product Design and Innovation Award (Electronic) category, sponsored by the Automatic Door Suppliers Association, at the 40th biennial event, held at the ‘Cheesegrater’ Leadenhall Building, in Central London.
Judges commented: "This product has innovation written all over it. It provides an effective solution which has the benefit of remote fault finding coupled with helping to reduce carbon footprint."
Ken Price, ADSA’s Managing Director, presented the award to the Strand Technologies’ team – a landmark moment for the company which began trading in 2021.
Virtual Engineer was selected from a shortlist that also featured products from ASSA ABLOY, Codelocks and Salto Systems.
It uses a device which is attached to entrances and ‘talks’ to a cloud software platform for on-site or remote management. It sends alerts to flag up problems and identify potential causes – potentially saving time and money for engineer call outs.
Steve Marshall, Managing Director of Strand Technologies, said that the team was delighted to have scooped the award.
“It was a crowning moment that followed 18-months of hard graft to bring our products and services to the market. Our strength is in working with organisations to provide an holistic solution to the issues they are facing for effective asset management which in turn results in efficiency savings.”
Said Mr Price: “I would like to offer my warmest congratulations to Strand Technologies. This is a major accolade which recognises the problem-solving nature of a ground-breaking product that blends traditional electronic and digital technologies.”
The awards are organised by The Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) in conjunction with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
For more information on Virtual Engineer or Strand Technologies other products visit www.strandtech.co.uk
Smart building deployments to exceed 115 million globally in 2026, with efficiency savings driving demand
A new study from Juniper Research has found that the number of buildings globally deploying smart building technologies will reach 115 million in 2026, from 45 million in 2022. This growth of over 150% reflects increasing demand for energy efficiency from businesses and residents alike, as energy costs spike. Juniper Research defines a smart building as a building that uses connectivity to enable economical use of resources, while creating a safe and comfortable environment for the occupants.
The new research, Smart Buildings: Key Opportunities, Competitor Leaderboard & Market Forecasts 2022-2026, found that by enabling buildings to monitor and automate common functions, significant efficiency gains can be made, while improving the environment for workers and residents. The report recommends that vendors focus on building analytics platforms for the most value to be driven from deployments.
Non-residential Smart Buildings Driving Spend
The research found that non-residential smart buildings will account for 90% of smart building spend globally in 2026; at a similar level to 2022. This dominance is due to the larger economies of scale in commercial premises driving this spend, as well as the commercial focus of most smart building technologies.
Research co-author Dawnetta Grant explained: “Smart building platform vendors will understandably focus on non-residential use cases, as these provide a stronger return on investment, but they should not neglect the importance of residential deployments, as environmental concerns intensify.”
Smart Building Sensor Shipments to Accelerate Quickly
The research found that the global shipments of sensors used in smart buildings will exceed 1 billion annually in 2026 from 360 million in 2022; representing a growth of 204%. Sensors, when combined with intelligent management platforms, will allow smart buildings to adapt to conditions; matching elements such as lighting, heating and ventilation to live requirements. The report recommends that smart building vendors partner with AI vendors to maximise the benefits of automation, such as reduced energy costs and improved working environments.
For more information visit Juniper Research
Lincoln Harris selects Honeywell Forge Saas Solution to help lower costs and improve occupant experience
The full-service real estate firm implements Honeywell’s Enterprise Performance Management software to improve building maintenance and help achieve sustainability targets.
Honeywell announced that Lincoln Harris, a full-service commercial real estate firm in North Carolina, has implemented Honeywell Forge enterprise performance management software-as-a-service to drive digital transformation.
Lincoln Harris first implemented Honeywell Forge at the SIX50 building at Legacy Union in Charlotte, N.C. Another Charlotte site developed and managed by the company at Legacy Union includes Honeywell’s new global corporate headquarters at 855 South Mint Street. Lincoln Harris uses Honeywell Forge Predictive Maintenance at the sites to reduce operating costs and improve building resilience by analyzing and optimizing systems maintenance. The solution recommends early and proactive actions based on live and historical data to avoid costly, unnecessary changes and reduce unplanned, reactive work on their building systems. Proactive actions can help reduce energy usage from unnecessary maintenance visits, improving the overall environmental impact of the building.
“As a premium provider in real estate development and building management, we look to provide valueadded services that optimize operating costs and enable our customers to thrive in their workplace,” said Patrick Stark, vice president of sustainability at Lincoln Harris. “Honeywell Forge helps us to improve the occupant experience by better addressing maintenance issues while reducing costs and becoming more sustainable.”
With a broad real estate portfolio stretching across multiple cities, Lincoln Harris can use Honeywell Forge as a scalable solution to pull thousands of building maintenance data points across multiple properties proactively into one dashboard and receive real-time analysis of building performance. Honeywell Forge Predictive Maintenance uses a proactive maintenance process of curated recommendations to improve how its assets are maintained.
“Lincoln Harris has embraced digital transformation and sees the value of having a system of record for each building to meet its operational efficiency and sustainability targets while growing its real estate portfolio,” said Usman Shuja, vice president and general manager of Connected Buildings for Honeywell. “Insights from Honeywell Forge continue to help Lincoln Harris better manage its buildings while enabling the company to deliver a quality occupant experience, help lower operational costs and address maintenance problems before they become costly issues.”
Honeywell Forge is a purpose-built SaaS solution on a native edge-to-cloud, data-driven architecture designed to accelerate digital transformation of operations.
Learn more about the Honeywell Forge suite for connected buildings
ABB invests $1.1 million to meet record demand for Medium Voltage sensors
• 1 million USD investment doubles capacity at the world’s largest sensor factory in the Czech Republic • Building a new production line for advanced sensors • Fulfilling record demand for advanced sensors used in digital switchgear and the integration of renewables
ABB has invested 1.1 million USD in a new, state-ofthe-art sensor production line at its Brno Instrument Transformers and Sensors factory in the Czech Republic. At 15,000 sq. meters, Brno is already the world’s largest facility of its kind. The new production line will ramp up the scale and pace of Medium Voltage (MV) sensor production by almost 100 percent, to reach 100,000 units per annum by 2026.
Demand for ABB’s advanced MV sensors has doubled since 2018 and is expected to increase significantly over the next five years. This growth has been driven by increasing demand from utilities for secondary distribution applications, including sub-station automation, fault detection and power quality management. Within primary distribution, the increasing use of digital switchgear is creating greater demand. ABB’s MV sensors are also designed for applications which provide increasing levels of remote control and communication, key to helping industries and utilities to integrate higher levels of renewable energy resources to reduce emissions and cut energy costs.
Sensors from the Brno factory have been used in installations around the globe, including a recent project where 12,000 sensors were installed to raise the energy efficiency and stability of Northern Cairo’s electricity grid. They are ideal for replacing older instrument transformers, as they are smaller in size and safer to use. Record demand is also being driven by the increasing use of MV switchgear. MV switchgear from ABB’s other production plant in Brno has been used in installations around the globe, from the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa which towers 828 meters over Dubai, to the depths of the London Underground.
ABB’s Local Product Group Manager Petr Neumann said: “Our advanced sensors are helping customers to deliver a safe and sustainable power supply 24/7. On the back of growing demand for digital switchgear and the broader push to integrate more renewable energy resources, our new automated production line at Brno will ramp up capacity to produce a record-breaking number of sensors every year."
In operation for 135 years and employing nearly 2000 people, the vast ABB Brno plant comprises seven separate units across two sites. This includes the Instrument Transformers and Sensors factory and the largest Medium Voltage Switchgear factory in Europe.
TAE Technologies and Natural Selection Tour team up to reduce carbon footprint with TAE Power Management Solutions
TAE is NST’s Power Partner for 3-Year Sponsorship and Title Sponsor for 2022 Baldface Lodge, BC Competition
TAE Technologies, the world’s leading developer of clean fusion, today announced a three-year partnership with the Natural Selection Tour (NST), uniting the two organizations in a shared commitment to sustainability and conserving the natural environment. NST is a world-class, one-of-its-kind snowboarding tournament showcasing riders competing on the planet’s most exciting natural(ly enhanced) terrain.
Just as NST is on a mission to inspire a deeper relationship with Mother Nature, TAE is commercializing clean zero-emissions energy solutions to help preserve the environment for generations to come.
Travis Rice, professional snowboarder, founder of NST, and TAE’s new ambassador added: “NST and TAE are perfectly aligned in our desire to draw attention to climate change and reduce carbon emissions in an effort to protect the environment we thrive in. I am honored to help spread the word about TAE’s mission.”
In addition to being the title sponsor of the Nelson, BC leg of the tour, TAE is partnering with NST to install TAE’s power management tools and energy storage solutions for the first time with the goal to further offset the tour’s carbon footprint. "We recognize the carbon footprint of this sport is large, and we want to hold ourselves accountable,” said Jeff Pensiero, co-founder and CEO of Baldface Lodge. “Baldface is reducing our carbon creation and dependency on fossil fuels with the help of industry leaders TAE. This will be a huge step forward towards our net zero goals.”
TAE’s power management solutions can scale to fit a range of applications, from generators in the Canadian backcountry to residential homes and electric vehicles. TAE’s trailblazing powertrain technology enables tangible performance improvements, including EVs that can drive up to 25% farther and charge up to 4x faster with improved cost efficiency and battery longevity. As seen in TAE’s “Art of the Ride '' commercial, in which snowboarder Rice races down a mountain alongside a Jaguar I-PACE, creating a healthy planet begins with learning not to waste what we have today.
The Art of the Ride commercial will debut during the livestream of the TAE Natural Selection Tour at Baldface on March 16, as well as its broadcast on ESPN 2 on March 20.
“NST and TAE are perfectly aligned in their mission to reduce carbon emissions and address the challenges of climate change,” said Jim McNiel, Chief Marketing Officer at TAE Technologies. “TAE is forging the path to perfect power by focusing first on improved energy efficiency, and ultimately on the development of carbon-free, non-radioactive fusion energy. We intend to support NST’s mission to celebrate the great outdoors and the achievements of their great athletes while reducing our carbon footprint. We are thrilled to be members of the rapidly expanding NST family.”
TAE’s Path to Perfect Power will curb human impact on the environment by offering a natural solution to climate change and bring clean, affordable energy to all. To learn more about TAE’s Path to Perfect Power, click here.
For more information on TAE Technologies, click here
• ABB partners with GenCell to install Israel’s first hydrogen backup power solution for a hospital • Unique hydrogen-based Uninterruptible Power
Supply (UPS) ensures reliable power for life-saving equipment 24/7
Helps the hospital to protect patients, reduce emissions and costly downtime and repair work
ABB has collaborated with Israel fuel cell manufacturer GenCell to install a unique hydrogenbased Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) system at the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Israel. The breakthrough fuel cell backup technology is a first for an Israeli hospital, with the innovative solution guaranteed to keep the power on 24/7 for critical life-saving equipment and procedures.
The center invested in hydrogen-based backup to reduce its dependence on polluting diesel generators. The decision followed an in-depth energy cost analysis which revealed the limited backup capacity of the hospital’s diesel generators – where even a momentarily delay between grid and generator can cause sensitive, computerized medical equipment to malfunction, which in turn could have devastating consequences for patient care. In response, ABB and GenCell developed a bespoke solution which incorporates GenCell fuel cell modules and ABB’s advanced, high-efficiency UPS technology to form one of the most reliable, efficient hydrogen stationary systems of its kind.
Thanks to the solution, staff at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center are now able to carry out life-saving procedures, many of which require complex medical equipment and intense loads, with the assurance of an unprecedented level of power reliability. As well as keeping medical schedules on track and protecting patients, the ‘always on’ upgrade also minimizes equipment downtime, routine generator testing and maintenance, repair work and replacements associated with diesel-based backup options.
Cas Rosenberg, Power Protection Business Development, from ABB said: “As grid related power failures continue to expose hospitals to financial risk and reputational damage, it has never been more important to build resilience. This solution accelerates sustainability goals and improves power supply reliability in the hospital. Moving to a GenCell hydrogenpowered backup solution, the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center now has a reliable power supply 24/7 which will keep patients safe, decarbonize its operations and reduce costs to operate. This landmark project signifies a crucial step forward, as medical facilities and other public sectors contemplate hydrogen as a future fuel source.”
The transition to hydrogen also supports the hospital’s environmental objectives to eliminate the use of diesel generators. Following the success of the initial installation, Hillel Yaffe Medical Center plans to install additional units to backup other critical medical equipment. This forms part of the center’s wider ambition to create its own microgrid to reduce its reliability on the national grid and build resilience in an increasingly volatile energy landscape. “While we are proud of the significant environmental and power resilience achievements that Hillel Yaffe Medical Center has already reached using fuel cell backup technology, we look forward to seeing the hospital realize the enormous potential value we expect them to gain during the next phase of the project,” comments Gil Shavit, co-founder and Chief Business Development Officer, GenCell.
For more information visit https://go.abb/electrification
