Siemens enhances scenario modeling capability for energy efficiency models – AltEnergyMag

Report on Siemens’ Technology Acquisition and its Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

Siemens has completed the acquisition of key technology assets from Setmetrics, an Australian SaaS provider. This strategic move is intended to enhance the capabilities of Brightly Software, a Siemens company, by integrating advanced energy modeling technology. The primary objective is to bolster sustainability offerings for the built environment, aligning corporate strategy with key international development frameworks.

• Acquired Technology: Energy Twin modeling software from Setmetrics.
• Integration Platform: Brightly Software’s Asset Investment Planning and Lifecycle Management Platform.
• Core Objective: To embed energy efficiency and sustainability data into the core of asset lifecycle planning, thereby supporting clients in achieving sustainability targets.

Technological Advancements and Strategic Impact

The newly acquired technology provides a lightweight, intuitive solution for creating digital “Energy Twins” of buildings. This innovation addresses previous challenges where identifying energy efficiency opportunities was an infrequent, complex, and expensive process.

Key Capabilities

1. Rapid Model Development: The technology facilitates the rapid creation of energy efficiency models, reducing the associated design effort by up to 80 percent.
2. Scenario Analysis: It enables asset owners to conduct comprehensive scenario modeling to understand the sustainability impact of capital project plans and investment decisions.
3. Integrated Planning Framework: The solution integrates operational, financial, and sustainability data, offering a holistic view for Asset Investment Planning and creating a new metric, the Facility Health Energy Index.

Alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This technological enhancement directly supports progress toward several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by providing tangible tools for organizations to improve their environmental performance.

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy: By focusing on improving energy efficiency in the built environment, the technology directly contributes to Target 7.3, which aims to double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: The acquisition represents an investment in innovative digital technology to upgrade infrastructure for sustainability. This aligns with Target 9.4, which calls for making infrastructure more sustainable and resource-efficient.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The solution empowers building owners to reduce energy consumption, contributing to Target 11.6, which focuses on reducing the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities.
• SDG 13: Climate Action: Improving energy efficiency is a critical component of climate change mitigation. This tool enables organizations to actively reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, supporting the broader goals of Climate Action.

Conclusion

The integration of Setmetrics’ technology into the Brightly Software portfolio marks a significant step in advancing digital twin capabilities for sustainable asset management. By simplifying and integrating energy performance analysis into lifecycle planning, Siemens is empowering its clients to not only achieve operational efficiency but also to make measurable contributions toward global sustainability and climate action targets.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

   The article highlights issues and solutions that are directly connected to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The primary focus on energy efficiency, sustainable infrastructure, and technological innovation links the content to the following SDGs:

   • SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy: The article’s central theme is the development and application of technology to create “energy efficiency models” and track “energy performance.” This directly supports the goal of ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all, with a strong emphasis on the efficiency aspect.
   • SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: The acquisition of technology from a “SaaS provider” (Setmetrics) by Siemens to enhance “digital twin capabilities” is a clear example of innovation. This technology is applied to infrastructure—specifically the “built environment”—to promote sustainability and efficiency, aligning with the goal of building resilient infrastructure and fostering innovation.
   • SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The technology is designed for use in “diverse buildings” within sectors like “commercial real estate, education, and healthcare.” By improving energy efficiency in these urban components, the solution contributes to making cities and human settlements more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
   • SDG 13: Climate Action: Improving energy efficiency is a critical strategy for mitigating climate change. By enabling organizations to “model the impact of investments” on “critical energy performance” and achieve “ambitious sustainability goals,” the technology serves as a tool for taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

   Based on the article’s focus, the following specific SDG targets can be identified:

   • Target 7.3: By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency. The article directly addresses this target by describing a technology that “simplifies development of energy efficiency models” and helps organizations identify “opportunities in their asset portfolio for energy efficiency improvements.”
   • Target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes. The article describes how the new technology provides an “integrated planning framework that embeds energy efficiency into its core,” helping to upgrade the infrastructure of the “built environment” for greater sustainability.
   • Target 11.b: By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters. The technology facilitates “Asset Investment Planning” that incorporates “operational, financial, and sustainability data,” which is a form of integrated planning for resource (energy) efficiency and climate change mitigation at the building and portfolio level within cities.
   • Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning. While the article focuses on the corporate level, the technology enables organizations to integrate sustainability and energy efficiency into their “asset investment and capital project plans.” This represents a micro-level implementation of the principle of integrating climate considerations into strategic planning.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

   The article mentions and implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress:

   • Facility Health Energy Index: The article explicitly states that the technology will allow Brightly Software to offer customers a “Facility Health Energy Index.” This is a direct, quantifiable indicator designed to measure the energy performance and efficiency of a facility, aligning with the goals of Target 7.3.
   • Reduction in Design Effort: The article quantifies a key process improvement, stating the technology “reduces design effort by up to 80 percent.” This is an indicator of the efficiency of the planning and modeling process itself, which accelerates the implementation of energy efficiency projects (Target 9.4).
   • Energy Performance and Impact Analysis: The article repeatedly refers to the ability to “model the impact of investments” on “critical energy performance” and conduct “comprehensive energy impact analysis.” These analyses would produce data-driven indicators on energy savings and efficiency gains, serving as metrics for progress toward Targets 7.3 and 11.b.
   • Sustainability Impact of Investments: The article mentions the goal of helping asset owners “better understand the sustainability impact of their asset investment and capital project plans.” This implies the measurement of broader sustainability metrics, which could include reduced carbon emissions (related to Target 13.2) as a result of improved energy efficiency.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article. In this table, list the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), their corresponding targets, and the specific indicators identified in the article.

   SDGs	Targets	Indicators (Mentioned or Implied in the Article)
   SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy	Target 7.3: Double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.	Facility Health Energy Index Measurement of “energy efficiency improvements” Analysis of “critical energy performance”
   SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure	Target 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency.	“Up to 80 percent reduction in design effort” for energy models Adoption of “digital twin capabilities” for asset management
   SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities	Target 11.b: Implement integrated policies and plans towards resource efficiency and climate change mitigation.	Use of an “integrated planning framework” that includes sustainability data Scenario analysis for energy efficiency in the built environment
   SDG 13: Climate Action	Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into policies, strategies and planning.	Measurement of the “sustainability impact” of asset investment plans Implementation of plans to achieve “ambitious sustainability goals”

Source: altenergymag.com