Cities worth living in
Sustainable urban development in Africa
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The challenges that need to be overcome in the sustainable development of cities are enormous. As a continent, Africa is experiencing one of the fastest rates of urbanisation in the world, with sub-Saharan Africa leading the way. By 2030 Africa will have 760 million urban residents – more than the entire western hemisphere today. By 2050 that figure is expected to grow to 1.2 billion. With more people moving to cities, the demand is increasing for sustainable development projects in energy, transportation, and water as well as in healthcare.
Around the world, cities account for two thirds of global energy demand, 60 percent of water consumption, and 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Urbanisation, climate change, and demographic change are forcing cities to make their infrastructures more efficient. With innovative technologies, sustainable cities can increase the quality of life for their residents, cut costs, and become more environment-friendly.
With its comprehensive environmental portfolio Siemens is a global leader in sustainable urban development. Our longstanding expertise and ongoing studies conducted with renowned partners have resulted in innovative infrastructure concepts and sustainable solutions for green buildings, renewable resources, water purification, green cars, safety, and healthcare. This subject is of such enormous significance that Siemens has founded the new Infrastructure & Cities Sector.
A variety of Siemens initiatives ‒ including the African Sustainable Cities Tour and the African Green City Index ‒ promote ideas for the sustainable city of the future.
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Due to climate change and limited fossil fuel supplies, renewable energy resources are gaining in importance. Estimates suggest that in the year 2020, more than 50 percent of worldwide investments in the power plant market will be for the expansion of renewable energy resources like water, wind, and the sun. Siemens offers green solutions like photovoltaics, solar thermal power plants, and different types of wind turbines.
To support the big infrastructure drive in renewable power-generation projects on the African continent, Siemens has recently established its Wind Power Center of Competence for Africa and the Middle East in South Africa.
Sustainability in the energy conversion chain begins with the generation of power. Combined heat and power plants (CHPP) are among the most efficient methods of converting fuel into power and heat. With efficiency rates of up to 95 percent, these systems are both cost-effective and environment-friendly. Combined cycle power plants (CCPP) offer another highly effective way to generate energy. They currently achieve efficiency levels of more than 60 percent.
High-voltage direct current (HVDC) is the most efficient and environment-friendly way to transmit power across long distances. It is the only option for connecting separate electric power networks, because HVDC functions as a firewall that can effectively prevent blackouts from becoming more widespread. Siemens HVDC systems offer high reliability and overload capability together with low converter losses and transmission capacities of up to 7,500 MW.
HVDC is the most efficient and environment-friendly way to transmit power across large distances.
Whether for infrastructure systems, industry, or households – transformers play a key role in reliable power supply. Siemens provides the right transformer for every requirement, from compact distribution transformers to large power transformers with ratings over 1,000 MVA.
Smart Grid technologies increase energy system efficiency. Siemens offers innovative medium-voltage components and systems, efficient solutions for energy automation, and services for electrical systems and networks. The company’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Northriding, Johannesburg produces high-quality medium-voltage switchgear systems. It adds local value by creating jobs and promoting skills development.
An efficient and environment-friendly power distribution is crucial especially for a sustainable urban development.
The percentage of renewable energy resources in Africa’s power generation is going to grow over the next years. Smart grids are necessary in order to integrate the often-fluctuating levels of “green” power (renewable resources) into the grid in an intelligent and energy-efficient way. Smart grids enable low-loss transmission and cut CO2 emissions because less power needs to be generated. They provide for better power quality in the different voltage levels as well as higher energy system stability and security. Ultimately, smart grids allow energy to flow in both directions. This means that it is possible to integrate prosumers – like electric vehicles (green cars) and green buildings that not only consume power but can also feed surplus power back into the grid.
Smart meters are crucial components of smart grids. These electronic meters make it easier to coordinate power generation and consumption. Grid operators can reward customers by offering lower rates to those who conserve energy: for example, by shifting their operations from peak to off-peak times.
Transport creates 20 percent of the energy-related greenhouse gas emissions worldwide – and our society's mobility continues to grow. Cities in particular need integrated, efficient, and affordable traffic solutions in order to ensure lasting mobility, attractiveness, and competitiveness.
Providing eco-friendly local public transportation requires products and solutions for buses, trains, and metro systems. For example, hybrid buses equipped with ELFA drive systems from Siemens harness a large amount of their braking energy and consume 30 percent less fuel. The Inspiro metro platform and the Avenio low-floor tram also offer maximum efficiency and environment-friendliness.
Siemens regional trains ensure that millions of people can cover the distance from home to workplace safely and on time in an environment-friendly way. The Desiro regional trainset platform, for example, has highly efficient drive systems that keep energy consumption low. For inter-city connections, trains like the Velaro are an environment-friendly alternative to cars and airplanes. This high-speed train consumes a mere 0.33 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers per passenger.
In the prelude to the World Cup 2010 in South Africa, Siemens supplied integrated passenger-information and station-management systems. The modern signaling, public address, and information display systems not only increased the efficiency of the entire system; they also enhanced its reliability and attractiveness. As part of its commitment to add local value and create jobs, Siemens has a facility in Kya Sands, Johannesburg, focusing on rail signaling technologies, electric interlocking, and LED signaling.
Siemens regional trains transport people in an environment-friendly way.
In the future, electromobility will play a more important role in traffic concepts for sustainable cities. Green cars like electric vehicles offer eco-friendly mobility that protects resources, especially when it comes to private transportation. Electric vehicles can be integrated into smart grids: with electronic energy assistants that calculate both the battery charge required for each vehicle and their optimal charge cycles, any battery power that is not immediately needed is easily fed back into the power grid.
Clean water is crucial. Public utility companies are responsible for providing reliable water supplies as well as energy-efficient water purification. Water purification is a significant challenge to large cities and densely populated urban areas. Cities are faced with growing energy costs and increasingly strict environmental standards. Siemens has the products to ensure the highest availability and value solutions for water purification, the world’s number one resource.
Water purification poses significant challenges to large cities and densely populated urban areas.
Green buildings need infrastructures that are intelligently networked and offer innovative systems and solutions. Siemens integrates essential systems into the building’s technical infrastructure: electrical installation technology, access control systems, lighting, video surveillance, alarm systems, fire detection and extinguishing, and evacuation. The better the systems and components can be coordinated and the better they work together, the more comfortable, safe, flexible, and efficient the building will be. The operation of a green building becomes easier, more reliable, and more environment-friendly – all while reducing costs.
With African countries experiencing some of the highest population growth rates in the world, it is predicted that the continent’s population will surpass both China's and India's populations in 2025 ‒ so healthcare needs to be more and more sustainable. The challenge is to make medical services more affordable and accessible to more Africans while also improving the quality of individual patient care. Workflows need to be designed more efficiently, the cost-effectiveness of hospitals needs to be optimised, and it all needs to be achieved sustainably.
Increasing energy costs, regulations on CO2 emissions, financial limitations in the healthcare system, and enhanced competition between healthcare providers are the main forces at play in the healthcare field. With its Green+ Hospitals program, Siemens provides hospitals with the support they need to create sustainable healthcare infrastructures. The innovative Green+ Hospital concept combines state-of-the-art diagnostic procedures and treatment methods with sustainable energy supplies.
The MAGNETOM ESSENZA was developed to provide complete diagnostics on low budget.
Energy consumption during usage accounts for over three-quarters of the environmental impact of medical equipment. When developing new products, Siemens ensures that the new devices consume less energy that the models they replace. The MAGNETOM ESSENZA was developed specifically for hospitals and private practices that want to provide complete diagnostics on low budgets. The economical MRI scanner is also especially safe for the environment. It conserves up to 25 percent of electricity and construction costs for installation, and its modern power electronics can help cut power consumption by up to 50 percent.
In terms of sustainability, treatment quality and atmosphere are what matters most to patients. Short examination times, safe diagnoses using low doses of radiation, and a feeling of comfort in hospital beds are what make the difference. This is why Siemens puts an emphasis on patient comfort and gentle treatment. The SOMATOM Definition Flash CT scanner, for example, offers high resolution and high-quality images with the lowest possible dose of radiation.
Ensuring a city’s sustainable future encompasses more than just energy-efficient technologies. It’s also about acting as a responsible corporate citizen and investing in those who will inherit the future. As a company, Siemens is focused on training and skills development.
Siemens’ support of the SAJ Artisan Training Institute, located in the Johannesburg suburb of Germiston, is also linked to the Technical Artisan Skills Development Investment. In the latter case, funds are disbursed using a performance‐based formula, and the company has invested R13 million to date. This has enabled the Institute – a 50 percent black-owned SME that boasts an excellent reputation for training and has national industry training accreditation – to establish and equip a 600-square-meter training workshop that is used to train students in electrical, fitting, turning, welding, boilermaking, and pipefitting.
Siemens supports the SAJ Artisan Training Institute in Johannesburg: There, students are trained in electrical fitting, turning, welding, boilermaking, and pipefitting.
In Tembisa in the Gauteng province of South Africa, Siemens has adopted the Ingayizivele High School so that about 1,600 students have what they need to make learning easier. Since Siemens has partnered with the school, the facilities have been greatly improved and so have student outcomes, especially in science and mathematics.
Ingayizivele High School in South Africa: Since Siemens has become a partner, the facilities and the results of the students have improved.
Through the Youthspace program, Siemens has been taking underprivileged children off the streets and giving them shelter, food, education, and loving care since 2001. The company owns several Youthspace houses throughout South Africa. Supported by Siemens staff and by contributions from an executive fund, Youthspace offers a home under the supervision of a caregiver who makes sure the children are well-fed and that their physical, mental, and spiritual needs are nurtured.
The African Sustainable Cities Tour hopes to highlight the challenges that African cities face, and bring together leaders from various areas of expertise to help provide insight into measures and programs that can help make our cities more lasting, livable, and prosperous. The interactive tour illustrates how Siemens solutions can help foster sustainable urban development. Visitors don’t just learn about sustainable cities – they experience them first hand.
We’ll be making our way around Africa, stopping in different cities to discuss the multitude of challenges facing cities: from water purification to energy supply by renewable resources and power grid infrastructure to green transportation and traffic solutions as well as affordable and sustainable healthcare and competitive industries to support urban economic development.
The African Sustainable Cities Tour illustrates Siemens solutions for sustainable urban development. Visitors experience them first hand.
The tour stops include:
Check back for more details and confirmed dates of the tour.
In the virtual city tour, visitors can “fly” through a virtual city using a system similar to Google Earth. The virtual city is a presentation platform for topics like traffic and transport, including green cars; energy infrastructure, including renewable resources; industrial production, water purification, healthcare, and building technologies, including green buildings. In the interactive show on water, transport, buildings, and energy, visitors can interact on large panels similar to giant iPads.
Visitors who would like to explore these topics in more depth can do so at the expert centers, or they can view a presentation on iPads available throughout the show.
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