Siemens, Bentley Systems plan utility design solutions
Joint initiative will enable fast digitisation of planning, design, and operations of power infrastructure
Global industrial giant Siemens’ Energy Management Division (EMD) and Bentley Systems have announced an agreement to jointly develop solutions to accelerate digitisation of planning, design, and operations for power utilities and industrial power customers.
In a joint press release with Bentley Systems, a global software solutions provider for advancing the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure, Siemens EMD said the first of the new offerings will integrate Bentley Systems’ utility design and geographic information systems (GIS) capabilities with Siemens’ Power System Simulation (PSS) Suite, with specific solutions for power transmission, power distribution, and industrial facilities. Combining these two platforms provides customers with Bentley’s expertise in 3D infrastructure asset modeling and GIS with Siemens’ knowledge and experience in energy system planning and simulation, the statement said.
“The energy industry trend towards decentralisation represents a significant challenge as well as a great opportunity for power producers and consumers alike, and our strategic alliance with Bentley Systems will help our customers better leverage this changing landscape through the combination of our powerful solutions,” said Ralf Christian, CEO of Siemens EMD. “Siemens and Bentley share a commitment to openness, interoperability, and the common goal of helping our customers drive the digital enterprise across their supply chains.”
Bentley Systems’ chief product officer, Bhupinder Singh, said: “We are excited to collaborate with Siemens to help our power utilities users advance in ‘going digital’. Siemens’ expertise in electrical power systems planning and simulation are the perfect complement to our GIS and infrastructure engineering solutions, and we will work together to bring new innovations and tangible business benefits to our users around the world.”
According to the statement, distributed energy resources (DER), like microgrids and their off-grid on-grid mode, require more advanced planning approaches to ensure system reliability and stability. Bentley’s OpenUtilities solution for utility power grid design and GIS will be integrated with Siemens’ PSS Suite for power system planning to provide seamless workflows and data integration, while supporting optimal network design for both operational and economic performance.
Through a connected data environment, utility engineers using the solution will have the added benefit of sharing critical design information to reduce design time and construction costs to deliver optimal and comprehensive utility network updates.
In addition, the Siemens Bentley initiative will provide intelligent Siemens components for easy placement into Bentley’s Substation application for 3D modeling, while intelligent electrical symbols will provide necessary details for comprehensive reports in a substation’s 2D schematic layout capabilities. Bentley users will also have access to a comprehensive Siemens’ components catalogue through Bentley’s cloud services.
