Sparks Electrical News May 2019

INDUSTRY 4.0

14

INNOVATIVE, ENERGY-EFFICIENT MICROGRID SOLUTION

DIGIFY AFRICA WINS BEST CONTRIBUTION TO TRANSFORMATION AWARD

R olls-Royce and ABB have announced a global partner- ship to work on microgrid technology with advanced automation that seamlessly integrates distributed energy resources including renewables and energy storage. Together, the two companies will offer an innovative, energy- efficient microgrid solution for utilities, islands, and commercial and industrial establishments. Electricity is the lifeblood of any economy, and reliable power supply – even during harsh weather conditions and times of peak consumption – is critical for economic growth. Renewable energy is a viable solution to support uninterrupted power and encourage clean energy use. This can be channelled through microgrids – small scale electric grids that combine power from distributed energy generation sources such as co-generation plants, diesel- and gas-powered gensets and renewable sources with batteries, all managed with a control system that links the elements in an intelligent energy management system and deploys it to fulfil specific demands or loads. Microgrids can function independently off-grid, connected to the main power grid, or in ‘islanded’ mode. Microgrid solutions that orchestrate energy storage, solar, wind and gas or diesel engines, benefit utilities as well as industries and commercial sites that are looking for 24/7power supply alongside ways tobringdowncosts and reduce carbonemissions.Microgrids enable resilient power supply even with high penetration of

efficient, reliable, and environmentally friendly,” said Andreas Schell, CEO, Rolls-Royce Power Systems. “Combining our integrated MTU diesel and gas genset system technology and our control solutions with ABB’s modular microgrid solution, control capability and remote service, will offer customers the combined strengths of the two world leaders in technology.” “ABB Ability e-mesh can ensure a stable power grid, even with a high share of renewable energy from various sources, working smoothly with already installed gas or diesel engines,” said Massimo Danieli, head of ABB’s grid automation business line within the company’s Power Grids business. “ABB has a vast number of microgrid installations globally and through our partnership with Rolls-Royce, we will further support the growing interest for microgrid solutions the world over.” The ABB Ability e-mesh solution will provide power generation asset owners a vertically integrated, unified view of their distributed energy resources and renewable power generation that is quick to deploy and that reduce operational costs. Cloud operations, site and fleet optimisation, weather and load forecast and machine learning algorithms offer infinite insights for decision-making, such as knowing where to increase investments on maintenance or how to increase revenue streams to operate assets more profitable.

DIGIFY AFRICA has won an award for Best Contribution to Transformation in the Digital Industry. The award is one the company is particularly proud of as it is a reflection of its purpose and commitment to supporting and helping young black people lead, learn and work in the digital economy. In the past seven years, the company has trained 90 000 young people in digital skills and content develop- ment and has launched over 500 careers through its various training programmes. Since 2014, the organisation has created and delivered demand-driven digital training programmes for various professions and sectors including Digify PRO and the Live Mag Content Creators Programme. These form part of a learning model that is tried, tested and practically-oriented to equip the youth to thrive in the modern workplace. “We would love to thank our partners and clients, who have supported us and helped train 90 000 young people and kick-start over 500 careers,” said Head of Learning, Nomacala Mpeta. Transformation is not just about numbers, it’s about impact. It is about creating sustainable livelihoods and ensuring more young talented black people lead, learn and work in the digital economy. With that said, transformation is nothing without inclusion. Together with digital agencies we need to work to create a more inclusive environment that will enable young black people to thrive. This includes access to opportunities and a more supportive culture in the workplace, which will ensure that the work we passionately do is not in vain.” This year, Digify Africa plans to kick-start 165 more careers across the continent with Digify PRO which will take place in Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria. S outh African enterprises are moving to embrace Industry 4.0 models and technologies to enhance efficiencies and remain competitive, but adapting to these new models is not without challenges, says Jesper Toubol, Vice Presi- dent, Elements and Moulds at Lego. Speaking ahead of Africa Automation Fair and the Connected Industries Conference in June, where he will deliver the keynote ad- dress on Industry 4.0, Toubel says traditional business culture and a lack of effective change management can challenge efforts to move to an Industry 4.0 environment. “Key to effectively moving to Industry 4.0 is to move from a traditional waterfall approach to an agile approach. It is not necessary to do massive roll-outs: development and change can be implemented faster in small stages,” he says. “It is also important to demystify what Industry 4.0 means, particularly among workforces, and to emphasise the business case and workforce benefits of moving to an Industry 4.0 environment. So effective change management is crucial.” Toubol notes that industry is confronted with the rapid advent of Industry 4.0 at the same time as older pre-internet management faces the arrival of a wave of Millennials and ‘digital natives’ into the workplace, resulting in myriad cultural and operational changes in industrial environments. “Enterprises need to accept new ways of working,” he says. Toubol will present some of Lego’s Industry 4.0 learnings inside his area of expertise, with practical advice on key technologies, managing change and the capabilities needed in the workforce, at the opening of the Connected Industries Conference from4-6 June 2019 at the Ticketpro Dome,Northgate, in Johannesburg. The conference will be staged alongside Africa Automation Fair, the exhibition for the Automation and Control Industry. Marius Smit, event organiser at event presenters Reed Exhibitions, says Industry 4.0 is a top priority for South African enterprises seeking to grow efficiencies and become more competitive internationally. “Addressing local concerns and Industry 4.0 ambitions, the Connected Industries Conference will assess South Africa’s Industry 4.0 progress, consider whether Industry 4.0 can revive South Africa manufacturing, look at the impact of Disruptive Technologies on business, and drill down into specific areas such as smart communication platforms, the components of smart factories, system interoperability, IIoT, Blockchain, AI, VR and AR, cloud solutions and data analytics for the industrial environment. The Connected Industries Conference at Africa Automation Fair 2019 will focus on the economic impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0/IIoT) on South – and Sub-Saharan Africa, and how to bring this technology shift to South Africa. The Africa Automation Fair 2019 exhibition and conference will illustrate ways to overcome manufacturing stagnation and fast track growth, by showcasing the latest technologies, solutions and models for next generation manufacturing. Africa Automation Fair is a focused networking platform for the Automation and Control Industry and works closely with industry associations including the IIGand SAIMC. The fair targets senior buyers from South Africa, the rest of Africa and invites AGILE APPROACH NEEDED FOR A SMOOTH TRANSITION TO INDUSTRY 4.0 Enquiries: +27 (0)11 028 7487

Enquiries: www.abb.com

intermittent renewable energy sources like wind and solar. Digital automation and control systems act as the ‘brain’, coordinating the various distributed energy resources and loads for the microgrid to function efficiently. Rolls-Royce offers MTU Onsite Energy brand power system solutions: from mission critical, standby and continuous power to combined generation of heat and power, and microgrids. “Due to the transformation towards decarbonisation, customers need to pursue sustainable power options that also deliver utmost profitability. For this, we rely primarily on microgrids, which are autonomous energy supply systems that are

SIEMENS CLOUDCONNECT SIMPLIFIES IIOT DATA TRANSFER TO CLOUDBASED SOLUTIONS

T he Siemens CloudConnect portfolio simplifies data transfer within IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) to cloud-based solu- tions. To this end, Siemens offers the Simatic CP 1545-1 communications processor, designed for use with Simatic S7- 1500 in modern automation environments. For the cloud connection of existing systems, Siemens is now also offering the new Simatic CloudConnect 7 Industrial IoT Gateway. With CloudConnect, it is even easier for users to benefit from cloud-based data analyses. They can enhance machine availability by evaluating data for predictive maintenance purposes, for example, or machine manufacturers can offer new marketing models such as pay-per-use. Instead of every single sensor having to be connected to the cloud, the Simatic S7-1500 enables field data aggregation and subsequent linking to additional process-relevant information if required. The CP 1545-1 then transfers the data to the cloud platform. The communications processor features an integrated Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) firewall for protecting the S7-1500 against unauthorised access. The CloudConnect functionality is easy to project in the TIA Portal using just a few input screens. There are two ways to connect existing systems with the Industrial IoT Gateway CloudConnect 7: Simatic CC712 facilitates connection of one Simatic S7-300 or S7-400 via Industrial Ethernet by means of the S7 protocol. With Simatic CC716, on the other hand, up to seven Simatic S7 controllers can be connected via Industrial Ethernet or Profibus/MPI interfaces. The existing automation program does not have to be changed in order to select and transfer the essential information. In addition, the data read by CloudConnect 7 from lower-level S7 stations can be made available as OPC UA variables (server). This enables standardised data exchange, for example with MES systems or HMI and third-party controllers. The open Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) cloud protocol is used in all cases. This established standard also makes it possible to transfer data to MindSphere, the IoT operating system from Siemens, as well as to other cloud platforms.

participation from international buyers. Presented by Reed Exhibitions, Africa Automation Fair and the Connected Industries Conference will be staged from 4-6 June 2019 at the Ticketpro Dome, Northgate, Johannesburg.

Enquiries: www.africaautomationfair.com

Enquiries: www.siemens.com/cloudconnect

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

MAY 2019