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By Jesse Berst
And he is throwing down the gauntlet. "We want to be the leading smart grid integrator," he told me. More specifically, Godart has big plans for MDM integration,
substation integration and control room (enterprise) integration. In Godart's view, those are the three platforms that together create an end-to-end smart grid.
(My take: The smart grid is more than that, but these three areas are a great place to start, especially if you get them talking to each other.)
Meter data management integration
With its acquisition of MDM leader eMeter, Siemens now wants to turn that product into a full-blown platform. The firm is working on a software development kit (SDK) that its partners can use to build on top of the eMeter system.
Substation integration
Siemens' enhanced emphasis on the substation comes just as many utilities are waking up to the need for modernization. In my view, the 61850 standard will prevail and proliferate in the U.S. That's good news for Siemens, which – in my opinion – has more 61850 experience and expertise than anyone else in the world.
Control center integration
Like many other vendors, Siemens wants a role in bringing systems oriented architecture (SOA) to utilities. Godart emphasized that the Siemens platform can work with any enterprise service bus (ESB). And that Siemens is recruiting an ecosystem of partners to make their applications plug-and-play compatible.
As part of that effort, Siemens has created the Spectrum platform for applications that hang off the control center. Godart believes that the line is blurring between transmission-oriented energy management systems (EMS) and distribution-oriented distribution management systems (DMS). Going forward, "there's not going to be an arbitrary line between distribution and transmission," he said. He cites Iberdrola as a Siemens customer already building this type of "advanced distribution management system."
Siemens smart grid prospects
From where I sit, Siemens feels "old school" – old-school marketing and old-school approach. There is nothing wrong with that – there are plenty of old-school utilities with important, high-priced projects.
But it does paint a contrast to ABB, which is valiantly (and so far successfully) trying to build a software division under the Ventyx brand. And to Schneider, which is moving towards utilities from the customer equipment side. And to General Electric, which is working on new-school, cloud-based services. And to Alstom, which is working hard to reinvent and expand the DMS. And to Cisco, which has invested millions to produce a shiny new smart grid reference architecture.
The new emphasis also puts Siemens in direct competition with integration stalwarts such as Accenture, Capgemini and IBM. When it comes to competing with that crowd, Godart thinks he can win by doing a better job on the OT side of the IT+OT equation (information technology plus operational technology). "Because of our experience in engineering and equipment, we can do a better job of bringing the field information into the enterprise," he said.
Another challenge: When an equipment maker does integration, it has to prove that it can be an "honest broker." Utilities must be convinced that Siemens can do more than knit together its own gear. They must come to believe that Siemens has the knowledge to get anybody in everybody's equipment working together. I see that as a challenge. But the recent announcement that Siemens will be providing integration for all of Con Edison's smart grid demonstration project is proof that it is achievable. (See Page 2 for the announcement.)
Siemens certainly has the horsepower to be a major player. Its Infrastructure & Cities Sector (of which the Smart Grid Division is a part) has 87,000 employees worldwide. It also has great expertise in adjacent areas such as building energy management. What's more, the world seems to have a tremendous appetite for smart grid integration. Most integrators large and small have been growing between 25%-150% per year for several years in a row.
Jesse Berst is the founder and chief analyst of Smart Grid News.com. He consults to smart grid companies seeking market entry advice and M&A advisory. A frequent keynoter at industry events in the US and abroad, he also serves on the Advisory Council of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Energy & Environment directorate.
Page 2: Press release - Con Edison selects Siemens and TIBCO >>
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