To achieve the objective of the all-electric society more quickly, greater speed is needed to implement energy transition solutions. Digitalisation, standardisation and automation are key, especially when skilled workers are rare. At The Smarter E Europe exhibition in Munich (in Hall B5, Booth 110), Rittal and Eplan will demonstrate how the intelligent combination of software and hardware is pushing energy transition forward. Consistent data and standards are helping users in the fields of generation, e-mobility, distribution and storage to increase their efficiency and productivity.
With the exhibition motto of “Creating the new Energy World”, The Smarter E Europe 2024, being held in Munich from 19 to 21 June, showcases the opportunities and requirements of the energy transition. The aim is to sustainably electrify more and more applications in our everyday economic and social lives and to create the necessary energy infrastructure to this end. At their booth under the slogan “Electrify Your System!”, Rittal and Eplan will show how the conversion and expansion of power grids and decentralised energy systems can be speeded up. Control and switchgear manufacturers, system integrators, OEMs and operators can learn how they can seriously improve their value-added processes and cut project lead times by at least 30%.
Gaining momentum through industry standards
“Expanding energy systems is about speeding up the value creation processes. We are achieving this by increasing the level of digitalisation and standardisation, similar to what is already practised in mechanical engineering every day,” says Raphael Görner, Head of Rittal’s Energy & Power Solutions Business Unit. This is being demonstrated at the booth based on the example of a compact transformer station: “Eplan offers an end-to-end Industry Standard Project as a pre-designed solution, including the operating equipment list required in the energy sector. This is how we are establishing an industry standard that can be easily customised if needs be,” explains Jan Oliver Kammesheidt, Global Vertical Market Manager Energy at Eplan. The project's data record contains all the information for modular Rittal system technology and components from many other manufacturers from the Eplan Data Portal. Customers benefit from significantly less work and time, lower costs, standards-compliant designing with automated planning features and a digital twin for operation. Other projects planned for the booth include an AC distributor for photovoltaics and a power distributor for charging parks.
Power distribution on a new level
There is also considerable optimisation potential for energy transition applications by improving power distribution system technology: That’s why visitors to the booth will be given a preview of RiLineX, a new 60-mm busbar system platform. RiLineX sets a new standard in the field of power distribution. The system has been redesigned not only to raise the speed and safety of engineering and assembly to a new level. Rittal is also consistently pursuing the platform approach. Manufacturers of devices and components receive the interface data they need to develop the appropriate components.
Partnership project for standardised charging pillars
Rittal and the charging infrastructure company EcoG will also show how to speed up the expansion of charging pillars and charging parks. A “Power Block” is being presented as an exhibit with bayable CS Toptec outdoor enclosures, whereby Rittal’s system expertise is combined with EcoG’s software and charging station components. The Power Block thus embodies the joint project plan to standardise central, back-end infrastructure for charging parks and so greatly speed up the expansion of this important element of the energy transition.
Eplan, Rittal and Weidmüller: End-to-end processes for the energy transition
Eplan and Rittal, along with Weidmüller, are showing how data consistency drives the scaling of enclosures for the energy transition infrastructure. At the booth, they are showing how planning is performed with product data, using Eplan Data Standard (EDS) or using project templates. This planning data is seamlessly enriched in the Weidmüller Configurator (WMC) and then transferred to the workshop using interfaces without any media discontinuity so that the hardware components can be smoothly installed.