At CeBIT, Intel unveiled a range of technologies, innovative solutions and collaborations addressing the needs of the smart grid and extended energy management. Intel presented technologies that span a secure arc end-to-end based on Intel Architecture with a view to connecting the dots between the Smart Home, the Smart Factory and the Smart Grid all the way to the Data Center. Energy is one of the greatest challenges for modern society and becoming more and more expensive for both consumer and businesses. The European Commission (EC) estimates electricity prices will rise by 31% in the period 2010 to 2020, making energy efficiency increasingly important. By 2050, renewable energy will account for 50 percent of electricity generation1 according to the EC. The increasing number of renewable energy sources and rising energy prices require optimization of energy distribution and consumption.
Sustainability and use of energy in a way that conserves resources begins in the Smart Home. Intel provides the Intel Puma 6 platform, allowing service providers to offer energy-efficient and secure gateway solutions for the Smart Home. Multi-purpose gateways based on the Intel Puma 6 platform are able to virtualize all kinds of services in one platform. This enables consolidation of different Smart Home functions like internet, TV, home security and energy management in one device. Thanks to the integrated Intel® Atom™ processor, the Puma 6 platform offers high performance and impresses with state-of-the-art security functions. The possibilities of Puma 6 are currently being tested for use in decentralized energy management together with energy supplier MVV Energie AG in Mannheim (Germany). In addition, Intel is joining with the EE-BUS E.V. Initiative, whose members are committed to a standardized and energy-efficient exchange of intelligent devices.
Intel also touched on intelligent and secure gateways, which are based on Intel® Quark and Intel Atom. These offer an integrated, pre-validated hardware and software stack with open standards, which can be used in factories, for example, to connect legacy devices. This makes it possible to optimize productivity within the manufacturing process. In addition, both energy consumption and cost can be significantly reduced. One current example is a Johnson & Johnson manufacturing plant in Ireland. After a successful pilot phase, Johnson & Johnson is continuing to collaborate with Intel to understand on a commercial implementation of this new technology within their manufacturing network.
At CeBIT, Intel also presented how the company collaborates with the energy industry to drive secure and energy-efficient operation of Smart Grids. For example, Intel develops analysis solutions based on Intel® Core™ processors for secondary substations together with Westfalen Weser Energie, a large provider of power and gas networks in Germany. In this way, the increasing number of renewable energy sources, which feed into the "last mile" of the network can be determined. Westfalen Weser Energie thus receives a more detailed insight into the local grid and can react to changes in demand for power generation or energy consumption based on the data.
Big data analytics play an integral part for Smart Grids becoming reality. With the newly introduced Intel® Xeon® E7 v2 product family, Intel now advances in the next phase of big data intelligence. The processors mark latest technology for mission critical computing and deliver the industry's most advanced in-memory analytics capabilities to gather real-time insights and to make data more valuable. Using analytics to unlock hidden insights in a matter of seconds provides organizations and companies, e.g. in the energy industry, with the ability to make quick decisions and better tailor products and services to customer needs. To help businesses maximize the value of their big data investment, Intel Corporation offers the Intel® Data Platform, a software suite based on open source technologies designed to make it easier and faster for companies to move from big data to big discoveries.
