A consortium of Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power and US-based Air Products has signed the US$900mn engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the planned US$5bn green hydrogen and green ammonia project at Neom in Saudi Arabia

HMS Networks is giving numerous communication solutions for the expanding battery market in order to solve the energy crisis

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) require communication capabilities to connect to batteries and peripheral components, communicate with the power grid and monitor systems remotely. BESS is one of the keys to make the world more sustainable. Since green energy sources such as wind and solar are not always available, large battery parks can make it possible to store the energy to use when there is less sun or wind. BESS are made up of battery cells that are combined into battery packs. They are then combined into containers and can make up battery parks the size of several football fields. The systems can use new or recycled batteries and combine many different components. However, these large battery parks need a lot of communication capabilities in order to work. HMS now presents a comprehensive package of communication solutions catered for this application area.

Since the battery market has been spearheaded by the car industry, CAN is the communication standard of choice in many systems. Here, HMS offers an extensive portfolio of communication solutions via the Ixxat brand for PC connection, networking, line extension, galvanic isolation and more. In networking, the protection of components is crucial, both from external sources (like lightning strikes) and from system-related issues (AC/DC noise). 

BESS often combine a variety of different equipment from different industries within a single application – batteries, BMS, PLCs, fire detection units or air conditioning. CAN, Modbus, BACnet, KNX and other protocols can be easily linked via intelligent gateways from HMS, which handle the all-important data exchange while also enabling centralised control. Intelligent networking is also required in order to connect to cloud solutions or SCADA systems. This connection can be made by using SG (Smart Grid) gateways from HMS that support both energy and industrial fieldbus protocols, as well as protocols required for cloud connection.

The SG gateways enable centralised control as well as remote access for predictive maintenance, logging or data visualisation using the i4SCADA solution from the HMS-owned company WEBfactory. 

Moteurs Baudouin, the French manufacturer of marine and power generation diesel and gas engines has signed an international distribution and service agreement with Power Solutions International (PSI)

The agreement will see Baudouin expanding its product range, offering the PSI rich burn gas engine range to the European, Middle Eastern and African markets. The partnership is a perfect complement to Baudouin’s PowerKit diesel and lean burn gas product lines, as it means the company can deliver across the full spectrum of power solutions and provides even more choice for Baudouin’s clients around the globe.

Founded in France more than a century ago, Baudouin is a proven market leader in quality diesel and gas engines for marine and power generation applications. With headquarters in Cassis, France, and additional manufacturing based in Weifang, China, Pune, India and Tutayev, Russia, product sales and servicing are available in more than 130 countries, across six continents.

PSI, based near Chicago, Illinois, USA, is a leader in the design, engineering, and manufacture of a broad range of advanced, emission-certified engines and power systems. The company’s unique in-house design, prototyping, engineering and testing capacities allow PSI to customise clean, high performance engines to run on a wide variety of fuels, including natural gas, propane, gasoline, diesel and biofuels.

Both brands are united as part of the Weichai Group, a diverse international conglomerate which owns powertrain, vehicle, marine, construction machinery, intelligent logistics, fuel cells, agricultural machinery, control systems, and other business segments. Weichai has operations in 55 countries with 500 authorised service centres worldwide, which brings an expanded global business footprint to the Baudouin and PSI partnership.

The first public outing for the newly announced partner companies, was the Middle East Energy show held from 7-9 March 2022 in Dubai, UAE. At the show, Baudouin showcased the groundbreaking 8.8L 200 kWe PSI engine.

For gas standby power generation applications, its the highest output ever recorded from such displacement. In order to achieve this rating, several advanced engineering improvements in material design, engine design, and engine cooling have been implemented.

PSI has also gained a US patent for the engine (US11,143,093 B2) with a second one pending.

 A stepping stone to a fully renewable energy infrastructure, gas power provides an opportunity for a smooth transition towards zero emissions, until large scale fully renewable energies are available. And, more new products are already in development, maximising the shared expertise of both companies. These include new gas products from LPG and LNG to biogas under the Baudouin and PSI brands.

The new collective product portfolio of both Baudouin and PSI promises clients around the EMEA region the most competitive and complete range of power solutions available across all applications.

The comprehensive product offering and market strengths across both companies, makes the new agreement between Baudouin and PSI a winning partnership, and an exciting new development for the industry in 2022.

Norway’s Scatec has signed an agreement with India’s ACME Group to form a joint venture to design, build, own and operate a large-scale green ammonia plant in Oman

Zenatix (part of the US$11bn Hero Group) which enables small and mid-sized buildings to drive energy efficiency, has expanded its operations to the UAE and Middle East to offer organisations a robust cloud-based energy and asset management solution