Renewable energy will almost surely be the power source of the future, whether by choice or by necessity … or both.
Since it’s produced from natural sources, like the sun, wind and water, renewable energy doesn’t burn fossil fuels during its creation or its usage. Therefore, it won’t heat up the planet and cause environmental damage the way traditional fuels do.
As a society, we’re now embarking on a quest to encourage the development of renewable energy sources at scale. And at Dassault Systèmes, we’re enabling exactly this. We empower energy producers, suppliers and end users to examine and imagine a world powered by renewables with our virtual twins.
Several of our brands are already being used to do so: Read on to see how different Dassault Systemes’ customers are leveraging CATIA, SIMULIA and more to design a more sustainable world.
International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor
The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), is a consortium of countries collaborating on a project to build a thermonuclear power plant and harness its output – fusion power – to sustainably provide power at scale.
The fusion reactor will attempt to recreate the kind of energy producing process that occurs naturally in stars. It creates large amounts of electricity without the typical drawbacks, like the environmental output from burning coal.
A monumental commitment, this project requires a significant technological undertaking. ITER is leveraging the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to power one of the most complex engineering endeavors in history, and it’s one that promises not only innovation but futuristic sustainability.
Changjiang Design Group
In China, the Changjiang Design Group is tackling the task of building a world-leading hydropower station. Not only do they aim to produce significant amounts of power, but they’re led by the tenets of sustainability, carrying out their work without damaging the surrounding environment. The company recognizes that in order to create sustainable and clean power, every aspect of the process needs to be green, too.
Using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, they’re able to operate with speed. Tasks that used to take a month and a half or longer to complete are now done in 10 days. One of the foremost concerns surrounding renewable energy is whether we’ll be able to develop these resources in a timely fashion, and the Changjiang Design Group’s work with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform lends hope to this. Integrating work from different industries – from geology to mechanical engineering to product design – is now possible in a much shorter time span, and in a way that reduces room for error.
ISC
Another company pioneering hydropower, Danish firm ISC is harnessing energy produced by a wind farm to generate enough electricity to power more than 1 million homes in the UK. The company, which originally installed offshore oil and gas rigs, is using its expertise in this type of energy production and applying it to clean, renewable energy sources.
At the wind farm in the North Sea, ISC will convert the energy garnered by the turbines into usable electricity, which will then be transferred via undersea cables to land. As longtime users of CATIA, the company places significant value on the use of technology for designing and deploying the most precise products possible.
Northwest Engineering Corporation
A customer for more than a decade, Northwest Engineering Corporation has deployed Dassault Systèmes technologies for years in their efforts to develop renewable energies. The China-based firm, which also does water treatment and conservation, is using CATIA to ensure sustainable moves for the future.
Housing their entire engineering project lifecycle on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, from surveying and system design to engineering, construction and delivery has allowed the company to streamline their work for quick, efficient progress. Given that we as society are in a time crunch when it comes to deploying renewable energies as power sources, this swift work is of utmost importance.
NWH needed a platform that would seamlessly integrate and encourage collaborative design for their range of projects that require input for the construction, production and management or power plans, dams, electromechanical engineering projects and more.
Shifting away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy sources in order to reach goals for net-zero carbon neutrality is a goal that’s shared by the private and public sector alike. It’s so much so that clean and renewable energies are among the main themes of next month’s Climate Week NYC. The ‘clean energy revolution’ is a main focus for the United Nations and efforts to bolster it are enshrined in federal legislation in the United States and in countries around the world.
It’s clear that renewable energy will be a significant facet of life in the not-so-distant future. With companies like these and more leading the way, hydropower and alternative energy sources will come to be more commonplace. And with such a transition, our environment will only benefit.
Shoshana is a Senior Communications Manager on the Corporate Publishing team here at Dassault Systèmes. With experience in journalism, marketing, and PR, her work has been published around the world and across the internet.