Technology that improves society
Whether we like it or not, technology is now a permanent fixture in our society.
Thanks to information and communication technology we can communicate with each other around the world. Technology enables us to travel quickly and safely from A to B by comfortable car, boat or aircraft.
Technology helps us defeat disease, monitor the safety of our food, educate our children and enjoy sports and culture. Without technology factories and offices could simply close their doors.
And would we be able to find the vital solutions for issues such as energy, the environment, sustainability, security, mobility and care without technology? We don’t think so. Imtech is active right across the social map developing integrated technological solutions that contribute towards a sustainable, habitable society. Technology that improves society.
Examples
‘Green’ petabytes
The energy supply at a modern data centre is more important than the number of square metres available. Storage units are after all becoming increasingly compact. Nevertheless, the floor space used for data storage is growing in Europa by 10% year-on-year. This has driven an enormous increase in the demand for digital storage capacity. We are already speaking in terms of petabytes - a 1 followed by 15 zeros - instead of gigabytes or terabytes. Imtech offers a total low-energy solution for storing data: 'green data centres'. By arranging a data centre as efficiently and as low-energy as possible and using smart software technologies, it is possible to make electricity savings of up to 30%. Imtech’s order book already includes contracts for 'green' data centres from various Dutch and German banks, major German insurance companies and British telecom operators. Technology that improves society.
Safe in the dark
Public lighting is indispensable for road safety and for social safety, but it can also be an enormous energy-waster. To achieve a good balance between electricity reduction and safety, Innolumis Public Lighting (a joint venture of Imtech and Lemnis Lighting) developed an LED fixture especially for public spaces. The LED lighting - already in use in London, Rotterdam and more than 100 other European cities - cuts energy consumption by 30 to 70%. The fixture is manufactured in an environment-friendly way and has a very long service life. It additionally creates a greater sense of safety because - in contrast with traditional lighting – people also have a good view of the surroundings outside the light source. Technology that improves society.
Sludge = energy
Imtech is producing in a joint venture with Morgan Est two advanced biofermentation plants for water company Dwr Cymru Welsh Water. Heating waste sludge to 170°C, pasteurising it and then fermenting it anaerobically releases methane gas. The treated sludge is processed into fertiliser, while the released methane gas is used as a fuel for advanced combined heat and power plants. These plants produce enough heat and electricity for the energy needs at both sites and also for various nearby water treatment plants. What’s more, it is possible to feed back into the electricity grid up to 1 MW. Welsh Water is able in this way to reduce its carbon footprint by 35,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent: 15% of the total amount. Technology that improves society.
‘Debit and Credit’ go green
It was high time for a complete modernisation of the two towers of the head office of Deutsche Bank in its home city of Frankfurt. The head office stands 150 m tall, has total floor space of 100,000 m2 and its twin towers are affectionately known by locals as 'Debit and Credit'. Italian architect and designer Mario Bellini designed a new ecologically-sound office environment: the towers are being provided with a new facade, state-of-the-art interior and entirely new technical infrastructure. Imtech performed high-tech software simulations and tests at its R&D centre in Hamburg to check of the new façade, the energy and water consumption and the effect on the (indoor) environment. In a subsequent phase Imtech will replace the complete technical infrastructure. The result? 50% less energy consumption for heating, 55% less energy consumption for electricity, 89% less CO2 emissions and 74% less water consumption. All of this will be accomplished according to the world’s highest standard: the platinum LEED certificate of the American Building Council. Technology that improves society.
Gas from organic waste
The Spanish energy market is increasingly opting for the generation of sustainable energy, such as biogas, solar energy and bio-ethanol. Biogas and biomethanol are now recovered from the 4,600 tonnes of waste produced each day in the Spanish capital of Madrid. Some is processed in the biodiesel factory of Isolux Ingeneria at the Valdemingómez's Technological Park. Each year this plant recovers approximately 34 million m3 of biogas and biomethanol from organic waste. Technological solutions provided by Imtech support this process. At a biodiesel plant of Isolux Ingeneria at Castellón, Imtech is providing the mechanical technology necessary to let the plant run optimally. Imtech is further involved in Spain in the generation of solar energy at three solar energy plants. Technology that improves society.
Delicate ecosystems in London
The Darwin Centre in London, part of the Natural History Museum, houses no fewer than 20 million organisms: 17 million insects and 3 million plants. This unique and immense collection is used for such purposes as performing scientific research into diseases and preserving delicate ecosystems. But the collection is also used to enlighten visitors to the museum and to get them thinking about nature and the origin of species. Imtech was responsible for the technology of the building and among other things provided a completely conditioned climate – a vital precondition for maintaining the collection and for the research conducted in the laboratories. Darwin would have been proud of it all! Technology that improves society.
Sustainable technology for Victoria Versicherungen
Buildings account for 40% of the world’s energy consumption. Heating, security, cooling, lighting, hot water - everything uses energy. More and more solutions are therefore being devised for sustainable, energy-efficient buildings to reduce energy consumption worldwide. Victoria Versicherungen, Germany’s fifth largest insurer, is having its new office in Düsseldorf equipped with multiple energy-saving solutions by Imtech. Among other things Imtech is fitting out the 41,000 m2 office with advanced cooling and heating technology using hybrid cooling installations. This will lower water consumption to an absolute minimum. Technology that improves society.
Building sustainably for the Dutch Army
A lot of hard work is in progress at the Kromhout barracks in Utrecht to build a new, sustainable complex for the Ministry of Defence: the site of the new headquarters of the Dutch Army and parts of the Command Services Centre and the Defence Materiel Organisation. In total the project embraces 3,000 work stations, including amenities like an in-house restaurant, conference centre, living quarters, sports hall and car park. Imtech and its partner TBI are providing high-tech security for the complex plus numerous sustainable technical solutions, including advanced co-generation, storage of heat or cold for heating or cooling, sustainable air-conditioning and climate technology, sustainable grass roofs and an environment-friendly sewer system. Technology that improves society.
Smart combination of natural gas, coal and hydrogen 
For a long time, energy was regarded as an inexhaustible commodityand energy-efficiency was not an issue at all. Nowadays with the end of traditional energy sources in sight, we have to come to terms with that as fast as we can. In order to use our energy sources more efficiently, Dow Deutschland Anlagengesellschaft and EnBW are jointly realizing a new power station in Stade (Germany). Imtech (Imtech Deutschland) is assisting them. In order to achieve a combustion efficiency of around 60%, which is considerably higher than the 46% achieved by modern coal-fired power stations, the use of coal is reduced, the share of natural gas is increased and – as a result of Imtech’s high-tech energy technology – the hydrogen released is used as a sustainable additional source of energy. Imtech is providing the entire water vapour circulation, the ingenious feedwater heating system, and the reduction and distribution of vapour, as well as the linked technical solutions. Technology that improves society.
Smaller carbon footprint for science
The University of East Anglia is one of the top European universities. It is a place where more than 13,000 students can come to study science, but also a place where social and cultural events are held. The increased size of the campus has resulted in a greater need for energy. However, saving energy is high on the university’s list of priorities and it did not just wish to build a new, traditional power station. Imtech is now providing the university energy by combining biomass, a co-generation plant (the combined generation of heat and power) and concrete core activation. In addition, an innovative Borehole Energy Storage (BES) system is being laid. This is a smart solution for heating or cooling a building’s mass via channel systems inside the concrete which draw up heat or cold from a depth of one hundred metres. This innovative combination of technologies is expected to reduce the CO2 emission by 42%. Technology that improves society.
Sustainable safety in Amsterdam’s largest hospital
Technology – and therefore energy – is important in hospitals. For care and treatment, but also to provide patients with a comfortable stay. The Academisch Medisch Centrum (Academic Medical Centre) of the University of Amsterdam commissioned the renovation and expansion of its power plant. Based on advanced heat - a co-generation plant (the combined generation of heat and power which saves approximately 20% energy, and a more than 30% reduction of CO2 emission. Imtech (Imtech Nederland) provided the entire technology for the renovation and expansion, including the emergency power facilities. Should the regular power supply fail, the AMC’s crucial services – operating theatres, heart monitoring – continue to function. Technology that improves society.