Advancing Government: Four ways federal agencies can accelerate the adoption of smart infrastructure technologies in 2023

1. Focus on how you can use technology to scale

To meet ambitious net-zero targets, you must focus on how you can scale. And how you can scale is through technology.

For federal agencies willing to think broadly about how to advance their sustainability initiatives, technology can act as a major accelerant. This is known as the “technology ecoadvantage”—using advanced technologies and ways of working to enable valuable solutions that also have a positive impact on net-zero and other environmental, financial and security goals.

Take for example Siemens’ Building X, a new smart building suite that is open, interoperable and fully cloud-based. By collecting and connecting all data that smart building systems generate into one single platform, Building X helps scale-up smart buildings faster and create data-based outcomes for greater efficiency, performance and user experiences.

Whether federal agencies want to look into resource consumption and cost over time at multiple facilities or use artificial intelligence (AI)-based analytics to identify direct optimization efforts, Building X provides an effective way to scale and accelerate sustainability goals.

3. Make energy reliability and resilience a priority

The U.S. Government is the country’s single largest energy consumer and building manager. While this underscores the need to improve energy efficiency, it also highlights the importance of strengthening energy reliability and resilience.

Recent years have seen an increase in severe weather, natural disasters, and cyberattacks that have or could have interrupted energy or water supply at DoD installations. Compromised electrical and water systems negatively affect the health and safety of DoD service members and their families and make it difficult for DoD installations to execute critical missions and sustain readiness. Enhanced energy resiliency measures are necessary.

One solution is microgrids. In 2022, the U.S. Army revealed its climate strategy to install microgrids at each of its 130 bases worldwide. Largely driven by a desire to bring energy independence to their facilities, the U.S. Army’s microgrid initiative echoes the sector’s urgency to increase energy resilience. The U.S. Navy has also set a goal to make its key installations capable of operating off-grid for at least two weeks by late 2025.

At SGT we understand the unique dynamics our military customers face based on their specific mission requirements, and the diversity of infrastructure they rely on to care for their personnel and systems needed to successfully fulfill their national security obligations. There isn’t a “one size fits all” approach for microgrids, and whether the goal is to augment renewable energy sources to reduce carbon footprint, or enhance resiliency for grid-independent operations, or both, our team has real world experience delivering flexible solutions in challenging operational environments. 

Ensure your facilities are smarter, more resilient and responsive

A critical mission of the federal government is to ensure that our nation’s buildings, infrastructure, and operations are secure, efficient, and resilient. As the integrator of Siemens’ comprehensive portfolio of smart infrastructure solutions for federal customers, Siemens Government Technologies provides federal agencies with a streamlined procurement and implementation path for improving operational efficiency, reliability, and cost-savings at installations and depots throughout the country and world.

From building automation and control systems, to mobile microgrids and efficiency-enhancing HVAC and utility upgrades, we leverage Siemens’ global and commercial experience to help federal customers ensure their facilities are smarter, more resilient and responsive. Modernizing and upgrading federal buildings is a top priority for all the services, and we predict enormous progress toward the smart installation of the future in 2023.

Learn more about SGT’s smart infrastructure solutions and how we can help you achieve your mission here.