Electrical Contracting News (ECN) October 2017 | Page 50

SPECIAL
FEATURE
CIRCUIT PROTECTION & SWITCHGEAR
BRIDGING THE GAP
Alessandro Palin, managing director at ABB Medium Voltage Products
business unit, discusses how technology can be used to bridge
the digital gap and deliver a more sustainable world for electrical
contractors and utility providers.
S
ustainability is the watch
word of the moment. In
recent months, news
headlines have been
proliferated with major
manufacturers such as
Volvo and Ford Motor
Company announcing
landmark plans to move towards an
electric or hybrid future.
Whether it’s governments, businesses,
utilities or consumers, we are all aware
that we need to build a world that
can meet the demands of a growing
global population, while maintaining an
ecological balance.
The moves made by companies
and governments are indicative of the
race towards a greener, efficient and
sustainable future.
With the added pressure of population
movement – it’s predicted that more than
half of the world’s population will live in
cities by 2030 – coupled with exponential
growth in the consumption of technology,
the demands for smart and eco-efficient
solutions to deliver a reliable, affordable
and efficient supply of electricity are even
greater and more urgent.
So how can ‘line’ contractors build and
maintain the infrastructure required to
transport electricity in a sustainable way?
How can Integrated Building Systems (IBS)
electrical contractors further integrate
system controls for maximum energy
efficiency and building performance?
Going green
ABB is creating greener and smarter
innovations for future generations by
optimising the opportunities presented
by digital and eco-efficient technologies.
For example, the AirPlus offers a green
alternative to SF6 as the insulation gas
for medium voltage switchgear. Using a
fluoroketone-based gas mixture, it is almost
100% lower in terms of global warming
potential (GWP) than its potent counterpart.
Current trends indicate that demand
for this type of green alternative
insulation gas will become highly
sought after by utilities who are under
increasing pressure from governments
to provide an eco-efficient supply of
electricity and create a more sustainable
and affordable energy.
50 | October 2017
‘We are all
aware that
we need
to build a
world that
can meet the
demands of
a growing
global
population,
while
maintaining
an ecological
balance.’
European utility providers appear to be
making great strides in this area, including
Liander in the Netherlands and Germany’s
Netze BW. A three-year field trial of
SafeRing AirPlus with Liander, which is
the Netherlands’ largest utility provider
delivering energy to 3 million customers,
has been achieving positive results.
Sustainability is high on Liander’s
agenda and it actively encourages the
development of sustainable grid solutions.
The company was looking for 20kV ring
main units (RMU) that were more compact
than those available with the commonly
used air-insulated technology. Yet, to meet
the goal of a sustainable grid solution,
they sought an alternative to SF6, the
usual insulation medium used in compact
gas insulated switchgear (GIS). Liander
has installed four SafeRing AirPlus units
in compact secondary substations located
at wind farms supplying the company’s
grid in Flevoland.
Initial results gathered over 18 months
have proved valuable. The operational
performance and gas samples taken
indicate that the units behave as expected.
The pilot project and its initial findings are
a success and the eco-efficient insulation
gas is a step forward towards sustainable
and climate-friendly grid solutions.
Another example is set by one of
Germany’s biggest distribution grid
operators. Netze BW supplies 4.6 million
inhabitants across the South West of
Germany, via its grid network, including its
medium-voltage facility at Trochtelfingen.
Eight of the 31 switchgear panels housed
there are now using AirPlus.
Digital solutions
Not only is it alternative gases that
customers are looking for, but demand
for connected digital switchgear is also
gathering pace as the utility sector seeks
technology solutions to better suit shorter
project cycles, frequent changes and
stringent cost-efficiency requirements.
In response, ABB has introduced
UniGear Digital. It combines protection,
control, measurement and instant digital
communication to enable a safe, flexible
and smart electrical network that can
deliver power reliably and efficiently. The
new digital panels can be plugged in to
extend and upgrade substations ready
to be part of t he smart grid, using the
concept of interoperability under the IEC
61850 standard.
Grids which operate digital remote
management and proactive fault finding
can also reduce downtime in mission
critical grids and help reduce unnecessary
preventative maintenance costs, therefore
improving total life costs of the grid.
So, with demand for electricity
ever increasing and pressure on
utilities to maintain a reliable, safe and
environmentally friendly grid, the race
is on to find the solutions that can help
deliver a greener and better world for this
and future generations.