ABB shared its leading technologies and successful case studies that are helping to shape future grids at the 2018 Global Energy Interconnection (GEI) Conference on March 28-29th in Beijing. Some of the technologies included HVDC, digital substations and energy storage.
The 2018 GEI Conference is held by the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO) and includes in-depth discussions on collaborating, technological innovations and key project development. This year's theme was "Global Energy Interconnection: from China's initiative to Global Action". The Global Energy Interconnection Research Reports and the GEI Action Plan for Technical Equipment Innovation were among the achievements announced at the event.
ABB shared how its innovative technologies are involved in building future grids, including high-voltage direct current (HVDC) and HVDC Light power transmission. Other technologies included energy storage, digital substation solutions, Asset Management and other enterprise management software solutions.
"Power grids are experiencing an unprecedented revolution worldwide. Renewable energy, energy connectivity, and digital technologies will play key roles in this process," said Zhang Jinquan, senior vice president of ABB Group and head of Power Grids division in China. "A clear vision and the need for greater collaboration across stakeholders including policy makers, regulators, utilities and technology providers are key success factors to facilitate sustainable energy development and enabling a stronger, smarter and greener grid."
From a power supply perspective, the proportion of renewables in the global energy mix will continue to grow. China is already leading the way when it comes to renewable energy. On the demand side new loads like electric vehicle and data centers have seen fast growth, which needs reliable and stable power supply. All of these changes have increased the complexity of grids, and have had a significant impact on global energy systems.
Technologies like HVDC are critical to achieve energy connectivity. It helps integrate remotely located renewables into the grid and then reliably and efficiently transmit electricity to high demand urban centers. ABB pioneered HVDC technology more than 60 years ago and is the global market leader with over 110 HVDC projects, representing around half of the world's installed base. In 2017, ABB collaborated with State Grid Corporation of China to successfully accomplish type tests for the world's most powerful 1,100 kilovolt (kV) ultra-high-voltage direct current (UHVDC) converter transformer, which paved the way for operation of the world's most powerful 1,100 kV Changji-Guquan UHVDC project.
Power grids are becoming increasingly complex driving greater digitalization and automation. ABB Ability™ based solutions combine the latest electrical equipment with digital sensors, cloud computing and software based solutions to facilitate the convergence of operational and information technologies, bringing more intelligence to the grid and making it more flexible, reliable and efficient.
