Beijing, December 8, 2010 -The recent 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou was noted for contributions from ABB, the global power and automation technology group. The company provided its advanced technology and reliable products to 32 projects for the games, ensuring their successful operation. ABB also helped to ensure reliability of the power supply and to reduce the carbon footprint at the stadiums and facilities.
Claudio Facchin, Chairman and President of ABB China, said, "We were honored to use ABB's advanced power and automation technologies to ensure the power supply and the successful operation of the Guangzhou Asian Games, another great event following our support of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2010 Shanghai Expo. These events fully demonstrated ABB's leading edge in providing trust worthy solutions supporting energy efficiency and power reliability."
The 16th Asian Games' marquee events, the opening ceremony and closing ceremony, were held on the Pearl River's Haixinsha Island. The events adopted the Pearl River as a stage and set the city as the background to generate a dazzling visual experience. Four 80-meter high steel masts and eight sails brought to life the theme "Set to Sail". Two units of ABB high-performance Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) and 16 ABB drives controlled the huge masts and sails. These devices, installed in a control room, received commands and drove precise movements of the sails through motors. They ensured the perfect simultaneous choreography of the sails and dancers. ABB drives also reduced energy consumption by 20-30%.
On the central stage of the opening ceremony, an ancient ship fought against towering waves, signifying Guangzhou's strategic location as the starting point of the Silk Road on the sea. ABB low-voltage devices, including frame and molded case circuit breakers, provided the show with accurate and reliable power supply. Moreover, ABB low-voltage air circuit breakers, molded case circuit breakers, and control devices were also widely deployed in the low-voltage distribution switchgear of the opening and closing ceremonies, helping to ensure smooth power distribution and supply to other onsite facilities.
The reliable and sufficient power supply is key to all the matches at the Guangzhou Asian Games. ABB is one of the largest suppliers for the Guangzhou Power Supply Bureau. The company's power devices including the main transformers and medium-voltage switchgears are used in more than 10 substations including the Zengcheng 500kV substation and Yacun 220kV substation. ABB equipment allows these substations to step up and down the voltage in order to ensure a reliable and stable power supply for the Asian Games-related facilities.
ABB devices could be seen everywhere in the newly built and remodelled stadiums of the Guangzhou Asian Games. For example, the Guangzhou Tianhe Sports Center and Yuexiushan Stadium, which hosted football, badminton, swimming and tennis matches, were equipped with ABB i-bus® intelligent building control systems. The advanced systems make lighting control and electrical device management easier and more environmentally friendly, while helping to reduce power consumption by more than 20% over conventional devices. In addition, ABB's EWA products were installed in the Technical Official Villa; ABB miniature circuit breaker, molded case circuit breakers and control devices were widely used in the power supply systems for low-voltage power and lighting in the Asian Games Town Athletes Villa, the Media Villa, the Bicycle and Roller-skating Hall, Huadu Stadium, Yuexiushan Stadium, the Hippodrome, the Shotgun Training Centre and the Chess Academy. These devices help to distribute power while protecting the circuits and motors by automatically cutting off fault currents, ensuring audiences can enjoy the athletes' outstanding performances.
ABB has strong expertise and rich experience in safeguarding the power supply and smooth operation for major events. The company has supported related projects at many major events, including the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and 2010 Shanghai Expo, helping to ensure steady power supply and operational reliability of every facility. In October 2008, as the major power system supplier for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and Paralympics Games, ABB was recognized by the Beijing Electric Power Company for its reliable power systems and excellent services in safeguarding the power supply during the games.
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 117,000 people. ABB has a full range of business activities in China, including R&D, manufacturing, sales and services, with 15,300 employees, 30 joint ventures and wholly owned companies, and an extensive sales and service network across 60 cities.
