Beijing, March 28, 2015 - As the 2015 Earth Hour campaign approaches, ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, today announced the latest energy-saving figures of its key products in China. By the end of 2014, ABB drive products helped domestic customers save up to 243 billion kWh, which is equivalent to more than two years of Beijing's electricity consumption.
Under the theme of "Switch Off, Blue On", this year's Earth Hour campaign advocates the reduction of air pollution and the mitigation of climate change through energy transformation and the development of renewables. As a leader in renewable energy, sustainable transport, and energy efficiency, ABB is committed to its vision of "power and productivity for a better world" by helping customers increase energy efficiency and lower their environmental impact with a full range of smart power and automation technologies.
Charles Yu, Head of ABB China Sustainability Affairs, said: "The concept of energy conservation and environmental protection is deeply rooted in ABB's corporate culture. ABB is committed to reducing energy consumption through technical advancements and is calling on all staff members to actively take part in environmental protection initiatives at work and in their daily lives. In the future, ABB will continue to support China's sustainable development with a series of concrete actions in order to build a 'Beautiful China' together with our partners and peers."
Lower environmental impact through energy efficiency
Rising energy prices and environmental issues caused by greenhouse gas emissions have made energy efficiency and sustainable development a key focus for society. ABB is providing its utility, industry, and transport and infrastructure customers with energy efficiency solutions by leveraging its innovative, smart technologies.
In the area of industry, 70% of global industrial energy consumption comes from electric motors. Therefore, the widespread use of efficient electric motors and drives boasts enormous energy-saving potential and economic benefits. By controlling the run-speed of electric motors, the application of drives can reduce energy consumption by 30%-50%, thus significantly increasing industrial energy efficiency. In 2014, ABB launched ACS580MV, a medium-voltage frequency converter developed for the local market, to support China's industrial upgrading and sustainable development.
In utility, ABB is supporting China's long distance, large-capacity and low-loss power transmission with its leading HVDC technologies. ABB has taken part in 20 of the 28 HVDC power transmission projects in China, supporting more efficient cross-region power transmission and address the power consumption needs of different regions.
In terms of primary energy consumption, buildings represent around 40% according to International Energy Agency (IEA). By intelligently adjusting heating, lighting, and electrical equipment in buildings, ABB can help significantly reduce energy consumption and support the upgrading of traditional buildings to green buildings.
Greener mobility through sustainable transport
To address the issue of air pollution in cities, the development of electric vehicles has become an important trend in the area of sustainable transport. Leveraging its leading technologies and global experience, ABB is actively taking part in the development of China's electric vehicle charging network. In the beginning of 2014, ABB formed a strategic partnership with Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co., Ltd. to build a nationwide, electric vehicle charging network over a period of 6 years, so as to support the development of Chinese cities' sustainable transport.
ABB also provides energy efficient solutions for marine transport. For example, ABB's Azipod® D electric propulsion system is able to increase the performance of electric motors by up to 45%, so as to reduce installed power by up to 25% and help customers significantly reduce energy consumption. Meanwhile, ABB's shore-to-ship power system provides vessels docked in ports with shore power supply, so as to eliminate the pollution and noise caused by the running of diesel generator sets onboard the vessels.
Replace fossil fuels with renewables
The emission of carbon dioxide and other pollutants from the burning of fossil fuels such as fire coal, oil and natural gas is a major contributor to environmental pollution and global climate change. The development of renewables has become an important component in resolving the global energy crisis and environmental pollution.
As a pioneer and leader in renewable power generation, ABB is supporting the efficient development and utilization of clean energy, the optimization of energy structure, and the development of a green China by providing reliable solutions to the entire energy chain - from renewable power generation to transmission and integration.
According to latest figures released by China's National Energy Administration, by the end of 2014 the installed capacity of China's on-grid wind farms reached 96.37 million kilowatts. This accounts for 27% of total installed capacity worldwide, making China the world's largest wind power market. In the past few years, ABB has taken part in many wind power projects across China, providing products and technical support for the Xiangyang Wind Farm in Jilin Province, one of the largest onshore wind farms in China; and the Jiangsu Xiangshui Offshore 200MW Wind Farm Demonstration Project, China's large-scale offshore wind farm.
As the world's second-largest supplier of solar inverters, ABB has taken part in a number of large-scale solar power projects in China. For example, ABB provided the SUMEC Dongtai 50MW Project in Jiangsu Province with core products and solutions. This is not only China's largest coastal 50MW terrestrial photovoltaic power station, but also an important part of the Dongtai Beach Comprehensive Development Demonstration Zone in Jiangsu Province.
Furthermore, ABB has installed photovoltaic modules on the roofs of office buildings in its drives factory in Beijing to power part of the office's lighting, thus supporting the development and utilization of renewables with concrete actions. Since the start of on-grid power generation in February 2012, the solar power system has generated an average of 100,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. During its 25-year lifespan, the system can reduce the emissions of approximately 4 tons of dust, 14 tons of sulfur dioxide, 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide and 8 tons of nitric oxide.
Power and productivity for a better world
By working with Solar Impulse since 2014, ABB hopes to use this solar-powered, round-the-world flight to showcase our innovative and environmentally-friendly concepts, and to demonstrate the potential of clean energy, which is in line with ABB's vision: power and productivity for a better world. The airplane has taken off from Abu Dhabi and will arrive in China in days.
Solar Impulse's vision mirrors ABB's aspirations of helping boost operational efficiency, reduce resource use, enable sustainable transportation and increase penetration of clean, renewable energy. ABB will continue to work closely with local customers and peers to contribute to building up a Green China.
ABB is a Global 500 company and a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility, industry, and transport and infrastructure customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in roughly 100 countries and employs about 140,000 people. ABB has a full range of business activities in China, including R&D, manufacturing, sales and services, with 19,000 employees, 39 local companies, and an extensive sales and service network across 126 cities.
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