Intense focus on losses and efficiency is driving these improvements, coupled with emerging efficiency regulations and standards that are pushing transformer markets to improve product performance and sustainability in different countries and regions.
Now more than ever, ABB is the partner of choice to help customers achieve energy efficiency goals. To help them compare transformer efficiency, ABB in recent years developed and launched an easy-to-use, free Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) tool on its Transformers web site.
TCO 2.0
Based on user feedback, ABB has improved its web-based TCO tool, and is launching an enhanced 2.0 version that retains the highly intuitive structure of the original user interface.The TCO tool was developed to help customers determine loss capitalization factors (A and B), and compare different transformer alternatives from the point of view of total cost and environmental impact, in order to find the right balance between investment and reward.
It helps manufacturers design transformers tailored to the unique economic situation of each user, and helps users evaluate multiple designs in order to find the best solution. The TCO tool is also scalable for use in mobile devices.
The new TCO 2.0 tool delivers additional features and benefits, including:
- ability to define and save scenarios/comparison information under a username for later use (requires user registration)
- ability to select transformer loss levels based on EN50588-1 standard loss classes (as applicable)
- shows compliance with European transformer efficiency regulation, and minimum required efficiency of DOE-regulated transformers (as applicable)
- improved reporting capacity includes a pdf report with enhanced graphics showing key results of the comparison, and ability to send the report directly from to tool to any e-mail address (requires user registration)
- available in multiple languages (EN, CN, DE, ES, FR)
Choosing an efficient transformer solution reduces operational costs by lowering energy consumption (losses) over the lifetime of a transformer. Given the increasing presence of minimum transformer efficiency standards, a TCO analysis during the transformer procurement process is highly recommended in order to determine if it makes sense to go beyond the current mandatory minimum floor level of energy performance.
