Innovative technology as an alternative to SF6 can reduce carbon footprint by 100 percent
It’s a small town with a big mission, and ABB is helping the cause. Tranås is a village in the south of Sweden that is surrounded by green meadows, clear lakes and lush forests, and preservation of the environment is at its core. Plans for growth go hand-in-hand with plans for sustainability, and local electric utility, Tranås Energi, which supplies about 15,000 people with electricity, is already on board, minimizing its environmental impact in all areas of its operations.
For example, the utility maintains a number of charging points for electric cars and makes use of a new bio-fuel-based boiler, which is generating electricity from bark, shavings and other wood.
So it made sense that when the time came to replace the aging circuit-breakers in its 30-year-old Tranås substation, Tranås Energi, chose ABB’s Live Tank circuit breaker (LTA) with carbon dioxide (CO2) technology instead of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).
For decades, SF6 gas has been used extensively in the electrical industry for dielectric insulation and current interruption due to its physical properties. However, it is a greenhouse gas and its lifecycle management requires careful handling and can entail substantial costs, particularly when decommissioning aging substations.
The adoption of ABB’s LTA with CO2 will enable Tranås Energi to achieve an almost 100 percent reduction in global warming potential (GWP) as compared to SF6 without any compromise on equipment quality and reliability. In addition, regulatory procedures for SF6 such as gas handling, monitoring and inventory management is avoided.
“Our ambition is to be a leading player in the transition to a sustainable society,” says Sven Pålsgård, the company’s Electrical Engineer, Tranås Energi. “Every investment we make is based on reducing our environmental impact and helping our communities thrive.”
While it’s population may be small, there’s nothing small-town about Tranås’s environmental ambitions, and ABB is a proud partner, helping run the world without consuming the earth.
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