Zurich-based Swiss-Swedish multinational corporation ABB will enable the Zhangbei high-voltage direct current (HVDC) grid in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area of China, integrating remote wind, solar and hydro energy in a transmission ring that ensures optimization of power flow, the company said Tuesday.
According to the company's statement, ABB, along with other local suppliers, will supply key equipment for this milestone project, which will be "the world's largest and most advanced" Voltage Sourced Converter (VSC) HVDC system with four interconnected stations in a ring network.
ABB will use its pioneering commercial HVDC technology that it developed more than sixty years ago to deliver up to 4,500 megawatts (MW) of clean energy from the Zhangbei DC grid to around 9 million people in the heavily populated area around Beijing. President of ABB's Power Grids division Claudio Facchin said ABB also introduced "crucial innovations like HVDC Light and ultra-high HVDC (UHVDC) transmission to ensure reliable and efficient power supplies".
The company will supply several critical elements including an HVDC Light valve, wall bushings, transformer components, high-voltage capacitors and power semiconductor devices for the grid, which operates at 500 kilovolts and has been designed by State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC).
"ABB's participation in this project reflects SGCC's ongoing confidence in ABB's proven HVDC expertise and our long-term efforts to help China strengthen its power infrastructure while minimizing environmental impact," Facchin added.
According to the statement, the company introduced the HVDC Light (VSC) technology to China in 2016 in order to meet the demands of the growing VSC-HVDC market. "HVDC is a highly efficient technology for transmitting large amounts of electricity over long distances with minimal losses. Traditionally, they are point-to-point links, but the Zhangbei pilot project is unique because several stations are connected with each other in a network, optimizing the use of renewables while ensuring reliability of power supply," ABB said.
"Deliveries are balanced by pumped hydro storage to meet intermittent fluctuations in wind speed and load. This will strengthen the grid in the Beijing area and secure clean renewable power," it added. According to the company, delivery of wind energy through network-based architecture will also ensure more stable and reliable electricity to meet higher demand during Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
(Anadolu Agency)
