W

ABB 2 | 15

review
en

ABB is at the forefront of photovoltaics 6

Maintaining the balance of the grid 20
Automation for solar 38
Solar pumps in irrigation 50 The corporate
technical journal

Solar power
 From being an experimental technology just some years ago,
solar energy has gone through a stunning learning curve and
is now able to compete without subsidies in an increasing
number of markets. Solar panels have become a common sight
on buildings and ground installations such as the Totana plant
near Murcia (Spain) shown on the front cover of this edition of
ABB Review. This installation was delivered by ABB and
produces 2.2 GWh/year.

At the time of press, the world’s first solar-powered airplane,

Solar Impulse 2, was attempting to fly around the world.
The plane is shown here and on page 5, and the project is
presented in “A soaring vision” on page 16.

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Contents

The solar 6 From source to socket

ABB is at the forefront of photovoltaics

challenge 10 A place in the sun

Challenges and perspectives for the future of solar

16 A soaring vision
Propelled only by the sun’s energy, the airplane Solar Impulse
2 demonstrates the promise of alternatives to fossil fuel

Technologies
20 Balancing act
Microgrid optimization control stabilizes production in solar
and hybrid microgrids

for solar 27 A bright future

Energy storage transforms the solar paradigm

33 Evolving solutions
Technology trends and design targets for next-generation
photovoltaic inverters

38 Life-cycle automation and services

A holistic approach to photovoltaic plant automation,
and operation and maintenance

43 Putting it all together

Integrating distributed renewable energies into the grid

50 A growing need
Affordable irrigation with ABB’s solar pump drive

53 Transforming revenue
ABB’s technology cuts transformer losses

58 Next-generation components
Advanced low-voltage components for next-generation
1,500 V DC utility-scale PV solar applications

60 Self generation
Photovoltaics play an essential role in ABB’s Active Site
­t echnology

Trends and
64 Steady as a rock
Two PCS100 AVC products now designed for different
applications

solutions 68 Safe and powerful

Dry transformers for subtransmission

Contents ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­3
 Editorial

ABB and solar energy

Dear Reader,
In September 2014, ABB presented its Next chain. Besides the more mainstream articles
Level Strategy, charting the company’s plans looking at different contributions to and
for growth for the period 2015 to 2020. An aspects of grid connectivity, some more
important part of this strategy is a commit- unorthodox applications are also covered,
ment to ecologically sustainable technologies. such as irrigation using solar powered
pumps. The least orthodox of photovoltaic
Sustainability can be approached from applications is an airplane. ABB is proud to
numerous angles, ranging from choice of be part of the Solar Impulse team, whose
materials across energy efficiency to human experimental plane is at the time of writing
safety. ABB’s R&D activities are working on making a journey around the world powered
all of these aspects. The present issue of entirely by solar-generated electricity.
Claes Rytoft ABB Review, however, focusses on one
particular and highly visible contribution to Photovoltaics has come a long way from the
sustainability in energy: photovoltaics. largely experimental technology it was only
some years ago. I trust that this edition of
Photovoltaics is a rapidly growing part of the ABB Review will present you with insights and
global energy mix. It is inherently scalable, food for thought on this exciting source of
clean, and is under favorable conditions energy and how it can be harnessed, con-
already able to compete without subsidies. nected to the grid and integrated with other
Although ABB does not manufacture the forms of generation.
actual photovoltaic panels, the company
offers all other parts of the value chain I would like to use this opportunity to remind
ranging across inverters, transformers, you that besides the print version, ABB
protection and control and is proud to be the Review is available electronically, both as a
only company able to supply this complete pdf and as an app for tablet devices. Please
range. ABB’s position was further consoli- visit www.abb.com/abbreview for more
dated by the acquisition of the company, information.
Power One, in 2013.
Enjoy your reading
This issue of ABB Review features an inter-
view with Michael Liebreich, chairman and
founder of Bloomberg New Energy and
leading expert on photovoltaics, who thought
provokingly presents his vision of the future
of the technology and what it will take to
get there.
Claes Rytoft
The subsequent articles look at a selection of Chief Technology Officer and
the numerous products and technologies Group Senior Vice President
ABB offers to support the photovoltaic value ABB Group

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Editorial ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­5
From
source to
socket
ABB is at the forefront of photovoltaics

ALEX LEVRAN – Over the past 10 years, global photovoltaic capacity has grown
at a steady double-digit rate. The worldwide installed base has expanded
more than tenfold from approximately 15 GW in 2008 to above 170 GW at the
end of 2014. In 2014, total annual investment exceeded $ 83 billion. And this
trend is set to continue: ABB expects that in the next three years the world-
wide installed base of solar power systems will surpass 400 GW.

Title picture
An ABB field service engineer at the Apex Nevada
Solar facility, near Las Vegas, NV, United States.

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From source to socket ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­7
 1 The PV market continues to experience solid growth with a shift in drivers.

450 GW
Current drivers

Total global PV installed capacity

– Increasing power
demand in emerging
More than economies
Historical drivers double – Balanced energy mix
– Direct incentives
– Preservation of fossil
– Renewable energy targets
fuels for export
– Environmental concerns
– Energy indepen-
dence
180 GW
CAGR – Access to electricity
More than (compound – Grid parity
tenfold average growth – Economic viability
increase rate) from 2014
to 2018 at 25
percent
15 GW

2008 2014 2018

Sources: IEA, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, European PV Industry Association

try expectations are that in the near more than 1.2 GW of solar power in 14
­future, market expansion will also occur different countries. ABB has over 350 MW
in emerging countries in the Middle East, of solar power under full operation and

I
Africa and South America. The global maintenance (O&M) contracts at 55 dif-
n its early years, expansion of the pho- ­solar market is now well established in ferent sites. With the additional acquisi-
tovoltaic market was fueled by govern- the domain of residential, commercial tion of Powercorp, the company is deliv-
ment incentives and subsidies, partic- roof-top, and utili-
ularly in Europe where governments ty-scale ground-in-
set renewable energy targets as a per- stalled applications. Over the past five years, the
centage of the total generated energy.
The targets were designed to enable Although steep price cost of installed solar power
non-carbon-emitting sources to displace
carbon-emitting generation from the en-
erosion has been
adversely impact-
systems has declined by over
ergy supply, thus reducing overall carbon ing profitability, there 70 per­c ent.
emissions ➔ 1. are clear signs that
the industry is mi-
Market maturity grating toward profitable growth through ering leading edge technology for the
With the market now maturing, govern- global expansion. integration of renewable energy into
ment incentives will increasingly be dis- micro­grids.
placed by the technology’s inherent com- ABB’s commitment to this sector aligns
petitiveness as the prime driver of the with the vision of its group CEO, Ulrich ABB is the only company that provides a
sector’s continuing growth. Over the past Spiesshofer: “We need to run the world complete range of electrical components
five years, the cost of installed solar pow- without consuming the earth.” connecting photovoltaic panels to the
er systems has declined by over 70 per- grid. The company has a broad portfolio
cent. The leveled cost of energy (LCOE) A complete range of products, solutions and services that
for solar electric power in many parts of Thanks to the 2013 acquisition of Power- support all three market segments: resi-
the world has fallen to at least so-called One, the world’s second largest inverter dential, commercial and utility on a global
grid parity 1 levels, if not further. manufacturer, ABB now has an installed scale.
base of over 18.5 GW of solar energy
Europe was the first region to witness a supplied by over 1.5 million photovoltaic For residential and commercial markets,
large-scale emergence of photovoltaic inverters. In addition, the company has ABB has developed a global low-voltage
power, thanks to feed-in tariffs (FIT) com- installed 66 full power plants delivering product portfolio that includes combiner
bined with subsidies to support the fledg- boxes, AC and DC switches and
ling technology. breakers, contactors, fuse disconnects,
current sensing, surge protection devices
Footnote
In the past few years, markets have and rapid shutdown, as well as energy
1 Grid parity is understood as the equivalent price
grown very quickly in the United States, per unit of electricity that could be bought from meters. The company has a global offer-
China, Japan, India and Australia. Indus- the local utility. ing of single-phase and three-phase in-

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2 ABB offers the most comprehensive value proposition in the solar industry.
ABB is the only
Remote control and monitoring
Grid connection and integration
company that pro-
vides a complete
Global sales and service
Distribution
automation

range of electrical
EV charging Home & building Battery energy
components
automation storage
connecting photo-
voltaic panels to
the grid.
Solar pump Hybrid microgrids Residential Commercial Utility

Microgrid and Grid-connected

offgrid solutions solutions

verters as well as a wide range of moni- ABB is also well positioned to address
toring systems. ABB’s portfolio includes the challenges posed by solar energy as
storage platforms for the fulfillment of its penetration in energy systems contin-
household energy self-sufficiency and ues to grow. The expanding installed
inde­pendency. base of distributed generation in the
worldwide solar market creates challeng-
For global utility markets, ABB offers so- es for utilities to maintain stability of the
lar inverters; medium- and high-voltage grid. The industry is seeing continued de-
transformers; medium- and high-voltage mand to upgrade grid connectivity stan-
switchgear with medium-voltage reclos- dards. In addition, improving the stability
ers and vacuum circuit breakers; and of grid storage – both at distributed and
substations. The company also offers centralized levels – will become a very
high-voltage direct current (HVDC) trans- important element in the near future.
mission systems for the efficient trans-
mission of power over long distances, The company is providing solutions and
and flexible AC transmission systems services that will allow the solar industry
(FACTS) for reactive power support and to continue to grow and flourish as ABB
active power control. ABB offers a full expands its global reach  ➔ 2.
range of battery energy storage solutions
from 25 kW to 70 MW and active voltage
regulation devices for medium- and high-
voltage applications. In addition to the
products and components, the company
also delivers full engineering system de-
sign, electrical balance of plant and simu-
lation capabilities.

ABB’s comprehensive monitoring sys-

tems include distribution grid automa-
tion, forecasting, load and demand plan-
ning solutions. The company offers total
life-cycle support at every stage for any
solar installation that includes tailored
service contracts covering all equipment
and solutions. ABB strives to help cus- Alex Levran
tomers achieve a maximum return on Solar Industry Segment Initiative
investment through improved capacity,
­ Camarillo, CA, United States
efficiency and reliability. alex.levran@us.abb.com

From source to socket ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­9

 A place in
the sun
Challenges and Michael Liebreich, Chairman of the advisory board and founder
of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, discusses solar energy with
perspectives for the ABB Review.

future of solar

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­1 0 ABB review 2|15

 This progress is not going to stop. Solar that one-third of the world’s energy
power is now seeing costs in the 6 to comes from coal, and yet the writing is
8 cents/kWh range for good projects, absolutely on the wall for the coal sector.
before any subsidies. The cheapest we In the developed world we are seeing a
have seen is 5.84 cents/kWh on a project surge of coal plant retirements, and in the
announced this year in Dubai. Solar elec- developing world the build rate is drop-
tricity has moved from the era of ping away. By 2030 we think we will
50 cents/kWh to 30 cents, to 20  cents, be seeing net removal of coal generating
to 10 cents and now below even that. capacity, rather than additions.

Just to put those prices into perspective, Will the cost of solar power continue to
what are the comparable prices for non- fall, and if so, what are the implications?
renewable sources?
The 6 to 8 cents/kWh of today will con-
Let us consider, for example, the United tinue to fall to even lower levels as the
States. The price of electricity from natu- industry expands – we think it will hit
ral gas there is low, around 6 cents/kWh; 4 cents/kWh between 2030 and 2040,
so at 8 cents/kWh, solar is not quite but it could be sooner – until we expo-
competitive without subsidies. But apply nentially approach almost free power at
the investment tax credit and solar can the point of generation.
come down to 5 cents/kWh. Solar can
also help to manage the demand peak Of course you then have to get all that
because it is almost ideally timed to meet cheap, clean power to the user – at the
the needs of air conditioning. But of exact time it is needed. On a system lev-
el there will have to be major changes
when you look at the architecture re-
ABB Review: The concept of deriving Experience curves quired to integrate wind and solar power.
electricity from sunlight has been around This includes demand management, in-
since Becquerel, but only in the last de- have been a mas- terconnections and storage. We are see-
cade or so has it taken a significant and
growing share of the overall energy mar-
sive driving force in ing the emergence of a completely differ-
ent type of electricity system, built
ket. Is this just the beginning? What is advancing clean around flexibility. Frankly it plays to the
driving the ongoing changes? strength of ABB to build those systems.
energies.
Michael Liebreich: I started New Energy In terms of the total solar power that we
Finance 11 years ago because I was course you still need to meet your night- can commercially harness, is there an
convinced we were on the brink of a time demand, as well as demand when upper limit?
clean energy revolution. One of the main the weather is bad or during the winter.
reasons for my confidence was that was It is very early to talk about hitting a limit
that I have an almost religious belief in Although we are talking about solar, it is as we’re still at a very low penetration of
experience curves. The key clean energy also worth noting that wind energy is solar, less than 1 percent of global elec-
technologies – wind, solar, electric vehi- seeing unsubsidized prices in the United tricity. Additionally electricity is only a mi-
cle batteries – are all benefitting from States at 4 cents/kWh – so cheaper even nority of overall power consumed. There
steep experience curves, while conven- than gas-produced electricity. is also transportation and heat, whether
tional energy is limited by resource avail- in homes, commercial property or indus-
ability and environmental limits. This poses a real challenge for coal. If trial processes. Of course electricity as a
you’ve got a fully depreciated coal-fired whole is penetrating these other areas,
Another important game changer has power station, and you allow it to chuck but it still only accounts for less than
been the very low cost of controls and out whatever pollutants it wants, then one-third of total energy demand. So we
software. Even if you go back 15 or 20 you can produce at prices of 3 or 4 cents/ are far from any sort of saturation in
years, trying to manage a solar farm – or kWh. But as soon as you tighten that up, terms of what the system can absorb.
even worse, a set of distributed solar even if you just get rid of the SOx and
panels on rooftops – would have been NOx, coal can be 5 to 8 cents/kWh, and As the percentage of variable renewable
hugely expensive. You would have been that is before you take into account any power grows, my working hypothesis is
writing customized communication soft- climate costs. But then, if you include the that engineers are incredibly brilliant and
ware and renting dedicated phone lines. costs of asthma caused by coal dust and there is no fundamental upper limit. If we
Now, of course, all that is Internet based particulates, the cost of mercury, the cost keep on investing in storage, intercon-
and costs next to nothing. of damage to roads from coal trucks and nection between systems and demand
so on, coal is completely uncompetitive. management, we can continue adding
It’s a very bizarre and unstable situation capacity. For example, everybody is very

A place in the sun ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­1 1

 The driver for solar 1 Lithium-ion EV battery experience curve compared with solar PV experience curve

investment can no 100

1976

m = 24.3%

longer be idealism Crystalline Si PV m = 21.6%

Historical price ($/W, $/Wh)

module

about the environ-

10 1998
2004
2008
1988

ment and the tools 1

2010

to achieve it can
2014
H1 2014

no longer be subsi-
Li-ion EV battery
pack
0.1

dies.
1 10 100 1,000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000 10,000,000

Cumulative production (MW, MWh)

Sources: Bloomberg New Energy Finance Note, Maycock, Battery University, MIIT

excited about the concept of storage. more nuanced. The transition to a great- market, then it doesn’t hurt much and it
They’ve all discovered that the sun er usage of solar electricity has to be ac- doesn’t matter. But if solar advances to
doesn’t shine at night and therefore we ceptable to the pockets of consumers 3, 5 or even 12 percent, which is easily
need batteries. Batteries will go through and of industry ➔ 2. achievable in sunny countries, then you
the same experience curve that solar has can no longer afford that level of waste.
seen, but right now they are still cost- If you look, for example, at the German
ly ➔ 1. So is that bad news for solar? feed-in tariffs, they sent a very clear sig- As for industry, even if you are in a mar-
nal and were very effective in advancing ket with excessive subsidy levels, it’s
Well, first of all, there is a lot more elec- solar. The problem was that they re- ­always better to be a low-cost provider:
tricity demand during the day than during moved price signals from the electricity It is the only way you can really control
the night. You can match a huge amount market, and thus removed price as a your destiny and not be at the mercy of
of solar power to daytime demand, and driver of competition for developers and policy changes.
in most markets that means building out technology providers. What happens in
solar for many more years without having such situations is that people focus on If governments should not subsidize,
to worry about nighttime. Then, before lobbying and winning business through what role should they be playing?
having to add day-night storage, you can mechanisms other than price competi-
shift demand around, using demand tion. And unsurprisingly, that’s not an ef- Their primary role should be concerned
management strategies or even thermal ficient way to do it. Ultimately it costs too with energy security – making sure that
storage. For example, you could chill much and something has to change. In the system doesn’t fall over – whether
your freezers and refrigerators during the Spain the reaction to this caused retro- that’s because of technical instability or
day when the sun is shining and let them active changes that stopped the market because of geopolitics. After that gov-
coast through at night. dead in its tracks. Even Germany is shift- ernments must support where necessary
ing to reverse auctions after it became but not beyond. They shouldn’t try to
From the ABB perspective, when looking clear high power costs were affecting force the incumbent energy providers to
at cost reductions, there is so much po- Germany’s competitiveness. Everybody lead the transition to clean energy (but
tential that can be unlocked through is still very committed to Energiewende should let them do it if they want to).
looking at the whole electricity delivery (Energy Transition), but the initial feed-in They should open up the market to new
chain as a system rather than as a col- structures are being replaced by some- players and new business models. If you
lection of individual products. ABB is in thing more economically efficient. In the look at Germany, where solar has pro-
the unique position to be able to offer the United Kingdom we are introducing a gressed most rapidly, the big utilities
entire value chain. contract for difference (CFD) system re- own 80 or 90 percent of gas, coal and
quiring reverse auctions – which has al- nuclear, but only 5 to 10 percent of re-
Where do you see the major challenges and ready proven to bring the price down. newable energy. Why? Because incum-
changes to face solar power in the next bents didn’t have the incentive to go in
­decade (both technological and policy)? So government subsidy and support is and do it. You see the same in California.
good at the start-up stage, but should The utilities are responding and trying to
The driver can no longer be green ideal- be reduced later? catch up, but they are only doing it be-
ism and the tools to achieve it can no cause there is a competitive threat from
longer be subsidies. The motivation Absolutely. When solar is less than one new players. So governments need to
needs to be improved system perfor- percent of the electricity market – and I ensure new players have access to the
mance, in terms of cost, pollution and hate to say this – but if you share that market. An example is the capacity mar-
resilience, and the means have to be extra cost over the rest of the electricity ket. If you put into place a capacity mar-

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­1 2 ABB review 2|15

2 Investment in solar power
Solar is better
80
and cheaper than
60
kerosene and can
charge your phone
$ (billion)

40

20
as well as giving
0
you light.
2011 2012 2013 2014
Asset Public Venture &

finance markets equity

Sources: Bloomberg New Energy Finance Note

Source: Bloomberg New Energy Finance

ket, you need to ensure you are not One of these is electricity subsidies. In to live by themselves. There are a num-
keeping out new players or solutions, places like India you are looking at artifi- ber of reasons why most users will want
which is very hard. cially depressed electricity prices of 3, 4 to stay connected to the grid.
or 5 cents. At that level, you can’t recov-
Are the main challenges facing the solar er the costs of building capacity. Another The first is, I have solar panels on my
industry largely universal, or are there barrier is regulatory, protecting incum- own roof, but when I put the dishwasher
significant differences between countries bent energy providers and their business and kettle on at the same time, I’ve got
and continents? models. A third barrier is about the phys- to source that power from somewhere.
ical limitations on the grid. Are we going Retaining the connection to the grid en-
Solar is moving beyond its traditional to produce too much electricity when it’s ables me to meet those peaks – as well
core markets such as Germany, Japan sunny and not enough when it isn’t? as those days when there is no sun –
and the United States and into places more cheaply than investing in huge
such as Chile, South Africa, North Africa Where do you see the future of solar PV? amounts of storage.
and Thailand. Solar is now really hap- In distributed rooftop installations, or in
pening all around the world. As prices large ground-mounted PV power plants? Second, if I have correctly sized the in-
are coming down, we are seeing a lot of stallation to meet my needs during the
places – especially in developing coun- The answer is both. I don’t think we need most demanding time of year, I’m going
tries – that traditionally have high prices to prioritize one over the other. to be generating a big surplus during the
rest of the year. Why not sell it? But for
We will get to the that I still need a wire. Third, what hap-
Governments must support point that we will pens if my system fails? The grid can
have a very high provide backup.
where necessary but not penetration of roof-

beyond. top installations at

grid parity. But will
Finally, if you go off grid, your system
needs to be a completely self-managed
that cover all elec- mini-grid, and that’s not easy. I want my
for electricity and low supply reliability. tricity demand? No. The area of solar utility to help me manage it, to tell me
Solar is suddenly becoming very attrac- rooftops is too small to meet all power when I need to clean my solar panels or
tive and competitive in such markets. demand. There will always be a wholesale maintain my fuel cell, and so on. So even
This is where the energy access piece market for electricity. for a well-designed system there are
comes in. You can easily install solar in many services ranging from maintenance
locations that were previously off-grid. With rooftop generation growing never- to supply security that a utility can pro-
Solar is better and cheaper than kero- theless, we sometimes hear such terms vide. The utility can charge clients for
sene and can charge your phone as well as grid defection – meaning people will these services, but not for bulk electricity.
as giving you light. Solar is an enabler of seek to become autonomous in terms of
rural development, especially in coun- energy and remove their grid connection. So what we are going to see is load de-
tries that were traditionally forced to im- Is grid defection a threat to utilities? fection, meaning the user buys less pow-
port fossil fuels using expensive foreign er from the utility, both because of ener-
currencies ➔ 3. I’m not a big believer in grid defection. It gy efficiency and because he or she
will happen in some very niche situations self-generates power. Utilities will change
What are the main remaining barriers to such as very remote locations in the Aus- their business model from charging for
the further spread of solar energy? tralian Outback or libertarians who want electricity to charging for services. If they

A place in the sun ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­1 3

 3 PV new build per annum

69.7
70 70 67.9
Rest of world Rest of world

61.0 61.3 61.4
India India
60 60
China 55.5 China

50 United States 50 United States

45.0 45.0
Japan Japan
40.3 40.3
40 East Europe 40 East Europe
GW

GW
Western 30.7 Western 30.7

30 Europe 28.4 30 Europe 28.4

20 18.2 20 18.2

10 6.6 7.7 10 6.6 7.7

0 0
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

3a PV new build by year, historical and forecast to 2017 (conservative) 3b PV new build by year, historical and forecast to 2017 (optimistic)

Source: Bloomberg New Energy Finance

Note: A conservative and optimistic forecast has been developed for each country. It is unlikely that all countries will come in at the conservative or optimistic end, so for the global forecast,
conservative is the sum of conservative country forecasts + 25% of the sum of optimistic-conservative forecasts. Global optimistic forecast is the sum of conservative country forecasts + 75%
of the sum of optimistic-conservative forecasts.

don’t do this, then yes, you’ll see grid Where do you see the main strengths The third element lies in the company’s
defection. of ABB in serving and advancing solar reputation. One of the challenges is that
energy? the mainstream – be it the business
Looking beyond the scope of solar for a reader of the Financial Times or the en-
moment and considering other renew- It is all about ABB’s extraordinary ergy ministries of medium-sized coun-
able energies, be they wind, hydro, bio- strength in engineering. So first of all we tries – is not, on the whole, up-to-date
mass, geothermal or even some of the are talking about leading-edge compo- about the technology and its costs.
more experimental forms such as wave nents, ranging from photovoltaic inver- There is a knowledge lag. ABB has an
and tidal power, do you see these as exceptional role to play in reassuring pol-
competitors or partners of solar? icy makers and decision makers that
Utilities will change clean energy is no longer about high-risk
They are very much partners. We need to pioneering technology, but about robust,
recognize the value of electricity in terms their business mod- resilient, proven solutions.
of when it can be delivered. Solar is fairly
readily available during the day, but leaves
el from charging for Which is exactly what ABB Review is
an important supply gap in the evening, electricity to charg- about and why we are producing this
meaning you’ve got to look at what de- ­issue dedicated to solar.
mand it can best meet. Hydro is dispatch- ing for services.
able. You might even be able to use To move on to a less mainstream topic,
pumped storage, but even if you can’t, tors and low-voltage products to high- ABB is supporting Solar Impulse 2, a so-
you can collect water in a reservoir during voltage direct current (HVDC) and lar-powered plane attempting to fly around
the day and use it during the night, or dur- communication equipment. ABB has the world. Obviously aviation is not one of
ing a few weeks when there’s a wind lull. huge technological competence at the the primary fields of application of solar
product level. energy, but do you think we will ever see a
Geothermal power is very interesting commercial solar-powered flight?
where you can do it. Biogas is working Secondly, I see ABB’s competence at the
quite well. Tidal power is very predict- system level. Whether you’re talking Obviously solar planes are not going to be
able, though expensive. Wave power is about load balancing, designing a mini- a major target market for solar technology
at a much earlier stage of its develop- grid or providing other system-level ser- any time soon. Solar Impulse is really an
ment. I’m skeptical about the ability to vices, there are relatively few players out exercise in pushing the boundaries of
drive costs down to levels anywhere there who are really able to deliver that. technology and also the boundaries of hu-
close to what we see with solar and For example, startups might be very man thinking by saying to people, “Look,
wind. You have to put an enormous good at providing one component but this is possible.” And it is doing a great job.
amount of concrete and steel into the will find it very difficult to provide a higher
sea for a relatively modest power yield. level of knowledge, reassurance and Can it ever work as a commercial offer-
­d istributed services across a city, grid or ing? Solar Impulse 2 is very slow. It is tak-
multiple grids. ing something like 15 hours to fly across

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­1 4 ABB review 2|15

 Absolutely. We easily take energy for
Every generation granted, but actually it has to be won,
Michael Liebreich

has to be converted, has to be delivered.

had to win its Each generation has to secure its energy

energy supply and supply. It looks like as if are coming out

of a period in which we could almost for-
we had a period get that fact; everything was so easy.

where we almost The new technologies are making us

forgot that. look afresh at how we win our energy,

look afresh at our rooftops, our garbage,
our insulation and so on. Energy is mov-
the Gulf of Arabia, 6 days to cross the ing out of our deserts and ports, and into
Pacific. But who knows? Maybe commer- our homes and our communities. I met
cial freight flights, possibly configured as a chap in India who was selling solar
a drone or a blimp could take the entire ­e nergy to local stalls in a village market.
fuel costs out of the shipping equation. Stallholders could for a few Rupees get
an LED lightbulb and a wire back to this
Probably a better way to use solar to chap’s battery, which he was recharging
power flights would be to use it to create every day with his solar panels. The stall-
synthetic fuel, either through direct ca- holders were happy and the guy had cre-
talysis or from solar-powered electricity. ated a good business. It was a fantastic
Michael Liebreich is chairman of the advisory
But who knows? Had you looked at service provision and a fantastic innova- board and founder of Bloomberg New Energy
­telecom companies in 1975, you would tion. But actually all he had done was Finance, the world’s leading provider of
n ever have forecast Facebook, Skype
­ reinvent the electric utility. information on clean energy to investors,
energy companies and governments. He
and so on. So I’ll rule nothing out.
leads a team of about 200 around the world,
It is also accelerating because the new just under half of them in London, comprising
Another form of transportation in which technologies are building on each other. journalists, researchers, analysts and sales
solar has a more direct part to play is This Indian entrepreneur could only cre- and marketing departments. Michael founded
the company as New Energy Finance in
electric vehicles. ate his business because of the interac-
2004, selling it to Bloomberg in 2009.
tion of LED and solar. If he had tried to
I’m very bullish about electric vehicles. do it with a filament lightbulb, the solar Michael is a frequent commentator in the
As I said earlier, I am a strong believer in panel would have been so huge that he press, on TV and on radio on issues of
energy, development and economics. He
the experience curve. Electric-vehicle wouldn’t have fit on his roof. The revolu-
serves on the UN Secretary General’s
batteries are seeing the same sort of tion of solar technology is going to drive High-Level Group on Sustainable Energy for
cost curve as photovoltaics. But having the emergence of super-efficient appli- All and formerly on the World Economic
said that, I don’t think we’re going to be ances and vice versa. The Clean Energy Forum’s Global Agenda Council for the New
Energy Architecture. He is a Visiting Professor
seeing equally rapid penetration in all Ministerial launched the Global Lighting
at Imperial College London, Board Member of
segments and countries where we now and Energy Access Partnership prize Transport for London and Chairman of a
see combustion vehicles. The batteries (Global LEAP) for highly efficient appli- Medical Charity funding research on
are a major cost factor and this favors ances, and one of the first winners was a colorectal illness.

adoption in the sectors seeing the high- television set that runs on just 6 W. That’s
Michael earned his MA in engineering from
est annual mileage, but range is an is- less than a lightbulb. Cambridge University, winning the Riccardo
sue. So someone with a long daily com- Prize for Thermodynamics, and an MBA from
mute is going to be a more attractive Marshall McLuhan, the philosopher who Harvard Graduate School of Business, where
he was a Harkness Fellow and Baker Scholar.
target than someone using their car coined the phrase “the medium is the
e ither occasionally or for long random
­ message,” also said “the ‘message’ of Michael Liebreich
journeys to places where you don’t know any medium or technology is the change – Founder and Chairman of the Advisory
if you can get your battery charged. of scale or pace or pattern that it intro- Board, Bloomberg New Energy Finance
– Advisory Board Member, UN Sustainable
duces into human affairs.” Well, it looks
Energy for All
Let us conclude this interview with some- like solar power and these other new – Founder, Finance for Resilience
thing more philosophical: One interesting technologies carry an incredibly impor- – Board Member, Transport for London
consequence of solar power is that nor- tant message for us all. – Visiting Professor, Imperial College Energy
Futures Lab
mal people are choosing to add PV panels
– Chairman, St Mark’s Hospital Foundation
to their own houses and offices. Electricity Thank you for this interview and sharing
generation is no longer something that your enthusiasm with us.
happens in remote locations, of which we
as consumers have only a vague aware-
ness, but has become something tangi-
This interview was conducted for ABB Review by Erika
ble. Do you think this is changing the way Velazquez, Alex Levran and Andreas Moglestue. For
we think about and value energy? inquiries please contact erika.velazquez@ch.abb.com

A place in the sun ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­1 5

 A soaring vision
Propelled only by the sun’s energy, the airplane Solar Impulse 2
sets out to demonstrate the promise of alternatives to fossil fuel

ERIKA VELAZQUEZ – The attempted around-the-world journey energy, ABB was a natural choice to form an innovation
of a solar-powered plane is pushing the boundaries of energy and technology alliance with the Solar Impulse project.
management and conversion. To demonstrate the enormous ABB brings its technical expertise to this attempted flight
potential of renewable energy and pioneering spirit, Swiss around the world, which uses only energy supplied by a
aviators Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg have built plane’s solar panels and onboard battery systems. ABB
the first-ever aircraft capable of using only solar energy to fly engineers have overseen a multitude of technical challenges
both day and night, thus able to cross continents and oceans. that include improving control systems for ground operations,
As a global leader for supplying technologies to enable component testing, enhancing the battery systems and
energy efficiency, sustainable transportation and renewable troubleshooting throughout the journey.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­1 6 ABB review 2|15

 © Solar Impulse | Anna Pizzolante | Rezo.ch
See more from ABB Review

Additional pictures and videos

from this article are available in
the ABB Review app.

A
BB and Solar Impulse formed The pilots unveiled Solar Impulse 2 in During the day the solar cells recharge
their alliance to advance a April 2014. On its debut flight in Switzer- four lithium batteries, thus assuring a
shared vision of decoupling steady stream of
economic growth from envi- power for nonstop
ronmental impact by increasing the use The cooperation and flight day and night.
of renewable energy.
exchange of exper­t ise and The latest journey
Borschberg and Piccard have been flying
increasingly ambitious solar-powered
experience between ABB’s Solar Impulse 2
began its attempted
missions to draw attention to the possi- engi­n eers and the Solar 35,000 km journey
bilities for clean energy. In 2013, they around the world
made a record-setting journey across Impulse team has enabled in March 2015 in
the United States, from California to New
York, using their first ultralight aircraft
a unique opportunity to Abu Dhabi. By the
time the mission is
Solar Impulse 1. The plane, which had a show­c ase renewable energy. set to conclude in
cruising speed of about 53 km/h, also Abu Dhabi in July
completed a 26-hour overnight flight in 2015, the plane will
2010, and flew from Switzerland to land in June 2014, the plane reached a have made 12 stops – in Oman, India,
­M orocco in 2012. maximum altitude of 1,680 m and flew at Myanmar, China, the United States, and
an average ground speed of 55.6 km/h. either North Africa or Europe ➔ 3.

The new carbon-fiber plane is covered in Flying at speeds between 50 and

Title picture
Solar Impulse 2 flying over Switzerland during 17,248 solar cells that provide clean energy 100 km/h, the journey is anticipated to
a test flight to the aircraft’s four electric motors ➔ 1 – 2. take 500 hours flight time, over the

A soaring vision ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­1 7

 1 Solar Impulse 2 at a glance

The plane’s external dimensions feature a length to give the wing its aerodynamic cross section (17.4 hp), mounted below the wings and fitted
of 21.85 m, a height of 6.4 m and a wingspan of and also maintain its rigidity. The aircraft features with a reduction gear limiting the rotation speed
72 m. The wingspan, wider than a Boeing 747 17,248 monocrystalline silicon solar cells, each of a 4 m diameter, two-bladed propeller to
jumbo jet, minimizes induced drag and provides 135 µm thick and mounted on the wings, 525 rpm. The entire system is 94 percent
a maximum surface area for solar cells. fuselage and horizontal tailplane, providing the efficient, setting a record for energy efficiency.
best compromise between lightness, flexibility
The frame of Solar Impulse 2 is constructed with and efficiency. The plane climbs to 8,500 m during the day to
lightweight, thin materials, such as carbon fiber gather as much sun energy as possible, and
and honeycomb sandwich panels that reduce the Energy gained from the solar cells is stored in descends to 1,500 m at night in order to con­-
weight of a carbon layer from 80 g/m² to 25 g/m², lithium polymer batteries optimized to have a serve energy, coasting more like a glider, and
only one-third as much as a sheet of printer density of 260 Wh/kg. therefore using much less stored energy from
paper. the batteries than it would if it would keep a
The batteries are insulated by high-density foam constant altitude.
The plane’s upper wing surface is covered with and mounted in the four engine nacelles, with a
high-efficiency solar cells and the lower surface system to control charging thresholds and tem- The aircraft flies at an average speed of 70 km/h,
is constructed with a high-strength, flexible skin, perature. Their total mass amounts to 633 kg or with a takeoff speed of 44 km/h and has a
an innovation borrowed from techniques just over one-quarter of the aircraft’s all-up weight. maximum cruising altitude of 8,500 m. Minimum
developed by sail makers for racing boats speed is 36 km/h at sea level and 57 km/h at
competing for the America’s Cup. The 140 The aircraft is equipped with four brushless, maximum altitude. Maximum speed is 90 km/h at
carbon-fiber ribs are spaced at 50 cm intervals sensorless motors, each generating 13 kW sea level and 140 km/h at maximum altitude.

course of five months, crossing four con- battery is used as an emergency power The plane’s eight MPPT devices are criti-
tinents and two oceans. supply for the plane’s avionics and pow- cal, since failure of just one during cer-
ers the essential electronic devices (navi- tain legs of the flight – for example, the
Engineering gation, communication, etc.) in case of five-day, nonstop flight between China
ABB’s engineers were able to bring spe- electric power loss in the plane. This im- and Hawaii – would make it impossible
cific know-how to the project in areas portant battery is also charged exclu- to charge batteries enough during day-
such as testing procedures and proto- sively with sun power as well, before and light while running the motors sufficiently
cols as well as specific knowledge of during the flight, and kept at a 100 per- to reach maximum altitude.
power electronics and cooling. Compo-
nent testing was done for functionality, Functional component testing to ensure
temperature and pressure performance. Increased reliability that all devices are fully operational be-
fore installation was a crucial aspect of
One responsibility of the ABB engineers was achieved by the ABB engineers’ involvement. For ex-
on the project was to improve the control
system for Solar Impulse’s balloon-like
incor­p orating ABB ample, the plane’s warning panel, which
monitors all devices for faults and trig-
mobile hangar, which is used to house relays and circuit gers the annunciator panel and enables
the plane during unscheduled landings the alarms to warn the pilot when there is
or if a local airport cannot host the plane. breakers into the an issue with an onboard device, is made
The mobile hangar is an inflatable struc-
ture made specifically for the plane, con-
existing system. up of over 1,000 components.

sisting of several modules that are then Initial testing showed that the board was
connected together and dragged over too sensitive to the relays’ mechanical
the plane ➔ 4. Each module has a double cent charge over the long flight seg- bounces. Follow-up debugging of the cir-
layer of fabric with ABB fans in between ments. If the plane is ever left without cuit required four days of work on the an-
that inflate the hangar. solar power for the motors, the cockpit nunciator panel (from the entire electrical
battery enables communication and nav- and propulsion team). Only after a stable
Increased reliability was achieved by incor- igation, and all the electronics that help solution was designed, manufactured,
porating ABB relays and circuit breakers fly the plane, as the plane can glide for a and retested was the device mounted on
into the existing system. The system was long time after the engines are disabled. the plane. A working alarm system is
made redundant with a switchover unit absolutely critical because it needs to
­
that is connected to an alternative power ABB engineers were also involved in test- alert the pilot, who then might have only
supply. An upgrade was made in current ing the plane’s electrical system, includ- 10 seconds to react to save either his life
measuring relays that activate an alarm in ing certain aspects of the plane’s battery or the mission. Testing was also conduct-
the event of a failure of any of the fans. management system and maximum pow- ed on the pilot monitoring devices that
er point tracking (MPPT) devices that measure pulse and oxygen level.
The ABB engineers also developed the reap as much power as possible regard-
cockpit battery charger that is used to less of atmospheric conditions from the The last project undertaken was design-
charge an additional small lithium battery collection of solar cells forming a solar ing a media system that enhanced the
located behind the pilot. The cockpit skin over the plane’s wings. direct recording from the onboard cam-

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­1 8 ABB review 2|15

2 Solar Impulse 2 is equipped with four brushless, sensorless motors mounted below the wings.

© Solar Impulse | Ackermann| Rezo.ch

3 Flight plan of Solar Impulse 2’s intended around-the-world 4 Solar Impulse 2’s mobile hangar can be used to house the plane
journey during unscheduled landings.

© Solar Impulse | Stefatou| Rezo.ch

Southern Europe
or Northern Africa
Pacific Pacific
crossing crossing

Atlantic
crossing Nanjing,
Phoenix, New York, China
USA USA Chongqing,
China
Mid-USA
Hawaii,
USA Abu Dhabi,
Varanasi,
UAE
India
Muscat, Ahmedabad, Mandalay,
Oman India Myanmar

era to high-quality 1080p. This project cated deep under the sea, Solar Impulse
required the integration and interfacing is literally a flying ambassador for tech-
of a number of components as well as nological innovation and its potential to
cooling the media system adequately. improve the world.”

A true partnership
The cooperation and exchange of exper-
tise and experience between ABB’s engi-
neers and the Solar Impulse team has
enabled a unique opportunity to show-
case renewable energy.

“The flight will test technology and hu-

man ingenuity to the limit, and that’s an-
other important reason why ABB is part
of this adventure – because we are con-
stantly pushing the boundaries of tech-
nology and ingenuity to serve our cus-
tomers while minimizing environmental
impact,” says Ulrich Spiesshofer, ABB’s Erika Velazquez
CEO. “While our groundbreaking innova- Solar Industry Segment Initiative
tions and technologies tend to be hidden Zurich, Switzerland
behind walls, buried underground, or lo- erika.velazquez@ch.abb.com

A soaring vision ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­1 9

 Balancing act
Microgrid optimization CELINE MAHIEUX, ALEXANDRE OUDALOV – Traditionally, remote, off-grid
microgrids have relied on diesel generators to produce electricity.
control stabilizes Diesel oil is usually delivered by conventional land or sea transport,

production in solar and which results in transportation costs and a higher cost of electricity for
end consumers. But with the environmental benefits and increasing
hybrid microgrids cost-competitiveness of renewable energy, it is now more and more
common to find solar photovoltaic and wind power integrated with
diesel generators to form a hybrid microgrid. Energy storage devices
such as flywheels and lithium-ion battery systems may also be included.
Accommodating fluctuations in photovoltaic production and coordinat-
ing the operation of the diesel generators, feeder loads, energy storage
and grid stabilization devices in response to these fluctuations is a tricky
task that requires an advanced control system.

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 1 What is a microgrid?

A microgrid is a smaller version of a larger Microgrids are suitable for a wide variety of
(macro) power grid. It is a collection of power different applications. They are the obvious
generation sources, loads and energy storage solution for islands like the Azores or Canaries
devices that operate as a single unit and are and for communities in remote locations like the
kept in balance by a control system. Some Australian outback, as well as for research
types of microgrids are connected to the stations in far-off places like the Antarctic.
surrounding power (macro) grid; in addition to Military bases, university campuses, mines,
generating their own power, microgrids can onshore oil and gas fields, theme parks and
also receive power from, or transfer power to, tourist resorts are other typical applications, as
the main grid. Other types of microgrids are are rural electrification programs in countries
self-sufficient – they are “off grid” or “islanded” lacking power.
and have to generate their own power.

erators, feeder loads, energy storage highest level of power quality, grid stabil-
and grid stabilization devices in response ity and reliability of power supply.
to these fluctuations. This requires an
advanced control system that can con- ABB’s MGC600 controllers are the build-
nect and disconnect generators and ing blocks of the Microgrid Plus System.
loads, provide set points to generators They enable communication between all
and charge or discharge the flywheel or the electrical devices in the microgrid
battery system. By doing this, the control and use the data communicated by the
system will maintain maximum PV pene- devices to make local decisions that
tration, reduce operating costs and keep work cohesively for the benefit of the

I
the microgrid stable. whole microgrid. The range of MGC600
t is becoming increasingly common controllers is comprehensive in scope
for traditional off-grid microgrid gen- ABB microgrid solution and uses a common hardware platform
erators – usually powered by diesel ABB’s Microgrid Plus System™ is a dis- that runs different types of firmware ac-
oil – to be supplemented by one or tributed control platform that automates cording to the electrical device con-
more solar power plants and a number and manages microgrids that consist of cerned ➔ 5.
of wind turbines ➔ 1– 2. The microgrid fossil-fueled gen-
might also include energy storage de- erators and renew-
vices like flywheels and lithium-ion bat- able energy genera- It is becoming increasingly
tery systems. Flywheels can provide in- tion from one or
stantaneous power to the microgrid to more sources. It common for traditional off-
counteract variations in output caused
by passing clouds or sudden changes in
also integrates other
micro- grid compo-
grid microgrid generators to
wind speed. Battery systems store en- nents such as en- be supplemented by solar
ergy in larger amounts and over longer ergy storage and
periods to handle energy time shifts. grid stabilization power plants, wind turbines
They can store solar energy produced
during the day when demand is low and
systems, and distri-
bution feeders. Fur-
and energy storage devices
release it in the evening when demand ther, it connects like flywheels and lithium-ion
is high. and communicates
with the adjoining battery systems.
The challenge of integrating solar photo- power grid, if there
voltaics (PV) with diesel generators has is one ➔ 3 – 4.
two aspects: handling fluctuations in the
photovoltaic production level, and coor- The Microgrid Plus System is designed These firmware packages contain the
dinating the operation of the diesel gen- to work with ABB’s other microgrid prod- core control logic of the MGC600. They
uct – the PowerStore™ flywheel-based work in harmony with one another within
or battery-based grid stabilization and the Microgrid Plus System. For instance,
Title picture
energy storage system. Together, these the PV control and monitoring system
Microgrids may comprise a mixture of diesel
generators, solar power, wind turbines, battery or two technologies calculate the most (MGC600-P) schedules and controls the
flywheel storage units and the electrical devices to economical microgrid configuration that PV plant in conjunction with the control-
connect them all together. How can such a achieves a proper balance of supply and lers that control the diesel generators
disparate collection of equipment be effectively
demand – one that maximizes renewable (MGC600-G) and energy storage system
controlled and coordinated? Shown are the PV
panels, and diesel and flywheel containers at penetration (up to 100 percent), reduces (MGC600-E).
Marble Bar, Western Australia. the operating cost and maintains the

Balancing act ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­2 1

 2 A typical microgrid

Solar PV power

Loads

Wind power
Diesel generation

Comprehensive functionality decreased. This enables the fossil fuel nature, the diesel generator must run in
The MGC600 has a number of unique generators to run at their optimal load, parallel to the PV plant to provide system
features and benefits that improve the while ensuring that the maximum amount frequency and voltage references. In this
availability of the microgrid and reduce of renewable energy is utilized. particular case the increased generation
its consumption of fossil fuel by maximiz- of solar PV could drive diesel generator
ing the penetration of renewable energy Control strategy examples output to a very low level. Diesel genera-
generation: The Microgrid Plus System has a long and tor suppliers usually advise that the gen-
– Automatic starting and stopping of successful record of operating in various erator should not operate below 20 to
the PV generator types of microgrids. The following two 30 percent of its nominal capacity for
– Active power limitation based on the theoretical case studies illustrate how differ- more than a few hours, as doing so
generator’s optimal load ent levels of solar PV penetration require may damage the engine. Load sharing
– Active power limitation based on different control strategies. These, in turn, coordination between the solar PV sys-
system step load necessitate a control system that has the tem and diesel generator is, therefore,
– PV generator control for islanded flexibility and functionality to accommo- necessary.
mode or grid connection date different con-
– Active power limitation sharing trol strategies and
between multiple PV generators to integrate varying An advanced control system
levels of renewable
The MGC600-P monitors and controls energy. that can connect and discon-
the PV generator either with a PV plant
controller or with an inverter. It provides In the first case
nect generators and loads,
manufacturer-independent control and study, the micro­ provide set points to genera-
monitoring to allow different makes of in- grid owner wants
verters and plant controllers to be inte- to reduce expo- tors and charge or discharge
grated into the microgrid system. For
low- and medium-penetration systems
sure to diesel price
volatility and the
the flywheel or battery system
(ie, those without storage and stabiliza- high cost of run- is needed.
tion devices), the MGC600-P monitors ning the microgrid
the power output of the fossil fuel gen- on fossil fuel. A PV
erators via an MGC600-G controller. power plant has been integrated into the In a Microgrid Plus solution, both the PV
Based on the load levels of the fossil fuel microgrid; it has the capacity to cover system and the diesel generator are
generators, the MGC600-P determines ­a lmost 100 percent of instantaneous grid equipped with MGC600 controllers: the
whether the power limitation set point demand at maximum production. How- MGC600-P for the PV system and the
of the PV plant should be increased or ever, because solar PV is intermittent in MGC600-G for the generator. These two

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­2 2 ABB review 2|15

3 The Microgrid Plus System with MGC controllers operations and PowerStore example

Residential
Wind turbines
PV plant M+ operations – local
MGC600-W
MGC600-P and remote

Distribution feeder
MGC600-F

Communication network Industrial and

commercial

Diesel generator
MGC600-G
Grid stabilizing Distribution feeder
system MGC600-F
MGC600-E

Grid connection
MGC600-N

sets of controllers exchange information when the PV plant has stopped produc-
with each other in real time. Based on tion. This can be done with a lithium-ion ABB’s Microgrid
the load levels of the fossil fuel genera- battery system. The cost of these has
tors, the MGC600-P automatically ad- fallen significantly in recent years and Plus System is a
justs the set point and enables the gen-
erators to run at their optimal load, while
many different studies and manufactur-
ers’ data forecast further cost reductions
distributed control
ensuring the maximum amount of renew- in the near future. platform that auto-
able energy is utilized by the microgrid.
The addition of an energy storage system mates and man-
If the microgrid connects to a larger pow-
er grid, the grid operator may not accept
to the microgrid means that the microgrid
control system now has an additional
ages microgrids
reverse power flow, ie, not allow power component to manage. This is not a diffi- that consist of fos-
from the microgrid to be transferred into culty for the distributed control concept of
the transmission or distribution network. the Microgrid Plus System: It is easy to sil-fueled genera-
In this case the microgrid will most prob-
ably run with the diesel generator
install a dedicated MGC600-E controller
for the energy storage system that ex-
tors and renewable
switched off. The MGC600-P controller
that controls the solar PV plant will coor-
changes information with the other con-
trollers in the Microgrid Plus System. The
energy generation
dinate a power infeed from the main pow- MGC600-E controller continuously in- from one or more
er grid with an MGC600-N controller at
the point of common coupling.
forms the other controllers about its sta-
tus and the battery state of charge and sources.
state of health, while receiving critical op-
In the second case study, the production erational information from the diesel gen-
capacity of solar PV in the microgrid is erator, solar PV and network controllers.
substantial and exceeds demand during
the peak production hours. However, so- Stable operation with PowerStore
lar PV peak production and local load ABB’s PowerStore is a compact and ver-
peaks do not always occur at the same satile flywheel-based stabilizing genera-
time. The evening peak, when demand is tor that reduces instabilities in microgrids
usually the highest, does not coincide or weak grids due to fluctuations in solar
with PV production, which occurs during PV power output caused by passing
daylight. The solution to this quandary is clouds. It is able to operate in a grid sup-
to store some of the PV energy produced port mode for large networks or in virtual
during the day for use during the evening generator mode for isolated microgrids.

Balancing act ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­2 3

 The Microgrid Plus 4 ABB’s microgrid expertise

System also inte- ABB offers turnkey solutions for, and has
references for, all types of microgrid require-
connection of an existing renewable energy
plant to a weak power grid; and power grid

grates energy stor- ments: Greenfield hybrid power plants

consisting of renewable and diesel power
stabilization.

age and grid stabi- generation; the integration of renewable energy

generation with an existing fuel-based
ABB has 25 years of experience developing
microgrid technologies and has delivered more

lization systems,
microgrid; optimizing the performance of an than 80 microgrid solutions worldwide – more
unstable microgrid that combines renewable than any other supplier.

and distribution
energy and fossil fuel generation; stabilizing the

feeders. Further, 5 The MGC600 controller range uses a common hardware platform that runs different types
it can connect of firmware according to the electrical device concerned.

and communicate Firmware/controller Description

with the adjoining Diesel generator (MGC600-G) Controls, monitors and interfaces with diesel generators

power grid. Distribution feeder (MGC600-F) Controls, monitors and interfaces with feeders and their protection relays

Photovoltaic solar (MGC600-P) Controls, monitors and interfaces with solar array inverters

Single/multiple load (MGC600-L) Controls, monitors and interfaces with large loads like crushers, boilers, etc.

Energy storage system (MGC600-E) Controls, monitors and interfaces with battery-based ABB PowerStore

Network connection of microgrid Controls, monitors and interfaces with other microgrids or larger grids
(MGC600-N)

Wind turbine (MGC600-W) Controls, monitors and interfaces with wind turbines

➔6 shows how stable power output is Advanced control functions

ensured by a quick power injection and Several advanced control functions are
the efficient absorption capability of included in ABB’s microgrid optimization
PowerStore. The power fluctuations are products.
caused by variations in solar PV genera-
tor output due to passing clouds. Two Cloud tracking
diesel generators (“Gen 2” and “Gen 4”) In order to guarantee the stable and eco-
are involved in power balancing but the nomic operation of a microgrid with a
speed of the solar PV output variation high penetration of solar PV, ABB has
causes stress to their prime movers, developed algorithms that track the
which results in faster wearing and more movement of clouds in the vicinity of the
maintenance. PowerStore intervenes microgrid. The algorithms predict the
precisely during these short variations time of arrival and duration of cloud cover
and helps the diesel generators ramp up over the PV plant, and calculate the ex-
and down in a sparing mode. pected fall and subsequent rise in output
(ramp rates). Very large ramp rates of so-
In addition, ➔ 6 illustrates how MGC600 lar PV can cause instability if they exceed
controllers coordinate their actions. For the ramp rate capability of the diesel
instance, Gen 2 is switched on and off by generator. Accurate short-term predic-
the MGC600-G controller in accordance tion of solar PV ramp rates will allow a
with PowerStore’s state of charge and proactive control action and reduce the
power output, which is reported by the effects of disturbance. If there is not
MGC600-P. In other words, when repeti- enough energy stored in the battery sys-
tive solar PV fluctuations are detected tem to cover the shortfall in PV produc-
and PowerStore’s state of charge is get- tion, a single generator or several gen-
ting low after assisting Gen 4 (green erators can be scheduled in advance for
curve), Gen 2 is switched on. Then both start-up. If production shortfalls are long,
generators share the power balancing then an optimal amount of energy could
control while PowerStore is recharging. even be purchased from the market (for
grid-tied microgrids) during low-cost tar-
iff hours, stored in the battery system

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­2 4 ABB review 2|15

6 Power generation profiles in an isolated microgrid
PowerStore is a
compact and
300
versatile stabilizing
200
generator that
reduces instabili-
100
ties in microgrids
0
or weak grids due
to fluctuations in
solar PV power
26-Oct-11 10:16 26-Oct-11 13:03 26-Oct-11 15:50 26-Oct-11 18:36

Gen 2 power

Gen 4 power

PowerStore
power

PV power

Power
output output caused by
passing clouds.
7 ABB’s low-cost and low-complexity control concept to save fuel in
PV/diesel microgrids

MGC600-G
Generator 1
RS485 MV bus

Generator 2

Generator 3

Generator 4
Ethernet

Generator 5

TRIO 27.6 kW TRIO 27.6 kW

Solar PV string Solar PV string
MGC600-P
RS485

response speed, efficiency, cost and so

MGC600 control- on) can potentially help integrate larger-
scale solar PV at a lower total cost than
lers are the build- if the technologies were deployed sepa-

ing blocks of the rately. ABB is analyzing the advantages

and disadvantages of such a system and
Microgrid Plus is developing control solutions for it.

System. Diesel fuel-saving solution

ABB is developing a low-cost and low-
complexity control solution to save fuel Alexandre Oudalov
in PV/diesel microgrids with a capacity ABB Corporate Research
and then released during the day to meet ranging from a few hundred kilowatts Baden-Dättwil, Switzerland
contracted quotas. up to a couple of megawatts. One alexandre.oudalov@ch.abb.com
MGC600-G controller will coordinate
Hybrid energy storage several small-scale diesel generators Celine Mahieux
A hybrid energy storage system made up and a single MGC600-P controller will ABB Power Generation
of various energy storage technologies manage several small-scale solar PV Zurich, Switzerland
with different characteristics (cycle life, ­i nverters ➔ 7. celine.mahieux@ch.abb.com

Balancing act ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­2 5

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­2 6 ABB review 2|15
A bright
future
Energy storage transforms the
solar paradigm

PAOLO CASINI, DARIO CICIO – The amount of solar radiation that reaches the
Earth’s surface is more than enough to supply the world’s total energy needs.
However, matching the intermittent availability of this energy source with demand
can present a challenge, especially in the early morning and evening hours when
solar energy sources do not produce enough power to meet demand. This
challenge can be overcome by energy storage: Coupling solar energy sources
with energy storage can eliminate the unpredictable nature of solar power,
transforming it into a highly controllable and easily dispatchable source of power.
From distributed storage systems to large centralized solutions, ABB has the
domain know-how and energy storage solutions needed to enable precise control
and connection of solar power installations.

Title picture
The energy the Earth receives from the sun is more
than enough to meet the world’s power needs. But
how can this energy be stored so power needs can
be met when the sun is not shining?

A bright future ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­2 7

 Placing energy 1 Frequency regulation mode

storage adjacent
Absorb power

Supply power

to the solar PV 50.02

systems enables

f (Hz)
50.00

precise control
49.98

over when and

how much power

Energy stored in ESS

will dispatched on
to the network. Charge Discharge

Time (s)

proves power quality for the end users.

Further, an ESS allows for more efficient
use of the power generated from the dis-
tributed solar plants.

S
PV energy storage helps save even more
trategically placed, local solar by making the solar PV plant a reliable
power generators not only re- source of power when the customer’s
duce greenhouse gas emis- ­usage is at its highest. At these times,
sions, but they also enhance energy that was stored by the ESS during
grid reliability and security: Placing low demand periods can be used, thus
smaller, distributed generation sources avoiding hefty peak demand charges.
close to the load makes the grid more
resilient against outages and power ABB’s community storage solutions are
quality disruptions, which benefits both designed for all these cases and can be
local utilities and end users. There are used in applications ranging from 25 kW
economic benefits to be had too if the to multi-megawatts. For example, ABB’s
consumer can generate and consume integrated energy storage module (ESM)
his own power
and thus avoid
utility charges. Coupling energy storage with
However, in or- utility-scale solar PV allows
der to fully real-
ize the potential
the unpredictable and variable
and value of solar plant to become an eas-
­solar power, its
intermittent na- ily controllable resource that
ture must some-
how be over-
can be dispatched to provide
come. One major second-by-second frequency
tool for doing
this is the ener- regulation in real time.
gy storage sys-
tem (ESS). Placing energy storage adja- comprises a transformer, low- and medi-
cent to the solar photovoltaic (PV) systems um-voltage switchgear, and automation
enables precise control over when and equipment such as inverters. This unique
how much power will be dispatched on design provides a quick, simple installa-
to the network. Energy storage can also tion with a high level of safety for the
enable smooth power output, which im- equipment and operators. The choice of

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­2 8 ABB review 2|15

2 Capacity firming mode 3 Load-shifting mode

Renewable generated power (absorbed) Absorb power Supply power

Supply power

Power

Load
Energy stored in ESS

Energy stored in ESS

Charge Discharge Charge Discharge

Time (s > min) Time (h)

which lithium-ion battery technology to enough to do with traditional, predictable

use in a particular ESM is based on the and easily dispatchable generators, but By quickly absorb-
application’s specific requirements. the task becomes extremely complex
i ndeed when solar sources, with their
­ ing or injecting
Utility-scale solar energy
The increasing demand for power sourc-
­inherent variability, are added to the mix.
power in response
es that emit less carbon and are more Further, as more utility-scale solar plants to grid control sig-
sustainable is driving utility-scale solar are brought online and more coal-based
power generation growth at an unprece- plants shut down, the easily controllable nals, the ESS can
dented rate. However, the electrical grid
was designed to deliver a planned and
resources that provide such grid services
become fewer. However, coupling ener-
ensure that the
stable supply of power from centrally gy storage with utility-scale PV allows correct frequency
­located power sources, via the transmis- the unpredictable and variable solar
sion and distribution lines, to end users. plant to also become a more easily con- and voltage levels
Engineers carefully plan and constantly
recalibrate the grid to ensure that power
trollable resource that can be dispatched
to provide second-by-second frequency
are maintained.
is available where it is needed at the pre- regulation in real time. When used in
cise moment it is needed. Adding energy combination with solar, the ESS is
sources that are variable, intermittent charged or discharged in response to an
and distributed throughout the transmis- increase or decrease of grid frequen-
sion and distribution network requires cy ➔ 1. This approach to frequency regu-
significant additional control and preci- lation is a particularly attractive option
sion to make sure demand and supply due to its rapid response time and emis-
are aligned. sion-free operation.

ESS for frequency regulation ESS for capacity firming and ramping
System operators often use large-scale support
generation facilities to not only provide In order to maintain the integrity of the
bulk power to the end users, but also to electrical grid and ensure power quality,
provide the ancillary services needed to voltage and frequency must constantly
maintain the integrity of the electrical be kept at specified levels. However, with
grid. One of the more pertinent of these utility-scale PV plants, the ability to main-
services is real-time frequency regula- tain these levels can be quickly compro-
tion. Around the world, the electrical grid mised by the passing of clouds, an abrupt
needs to operate at either 50 or 60 Hz in change in the weather or a crack in a so-
order to ensure the facilities and critical lar PV panel. These variations can cause
equipment used in manufacturing are rapid fluctuation of the PV power output
properly powered. This requires instant – resulting in deviations in frequency and
and continuous balancing of electricity voltage. Even a second of cloud cover-
supply with demand. This is difficult age can cause the voltage to drop, de-

A bright future ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­2 9

 4 ABB’s EssPro PCS container and cabinet enclosure configurations

stabilizing the local network. The sudden where energy storage can help the sys-
drop in voltage and power can also cause tem operator maintain grid integrity through
load-shifting capa-
bilities. By cou-
By coupling solar power with pling solar power
with energy stor-
energy storage, the ESS can age, the ESS can

charge when generation is charge when gen-

eration is higher
higher than demand and dis- than demand and
discharge when
charge when demand begins demand begins to

to spike, yet the sun is setting. spike, yet the sun

is setting ➔ 3.

deviations in frequency levels, disrupting ESS for utility-scale solar perfor-

the overall operating characteristics of mance improvement
the grid. By quickly absorbing or injecting Strategically placed ESSs can increase
power in response to grid control signals, operational performance and grid reliabil-
the ESS can ensure that the correct fre- ity, and better integrate utility-scale solar
quency and voltage levels are main- generation. From power conversion sys-
tained ➔ 2. Not only can energy storage tems (PCSs) to fully integrated and turn-
provide this capacity firming for the PV key battery ESSs, ABB’s EssPro™ energy
system, but it can also make sure that storage solutions help to ensure the high
the PV power output increases and de- performance of solar plants and to main-
creases at a rate specified by the grid tain grid reliability and efficiency ➔ 4.
operators to ensure that the PV plant
­
abides by local grid codes. ABB’s EssPro PCS links the ESS’s bat-
tery to the electrical grid and converts
ESS helps network reliability through the stored energy from DC to AC that is
load shifting compatible with the utility network. In
In areas with a high penetration of solar addition to the conversion technology,
generation, the local utility network is the system also provides the controls
susceptible to resource adequacy issues needed to help maximize the PV plant’s
when demand and PV generation are out operational performance.
of balance – specifically, in the early
morning and evening hours when de- ABB’s EssPro Grid integrated, turnkey
mand begins to increase but solar sourc- ESSs are available for power require-
es are not producing enough power to ments ranging from hundreds of kilo-
accommodate this demand. This is watts to tens of megawatts and are

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­3 0 ABB review 2|15

5 Example of a 1 MW, 15-minute layout of ABB’s EssPro Grid 6 Residential PV demand and supply match
poorly.

Solar power generation profile

Battery container
Household’s energy consumption

Power converter

Transformer

Medium-voltage
equipment Control room

Sunrise Sunset

ready for connection to medium- or high- bating associated grid instability issues;
voltage grids ➔ 5. Based on ABB’s broad the approaching parity of self-generation
experience in electrical utility grids and costs and retail energy costs; and the
in-depth knowledge of battery technolo- diminution of incentives.
gies, the EssPro Grid combines ad-
vanced controls and algorithms with the The new solar energy keywords are self-
storage technology best suited for the consumption (the consumption by the
application to maximize the performance household of locally produced solar en-
of the ESS. ergy) and self-sufficiency (the capability
to autonomously meet the energy de-
Residential-scale solar energy mand of the household). To achieve
storage these two aims, the misalignment be-
The record growth experienced by the tween the daily solar power profile and
solar market worldwide since 2004 was the household demand must be over-
initiated by the introduction of the feed-in come ➔ 6. This is achieved by the addi-
tariff (FIT) scheme in Germany. For years, tion of an energy storage capability to
the FIT ensured remuneration for every the traditional PV system.
solar kWh injected into the grid at a tariff
substantially higher than the retail elec- REACT
tricity price – without the necessity of a Practicality and cost make electrochemi-
match between what was injected and cal batteries the best way to store ex-
the actual demand of the household, cess solar energy. But the unplanned ad-
­e ither in terms of energy balance or in dition of batteries to a PV plant – even if
terms of power equivalence at any given it could bring self-sufficiency – would
most likely result in
a very doubtful fi-
The misalignment between nancial return. An
economically sus-
the daily solar power profile tainable residential

and the household demand is PV/storage solu-

tion is, instead, the
overcome by the addition of result of a compro-
mise between the
an energy storage capability size of the installed

to the traditional PV system. battery bank and

the levels of self-
consumption and
time. But this landscape is now chang- self-sufficiency the household can
ing, driven by the increased penetration achieve with the addition of a tailored en-
of distributed generation further exacer- ergy management strategy.

A bright future ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­3 1

 7 ABB’s REACT has battery storage in the left compartment and 8 A typical REACT layout: A dedicated energy meter delivers
electronics in the right. real-time feedback on self-consumption and self-sufficiency.

REACT
MPPT1 DC/AC energy
AC
meter
grid

Energy
MPPT2
manager

Battery
charger
Household
loads

REACT

ABB’s residential energy storage system terms of dispatchability, stability, control-

REACT (renewable energy accumulator lability, etc. The continued development The new solar
and conversion technology) ➔ 7 is de- of storage technology is essential to
signed to realize this trade-off in the best speed the journey toward self-consump- energy keywords
possible way. A REACT system compris-
es a grid-tied PV inverter (up to 5 kW) fed
tion, self-sufficiency and the flawless in-
tegration of solar sources into electrical
are self-consump-
from a DC link – to which the maximum power grids worldwide. tion and self-
power point tracking (MPPT) trackers
(connected to the PV array) and a bidi- sufficiency.
rectional battery charger are connect-
ed ➔ 8. Though its integrated DC-link ar-
chitecture is the best cost solution for
new installations, it can also be used to
retrofit existing PV plants as an AC-link
battery charger by simply not connecting
the PV array to its input.

The energy storage section of a REACT

system is made of lithium-ion batteries
with a modular architecture that allows
the system to expand from its native
2 kWh up to 6 kWh (field upgradable). An
onboard load management system allows
interaction with selected loads/applianc-
es, thus boosting the energy indepen-
dence of the household by up to 60 per-
cent in the basic system configuration.

The choice of lithium-ion batteries is driv-

en by their favorable expected cost pro-
file in coming years, size/capacity perfor-
mance, charge/discharge power rating, Paolo Casini
efficiency and longevity (more than twice ABB Discrete Automation and Motion,
that of other current technologies). Power Conversion
Terranuova Bracciolini, Italy
The future is bright paolo.casini@it.abb.com
The addition of an energy storage capa-
bility to a PV installation, no matter what Dario Cicio
size, helps overcome the intermittent na- ABB Battery Energy Storage Systems
ture of solar power and brings it into line Baden, Switzerland
with more traditional energy sources in dario.cicio@ch.abb.com

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­3 2 ABB review 2|15

Evolving solutions
Technology trends and design targets for next-generation
photovoltaic inverters

JUHA HUUSARI, PAOLO CASINI – Photovoltaic power conversion evolving market and also be visionary, focusing on key
is a relatively new application area in the world of power technologies to ensure cutting-edge designs for tomorrow’s
electronics. Early photovoltaic conversion technologies were needs. ABB, with its strong background in power electronics,
based on motor drives and only recently has the industry is not only a leading supplier of photovoltaic products, but
seen solutions developed solely for photovoltaic conversion. also a forerunner in next-generation photovoltaic conversion
To maintain a strong presence in today’s photovoltaic technology.
busi­ness, companies must be able to adapt to a constantly

Evolving solutions ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­3 3

 1 Characteristic behavior of a photovoltaic power source

1.2

Current

1.0 Power

PV current (p.u.) and power (p.u.)

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4

PV voltage (p.u.)

trical current, into the system. By its The intermittent behavior of the PV gener-
­n ature the PV cell is intuitively seen as ator is supervised by the power electronic
a current source, unlike most electric converter processing the generated power

W
power sources, which have voltage- of the PV generator. Through a feature
idely adopted feed-in tar- source characteristics. This, in turn, re- known as maximum power point tracking
iffs and other incentives quires appropriate measures to reliably (MPPT), the converter monitors the output
that helped lower the cost control the power generation. Early con- power of the generator, adjusting it con-
of photovoltaic (PV) mod- verters intended for PV applications stantly to the desired level by changing the
ules led to a boom in the PV industry i nherently provided suboptimal per­
­ voltage level of the generator.
­between 2006 and 2011, particularly in formance and even the scientific com-
Europe [1]. However, the sharp reduction munity struggled to accept the para- The basic building block of a PV genera-
of financial incentives has forced the digm change with PV conversion control tor is the PV cell, roughly 15 cm × 15 cm,
market to adapt – meaning cost has principles [2]. Such performance flaws with a thickness on the order of 100 µm.
become a key target for new product
­ have since been eliminated. A single PV cell typically generates a
launches. Research, too, has had to couple of watts at voltages below a sin-
adapt. ABB has been vigorously investi- Due to its nonlinear semiconductor na- gle volt, depending on the size and tech-
gating new developments for PV applica- ture, the PV generator yields its maximum nology used. Most of the cells are silicon
tions, particularly in PV power conver- output power only
sion systems. when the generator
is forced to operate By its nature the PV cell is
PV power conversion at a specific volt-
PV power conversion essentially means age level ➔ 1. Fur- intuitively seen as a current
efficient and controlled delivery of the
electrical energy from the PV modules
thermore, environ-
mental conditions,
source, un­like most electric
into the load of the system (in small- such as the tem- power sources, which have
scale residential applications, such as perature of the PV
heating or lighting) or into the transmis- cells within the voltage-source characteristics.
sion grid (in larger-scale applications). generator as well
The sun’s radiated energy reaching the as the intensity of
face of the Earth is captured by the the arriving irradiation drastically change (Si) based, but the entire family compris-
semiconductor junction within a PV cell the electrical properties and the gener- es other conventional semiconductor
that generates charge carriers, ie, elec- ated power of the PV generator. The materials, such as gallium-nitride (GaN),
generated power increases as a function indium-phosphide (InP) and copper-indi-
of decreasing cell temperature and in- um-gallium-diselenide (CIGS), as well as
creasing irradiation intensity. Therefore, more exotic – namely, organic and dye-
in regions like northern Europe a PV gen- sensitized – materials.
Title picture
A 181-kWp PV installation on the roof of ABB erator may produce peak power during
factory in Helsinki, Finland. cold, early spring mornings.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­3 4 ABB review 2|15

2 Conceptual photovoltaic power processing converters

DC

DC

DC DC DC DC

AC AC AC AC

N
L1
L2
L3

Module-integrated Single-phase string Three-phase string Three-phase central Power

inverter inverter inverter inverter optimizers

Individual cells are joined in a series Plant-level features

­a rrangement to create a PV module (also Traditionally, PV installations were real- Through monitor-
referred to as PV panel), comprising two ized with the highest possible inverter
to 96 PV cells. This is done because rating relative to installation size: Small ing, eg, the cloud
power processing is more feasible with
higher voltage levels. PV modules typi-
installations with micro-inverters and,
respectively, larger systems with high-
­
move­m ent near the
cally range from 5 to 350 W; the large- power inverter stations. This concept is PV power plant,
scale systems are realized with larger, changing as the industry experiences a
high-power modules. The PV modules trend of high-power systems being built the cen­t ralized
are connected in series to form the fun-
damental unit, a PV string. Due to safety
with string inverters. The factors driving
this include higher power output as dis-
controller can, in
regulations, the maximum voltage of tributed inverters perform fine-granular advance, guide the
the PV string versus Earth is limited maximum-power extraction as well as
(1,000 V/1,500 V in the European Union; lower installation costs. In addition, dur- inverter(s) within
600 V in the United States), which in turn
defines the string’s maximum power.
ing inverter failures only a restricted part
of the installation stops producing pow-
the plant to adjust
One PV string rated for 1,000 V usually
provides a nominal DC power of 5 kW.
er. As a result, the importance of string
inverters is increasing.
their operation, ie,
Thus, commercial PV inverters for multi- to improve the
ple strings are typically rated for multi-
ples of 5 kW.
Another interesting development emerg-
ing in PV applications for larger systems MPPT operation.
is the inclusion of environmental mea-
The power converters processing the surement data to enhance near-future
generated power are typically catego- prediction and power output. Through
rized as follows: micro-inverters, gener- monitoring, eg, the cloud movement
ally interfacing one to four PV modules near the PV power plant, the centralized
into the AC grid; string inverters, 1- to controller can, in advance, guide the
3-phase inverters interfacing one to inverter(s) within the plant to adjust their
20 PV strings; and, finally, 3-phase operation, ie, to improve the MPPT op-
c entral inverters usually rated above
­ eration. Additionally, this information can
100 kVA ➔ 2. In addition, there is a niche be used to predict the available short-
group of power optimizers that are term power, benefitting the grid operator.
a dd-on, low-power DC-DC converters
­
intended to fine-tune the generated A modern-day feature that has emerged
power in existing PV strings. Excluding in PV applications is the connection to
power optimizers, ABB provides con- various distributed data services, in which
verters and solutions for all of these the inverter contains a connection to the
­a pplication areas. information network to store and share

Evolving solutions ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­3 5

 The heart of a 3 Evolution of power density in wall-mountable, transformerless PV inverters

PV inverter is the 1100

Three-phase string inverters

bridge of fast-
switching semicon- 900

Inverter power per weight (VA/kg)

ductor devices
that, together with
700

passive energy- 500

stor­a ge elements,
enable power 300

­processing. 100
2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016

Launch year

relevant information, such as historical While SiC devices are already techno-
energy output. Again, such information logically mature, GaN devices are not. At
aids the grid operator in dealing with de- present, there are only a handful of GaN
mand-power balancing. products on the market and, further-
more, no high-current power modules
Emerging semiconductor devices are available. This is also due to the
The heart of a PV inverter is the bridge property of the lateral GaN semiconduc-
of fast-switching semiconductor devic- tor junction, which makes paralleling
es that, together with passive energy- many GaN chips difficult, thus hindering
storage elements, enable power pro- the production of high-current modules.
cessing. While the clear majority of PV With single-packaged GaN chips it is
inverters utilize Si devices, lately the in- possible to reach power levels of roughly
dustry has seen the emergence of sili- 20 to 30 kW; at higher power levels mod-
con carbide (SiC) devices. Able to with- ules are required.
stand higher voltages and temperatures
and to switch faster than Si counter- Power density in string inverters
parts, the SiC device enables more Over the past 10 years, the design tar-
compact and more efficient power pro- gets for PV string inverters have been
cessing converters [3]. However, SiC changing dramatically. The first-genera-
technology is expensive and the long- tion designs targeted high energy yield
term reliability of SiC components re- with multiple isolated MPPT converters.
mains an open question. These draw- The second-generation designs maxi-
backs notwithstanding, SiC devices can mized conversion efficiency, followed by
be seen as an integral part of PV invert- third-generation single-stage systems.
ers in the coming years, as demonstrat- Current design targets are now lower
ed through ABB’s research [4] as well as cost and higher power density. Each of
products utilizing SiC technology. these posed different challenges to pow-
er electronics designers.
The benefits of GaN technology com-
pared with SiC are still being debated The power density concerns arise from
within the industry. It is claimed that GaN various needs: For safety reasons, the in-
devices enable ultrafast switching action, dustry has adopted a weight limit of 75 kg
thereby providing greater benefits in effi- for each cabinet to be carried by two peo-
ciency and power density. However, ple. For wall mounting, there are also
practical demonstrators validating these limits regarding the weight capacity of
­
claims are yet to be announced. the mounting structure and the wall
itself. Another driver is the lower transpor-
tation cost per installed Watt.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­3 6 ABB review 2|15

The evolution of the power density of Most of the efforts by the inverter indus- An additional benefit of smarter packag-
commercial wall-mountable, transfor- try in the past 10 years have been aimed ing and cooling technologies is increased
merless three-phase PV string inverters at improving the inverter’s power conver- power density, which results in reduced
weighing less than 75 kg shows that sion performance, which has resulted in logistics and installation costs. This is
i nverter manufacturers are putting in-
­ increased efficiency values up to 98 per- particularly important as utility demand
creasing effort into maximizing the pow- cent weighted and 99 percent peak. But shifts to emerging markets, where instal-
er density ➔ 3. the unavoidable asymptotical efficiency lations are needed in remote areas.
trend and the modest incremental gain of
The power density of PV string inverters the financial return in relation to the add-
has definite limitations. Typically the pas- ed cost of better-performing topologies
sive filtering elements make up a signifi- and control techniques has gradually
cant part of the system weight, but the brought attention to the reduction of the
heat transfer solution, the enclosure itself TCO.
and various protection devices also add
considerable weight. Many of these re- Innovation at the inverter level is seen as
strictions cannot be changed – for ex- a means to drive down the cost of the
ample, the enclosure thickness and the balance of system (BOS), which repre-
use of certain protective means are de- sents 60 percent of the cost of a utility
fined in standards (eg, in IEC 62109). PV plant, compared with less than 10
The higher the power level, the bulkier percent of the cost incidence of the in-
the protection means becomes, thus re- verter itself. A few years ago the pro-
sulting in a heavier enclosure to support gressive adoption of the 1,000 V system
voltage from the 600 V system voltage
allowed a 25 percent reduction of the DC
A modern-day BOS. The PV industry is today on the
verge of a similar change with the up-
feature that has coming 1,500  V module technology,

emerged in PV which will revolutionize the utility inverter

offering by requiring a significant review
applications is the of the electronic and electromechanical
components and topologies deployed in
connection to vari- PV inverters.

ous cloud services. The other component of the TCO is op-

eration cost. The typical annual operation
and maintenance cost of a PV plant is Juha Huusari
the weight and to provide an adequate roughly equal to 1.5 percent of its initial ABB Corporate Research
ingress protection (IP) rating. capex cost and a significant part of it is Baden-Dättwil, Switzerland
represented by the maintenance required juha.huusari@fi.abb.com
The challenge of reaching a higher power by traditional air-cooled PV inverters, es-
density will push designers to look for pecially when installed in remote and Paolo Casini
more innovative system solutions and hostile conditions. Throughout the 20 ABB Discrete Automation and Motion,
foster the use of next-generation semi- years of expected field life the opex be- Power Conversion
conductor components. comes a major contributor to the cost of Terranuova Bracciolini, Italy
the plant. Combining the need to reduce paolo.casini@it.abb.com
Utility-scale PV solutions maintenance costs with reduced logistic
Although technological developments costs and ease of installation creates an-
have been seen throughout the entire PV other driver for the evolution of utility- References
industry, the utility segment has had the scale inverters’ mechanical packaging. [1] “Global market outlook for photovoltaics
most impressive pace of innovation. The sudden switch to outdoor inverter 2014–2018,” European Photovoltaic Industry
Association.
Since the early stages of the modern PV enclosures in several utility portfolios was
[2] L. Nousiainen et al., “Photovoltaic generator as
market the evolution of utility-scale PV the initial move in this direction that will an input source for power electronic converter,”
inverters has been driven by the optimi- continue with the development of innova- IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics,
zation of the PV plant’s production effi- tive, low-cost maintenance cooling solu- vol. 28, no. 6, pp. 3028–3038, June, 2013.
[3] C. Weizer et al., “Silicon carbide high power
ciency and total cost of ownership (TCO), tions. The traditional air cooling of IP20
devices,” IEEE Transactions on Electron
that is, the summation of the initial capi- inverters, with their periodic maintenance Devices, vol. 43, no. 10, pp. 1732–1741,
tal expenditure (capex) and the opera- to clean air filters and decontaminate Oct. 1996.
tional expenditures (opex) sustained dur- electronics exposed to the direct air flow, [4] C. Ho et al., “A comparative performance study
of an interleaved boost converter using
ing the life of the plant. is gradually moving to sealed-enclosure
commercial Si and SiC diodes for PV applica-
solutions IP54 or IP65 rated with liquid or tions,” IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics,
2-phase cooling solutions. vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 289–299, May 2012.

Evolving solutions ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­3 7

 Life-cycle automation
and services
A holistic approach to ADRIAN TIMBUS, MARC ANTOINE, LUIS DOMINGUEZ – The photovoltaic
power industry is rapidly growing, with worldwide installations expect-
photovoltaic plant ed to grow by 60 to 66 GW in 2017 [1]. ABB is deeply involved in this
growth, applying a holistic approach to photovoltaic generation
automation, operation projects that encompass the entire plant life cycle as well as the two

and maintenance stages of photovoltaic generation projects. The first stage is to design
the solution, select the equipment and build the plant. The second is
to ensure that the plant produces the maximum amount of power, and
that its equipment is managed efficiently to minimize operation and
maintenance costs. This holistic approach is a culmination of ABB’s
expertise in providing technologies for solar power applications and
the company’s vast service and maintenance resources.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­3 8 ABB review 2|15

 1 ABB’s photovoltaic power plant offering

As a leading provider of photovoltaic (PV) ABB’s scalable power and automation solutions
power plant technologies, ABB partners with for PV power plants are designed for rapid
and guides owners and investors. ABB deployment. They are pre-assembled,
performs feasibility studies and analyzes the factory-tested and containerized to enable
project’s profitability; designs, engineers and short lead times and easy installation. With the
optimizes plants; provides project manage- exception of the solar panels, which ABB does
ment; and supplies electrical and automation not manufacture, the solutions consist entirely
systems. Through its comprehensive operation of ABB products, designed specifically for PV
and maintenance (O&M) offering, which applications. These are seamlessly integrated
includes an advanced remote monitoring and to deliver the highest levels of reliability and
service concept, ABB ensures that each plant efficiency and the lowest levels of plant energy
maximizes production while protecting its consumption. ABB has delivered more than
assets. 100 integrated electrical and automation
solutions for PV power plants, with a combined
generating capacity of around 1,000 MW.

(each of which contains inverters, trans- Power management

formers, medium-voltage switchgear Power management functionality is key
and low-voltage switchboards), the grid to faciliting the grid connection of PV
connection and the meteorological sta- plants. Symphony Plus’ high-perfor-
tions. The system supports a broad mance controller connects to all relevant
range of communication protocols, en- actuators (inverters, tracking systems
abling it to connect and exchange data and – if applicable – capacitor banks,
with all of the components. Equipped STATCOMs 1 or energy storage), and

A
­performs real-time
BB’s technologies for photo- calculations to
voltaic (PV) power plants are Symphony Plus for Solar regulate the plant’s
designed to maximize plant power production
performance and provide improves the return on invest- in accordance with
owners with a rapid return on investment
and long plant operating life. From elec-
ment with comprehensive the specifications.
Accessing all rele-
trical balance of plant (EBoP), to control O&M services. vant plant informa-
systems and power management, to tion, it dispatches
production forecasting and remote moni- set points to the
toring and services, ABB’s PV power with a real-time database and historian, inverters. It also ensures that plant man-
generation technologies seek to ensure it acquires and stores all relevant plant agement and control is in accordance
maximum power production at minimal data, either on-site or at an ABB remote with the local grid code requirements,
cost ➔ 1. service center. controls the production ramp rate, and
provides power factor and voltage con-
World-leading plant automation Using the IEC 61850 communication trol at the point of connection to the grid.
system protocol, Symphony Plus for Solar moni-
Symphony® Plus for Solar, ABB’s auto- tors and controls substation equipment Production forecasting
mation system for PV power plants, is a and integrates generation and electrical As PV plants grow larger, the ability to
versatile and scalable monitoring and components into a single information forecast power production has become
control system. As its name suggests, it system. an increasingly important factor in plant
is part of ABB’s Symphony Plus platform, profitability. ABB provides a flexible pro-
the total plant automation solution for One of the main differentiators of the duction forecasting solution that uses
the power and water industries. Sym- Symphony Plus platform is that it is de- data from the panels, strings and invert-
phony Plus is the latest generation of the signed to last the operating life of the
Symphony family of distributed control plant. Through ABB’s “evolution without
systems which, with more than 6,500 obsolescence” life-cycle policy, each
operating installations, is one of the most generation of the Symphony Plus family Title picture
Operation and maintenance services are one of the
widely used plant automation platforms builds on and enhances its predecessor,
key components of ABB’s photovoltaic offering,
in the world. adding new technologies and new func- allowing plant operators to minimize operation and
tionalities to meet the evolving perfor- maintenance costs.
Symphony Plus for Solar monitors and mance objectives of its users. An invest-
collects data from the critical compo- ment in Symphony Plus hardware and
nents of the plant. These include the software is thus protected throughout Footnote
panel strings, transformation centers the life cycle of the plant. 1 Static synchronous compensators

Life-cycle automation and services ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­3 9

 ABB provides a 2 Architecture of Symphony Plus for Solar

flexible pro­duction Customer Customer Customer

forecasting solution Power Power and price Remote PV

Field technician

to predict plant Plant diagnostics

management forecasting services

output. Real-time monitoring

system

Set points for each plant Plant data, alarms, notifications

ServiceGate Plant ServiceGate Plant ServiceGate Plant

automation automation automation

3 Alarms and notifications in the remote portal

ers, as well as historical production and term prediction of power fluctuations

meteorological information, to predict caused by cloud coverage.
plant output. The forecasting horizon
spans from hours ahead (typically 6 h Remote monitoring and control
ahead, with a time resolution of 15 min) Plant owners need to minimize operation
to days ahead (typically one week, with and maintenance (O&M) costs by being
hourly resolution). able to quickly identify underperforming
components. They require predictive
ABB has also developed algorithms that maintenance to reduce downtime, ex-
track the movement of clouds in the vi- tend equipment life cycles and evaluate
cinity of the PV plant. Using advanced the impact of equipment failure. They
image processing and computer vision also expect quick access to service engi-
techniques as well as optical and physi- neers and product experts.
cal models, the algorithms predict the
time of arrival and duration of cloud cov- ABB’s remote monitoring, operations
er over the plant, and calculate the ex- and service platform for PV power plants
pected drop in output power. If the plant delivers on all these fronts. Symphony
is equipped with an energy storage sys- Plus for Solar comprises three main
tem, optimization of power balancing is components: a remote-enabled interface
achieved by using the accurate short- called Symphony Plus ServiceGate,

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­4 0 ABB review 2|15

4 Overview display using maps
Symphony Plus for
Solar comprises
three main compo-
nents: a remote-
enabled interface,
a remote service
center and a dedi-
cated Web portal.

5 KPI dashboard

ABB’s remote service center, and a dedi- played in the dedicated Web portal. provides different levels of authorization
cated Web portal ➔ 2. The platform can ­U nlike other monitoring systems on the based on roles defined in IEC 62351.
be used for a single plant or a fleet of PV market, ABB’s system enables real-time
or other renewable energy plants. plant operations through an ergonomic Key features of the Web portal include
human-machine interface (HMI). More- alarms and notifications, dynamic presen-
ServiceGate provides a high-speed and over, an optimized power management tation of collected data, predictive mainte-
secure data transmission connection be- function is also available at the fleet level nance, production forecasting, production
tween the plant automation systems and to control the production of the entire and performance cockpits, a reporting and
an ABB remote service center. It supports fleet at the best economic running point. ticketing system, and health checks.
system configuration, health checks and The service center is manned 24 hours
system diagnostics, as well as remote a day by accredited engineers, ready to Alarms and notifications
­operations of plant equipment. react at all times to any field problems. Besides receiving standard alarms from
the plant such as faulty inverters and
The data from ServiceGate is received The Web portal has a dedicated interface plant equipment, users can generate
by, and stored at, ABB’s remote service through which the PV plant communi- their own alarms for situations like “low
center, which is equipped with a dedi- cates with the external world. All plants in KPI value.” When an alarm is activated
cated hardware platform and configu- the fleet can be managed through the the platform conducts a preliminary diag-
rable software. It runs the processing same Web portal, which can be accessed nosis of possible operating failures and
and monitoring software and advanced by authorized users anytime, anywhere immediately notifies the responsible per-
applications, and stores the results dis- using a PC or mobile device. The log-in sonnel by SMS or email ➔ 3.

Life-cycle automation and services ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­4 1

 6 Plant performance report
ABB is currently
using the remote
service platform
to monitor and
control more than
50 PV power
plants worldwide.

Maps with dynamic data Reporting and ticketing system

Maps show the geographical location of The remote service platform stores data
the fleet plants with icons. An adjoining from the PV plants, and the Web portal
frame contains a list of the plants in the uses the data to, for example, automati-
fleet and uses dynamic traffic lights and cally generate: reports on production,
icons to show the status of contractual interventions and actions by operators;
KPIs, the presence of open maintenance an O&M log book that collects tickets re-
tickets and the status of the plant’s con- lating to O&M activities and tracks oper-
nection to ServiceGate ➔ 4. ators’ actions; and executive-level re-
ports with information necessary to
Predictive maintenance manage the plants ➔ 6.
The remote service platform contains a
set of tools to detect and correct the Health checks
most common reasons for underper- The remote service platform also per-
forming assets. The tools analyze the forms equipment health checks. These
plant in small sections (typically individu- consist of fingerprint diagnostics, which
al strings) to pinpoint local problems at monitor and assess equipment perfor-
an early stage before they develop into mance and identify reliability issues. They
larger production problems. They detect are available for plant assets, including
soiling (dust accumulation on the mod- the automation system (hardware and
ules); total and partial shading of strings; software), cyber security settings, and
and aging, which analyzes the efficiency electrical process equipment. The finger-
of the PV modules over time to deter- prints are used to start a continuous op-
mine the loss in performance caused by timization process by identifying neces- Adrian Timbus
degradation. sary improvements and a schedule for Marc Antoine
their implementation. ABB Power Systems, Power Generation
Production and performance cockpits Baden, Switzerland
Other applications that monitor and ana- ABB is currently using the remote service adrian.timbus@ch.abb.com
lyze plant production include perfor- platform to monitor and control more marc.antoine@ch.abb.com
mance ratio monitoring, which is a real- than 50 PV power plants worldwide.
time cockpit for monitoring plant These plants range in size from less than Luis Dominguez
production and KPIs (based on QlikView 1 MW to more than 100 MW, and include ABB Corporate Research
technology) ➔ 5; equipment condition single plants and entire fleets. High cus- Baden-Dättwil, Switzerland
trending that monitors the performance tomer satisfaction and a large number of luis.dominguez@ch.abb.com
of critical plant equipment in real time; renewal contracts indicate that ABB’s
and fleet analysis, which provides a his- holistic approach to PV power produc-
torical data dashboard for comparing tion is producing real benefits and mea- Reference
and analyzing fleet performance. surable value for customers. [1] Bloomberg New Energy Finance

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­4 2 ABB review 2|15

Putting it all together
Integrating distributed renewable energies into the grid
JOCHEN KREUSEL – More than ten years ago the new renew- Instead, electric power supply systems must be further
able sources of electric energy – sun and wind – began to developed to integrate new sources on a larger scale.
make their way into the electric power supply system. At that With its high scalability, photovoltaics is the strongest driver
time, they were seen as two additional primary energy of this change, affecting all areas of supply and utilization
sources that could be connected to the existing systems along the electric energy value chain. ABB’s in-depth knowl-
without making any fundamental changes. Today, these new edge of renewable power generation technologies and
renewable energies have, in some countries, become the comprehensive experience with grid codes and utility
largest generation subsector. In light of the significant cost practices in use around the world enables it to provide the
reductions of the past years further acceleration of this full range of products, systems, solutions, services and
growth is expected. But the approach of connecting renew- consultant capabilities to serve the renewable energy
able energies to the existing systems is too shortsighted. industry.

Putting it all together ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­4 3

 1 Wind and solar energy – top five countries in terms of installed and new capacity in 2013

100 40

GW

GW
50 20

0 0
China USA Germany Spain India Germany China Italy Japan USA

1a Wind: installed capacity, 2013 1b PV: installed capacity, 2013

20 15

10
GW

GW
10

0 0
China Germany UK India Canada China Japan USA Germany Italy

1c Wind: new capacity, 2013 1d PV: new capacity, 2013

Sources: Wind: Bundesverband Windenergie e.V., Deutschland; Photovoltaics: IEA-PVPS, IDAE, PV News, BSW, IWR

S
ince the end of the 20th centu-
ry, an increasing number of
countries have been promoting The strongest driver of this change is Remote generation
the use of wind and solar ener- photovoltaics, which – after the signifi- The share of remote generation of re-
gy. Denmark has been a pioneer in this cant cost reductions at the end of the newable energy is much higher than with
field, and by 2011, was supplying more last decade – has reached or fallen be- power plant systems in which a regional
than 40 percent of its electric energy de- low grid parity in a number of countries. balance of generation and demand is
mand with renewable sources – three- That is, photovoltaics has achieved com- preferred for both economic and techni-
quarters of which was wind energy. Ger- petitive end-consumer prices in low-volt- cal reasons. This development is mainly
many is also being watched closely as age grids. ➔ 2  shows the development driven by the heavily location-dependent
the first large industrial country attempt- of the generation
ing to transform its electricity supply with costs of photo-
a strict focus on new renewable sources. voltaic (PV) pow- Remote generation, distrib-
er compared with
➔1 shows the five leading countries in household elec- uted genera­t ion and volatility
the world in terms of installed capacity
and new wind and solar capacity in
tricity prices in
Germany. Photo-
affect all areas of elec­t ric
2013. Countries from all regions are ac- voltaics is an eco- power supply and utilization.
tive, and some of the early pioneers – nomical option for
recognizable by their high installed ca- meeting the de-
pacities – have been overtaken by other mand of individual households, provided sources of wind and water and can lead
countries. Today, the new renewable en- that the grid usage fee is largely energy- to very large generation units or clusters.
ergies are a global reality, no longer de- based. This makes it independent from
pendent on the support from individual direct subsidiaries for a large scope of Distributed generation
countries. applications as long as it reduces the The growth of distributed generation is
owner’s own demand. primarily driven by photovoltaics and
combined heat and power generation
New renewable energy sources and (CHP). For photovoltaics, this is mainly
system integration due to the relatively low economies of
New renewable energies have three main scale in terms of costs combined with
Title picture features that fundamentally change the economic performance, relative to the
The shift to renewable power sources makes the
electric power supply system: remote end-consumer prices in a low-voltage
reliable delivery of power a bigger challenge than
ever before. ABB’s comprehensive wind and solar generation, distributed generation and grid. CHP must be distributed in order to
power offering is helping to meet this challenge. volatility. provide the heat close to the consumer.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­4 4 ABB review 2|15

2 PV generation costs* compared with household consumer prices in Germany
The rising share of
70 renewable energies
60

Cost of PV generation

Cost of electricity, German households

is influencing the
50
operation of con-
euro cents/kWh

40
ventional power
30
plants.
20

10

0
2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

Year

* 1 euro is equal to about $1.05.

Source: www.solarwirtschaft.de, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear
Safety of Germany (Leitstudie 2010), BSW Solar (PV-Roadmap)

Very small PV systems in particular can costs, they will always be placed at the
lead to a considerable share of the gen- lower end of the merit order in an energy-
eration being covered by a very large only market. This means they displace
number of smaller units feeding energy conventional generation, reducing the uti-
into the distribution networks. lization of conventional power plants and
making fixed-cost coverage more difficult.
Volatility
Volatility is mainly introduced to the electric These economic effects mean that build-
power supply system by wind and solar ing and operating conventional power
energy, both of which lead to faster, larger plants is no longer attractive. But as con-
and, especially in the case of wind energy, ventional generating capacity is indis-
less predictable fluctuations than before. pensable both as backup for periods of
low renewable power output and for
Remote generation, distributed genera- power system control, suitable adapta-
tion and volatility affect all areas of elec- tions of the market design are now being
tric power supply and utilization. An discussed. ABB is deeply involved in the
overview of these areas, including the discussions and is helping to shape the
influence of new loads as drivers for modern electric power supply system.
change, is given in ➔ 3.
Transmission level
Conventional provision of electric In transmission networks, remote gener-
power ation leads to increased capacity re-
The rising share of renewable energies is quirements. Additionally, the volatility of
influencing the operation of conventional the generation – particularly in combina-
power plants. The increased frequent tion with the low number of full-load
use of power plants originally intended hours of the renewable energies – in-
as base-load plants for loads following creases transmission requirements. Ex-
operation with steep power output gradi- panding the interconnected power sys-
ents poses a great technical challenge. tem represents the most cost-efficient
Using Germany as an example, the option to match volatile generation and
­e ffects of this change were investigated consumption [2].
in detail in [1]. The study concluded that
already in 2015 power gradients of up to The benefit of regional expansion for the
15 GW/h are expected for the conven- integration of a very high share of renew-
tional power generation park. able energies into the electric power
supply is illustrated in ➔ 4, using the ex-
Another factor influencing the operation pansion of the European interconnected
of conventional power plants is that, as power system to North Africa and the
wind and solar energy have no variable Middle East as an example.

Putting it all together ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­4 5

 The increasing 3 Effects of the main drivers for change on different parts of the electric energy supply and
utilization value chain

variety of operating Driver System affected

conditions in the Conventional

generation
Transmission Distribution
System
operation
Application

distribution net- Remote – Long-distance – Stabilization

generation transmission with FACTS1
works increases – FACTS1
– Overlay grid/

the information HVDC

requirements. Distributed
generation
– Automation
– Voltage
– Communica-
tion
regulation – Control
– Virtual power
plants

Volatile – Part-load – Trans-regional – Distributed – Load – Storage (in

generation capability leveling storage management applications)
– Flexibility – Overlay grid/ – Virtual power – Demand
HVDC plants response
– Bulk storage – PMU/WAMS2

New loads (eg, – Charging – Demand

e-mobility) infrastructure response

1 FACTS: flexible alternating current transmission systems

2 PMU/WAMS: phasor measurement unit/wide-area monitoring systems

➔ 4 shows the costs for an additional A key component for this is the HVDC
MWh generated from renewable sources circuit breaker developed by ABB [4].
in Europe, provided that the European
energy-political goals are met and that Distribution level
further cost reductions for the plants are The changes occurring in the distribution
used. The cost advantage is a result of networks are manifold. In many cases,
significantly more ideal locations in North an increase in distributed generation re-
Africa and the Middle East compared quires a reinforcement of the grids. How-
with Europe. The costs for the additional ever, especially in rural grids with rela-
required transmission capacity are taken tively long transmission lines, voltage
into account. This cost advantage di- support problems occur first. As this is
rectly benefits the plant operators, and not caused by the one load situation the
requires no special support apart from network has been designed for, but by
reliable framework conditions. The other the multitude of operating conditions be-
cost advantage shown in ➔ 4 is based tween feeding and extracting power, the
on a better balance of renewable energy traditional solution of manually adapting
supply and demand resulting from the the transformation ratio of the local dis-
complementary seasonal variations of tribution transformer is no longer suffi-
wind and consumption in Europe and cient ➔ 5. In such cases, the often signifi-
the regions south of the Mediterranean cantly more expensive grid reinforcement
Sea. This cost reduction requires suit- can be postponed or even entirely avoid-
able consideration in the market design. ed by installing a voltage regulator such
as a voltage-controlled distribution trans-
The transmission systems required un- former (see, eg, [5,6]).
der the circumstances described in ➔ 4
will presumably be different from those of The increasing variety of operating con-
the past. Considering the large transmis- ditions in the distribution networks in-
sion distances combined with the often creases the information requirements.
fundamentally changing load flow situa- This leads to an at least partial automa-
tions due to the high infeed peaks from tion of the distribution substations, which
the renewable sources, a superimposed thus far have been minimally monitored
transmission level (overlay grid) based on or remotely controlled. Distributed gen-
high-voltage direct current (HVDC) trans- eration as well as e-mobility (due to the
mission technology appears sensible. mobile nature of the consumers) will lead

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­4 6 ABB review 2|15

4 Reducing the costs* for renewable energy by integrating the power supply systems of
Europe, North Africa and the Middle East [3] Ex­p anding the
interconnected
75
73 15 30
power system
represents the
58 15

most cost-efficient
euros/MWh

50

Genera-

25
tion and
transmis-
option to match
volatile generation
sion

0
Avg. cost per Avg. direct cost Avg. cost per Avg. system Avg. total savings
and consumption.
MWh of additional advantage for MWh of additional synergies (eg, less per MWh imported
generation in desert power import from curtailment, fewer
Europe MENA peak load power
plants)

Market price, directly System effects, must be

addressable by investors/ reflected by regulators/
industry governments

* 1 euro is equal to about $1.05.

Note: cost of MENA (Middle East and North Africa) exports arriving in Europe includes cost of transmission losses
Source: Dii, Fraunhofer ISI

plants and system operators. Hence,

Due to the volatile the solutions for this electric power sup-
ply area must be largely standardized
power output and automated. An example of predic-

associ­a ted with tive distribution network operation,

which also takes the requirements of
renewable ener- the deregulated market into account,
has been developed and successfully
gies, the short- taken into operation within the scope of

term demand the MeRegio E-energy project in Ger-

many [7].
response is gaining
Consumption
in im­p ortance. Due to the volatile power output associ-
ated with renewable energies, the short-
term demand response is gaining in im-
to an insufficient capacity of distribution portance. Demand-response measures,
networks in some situations. This means particularly those involving loads with in-
that measurement and control will be re- herent storage, may contribute to this.
quired – and as every technical system, The requirements associated with the
including measurements, can be faulty, balancing of loads and generation for dif-
the solution will be to transfer well-known ferent time domains, the solutions com-
approaches from the transmission net- monly used today and the solutions ex-
works, such as state estimation, to the pected in the future are shown in ➔ 6.
distribution level and into the secondary This clearly shows that demand response
distribution systems. can make an important contribution es-
pecially in the first 15 min. This is an im-
If the grid is unable to offer sufficient ca- portant period because it is sufficiently
pacity for all situations, possible con- long enough to ramp up power plants
gestion must be proactively detected with fast startup capability when genera-
and resolved – a task that is not new in tion capacity is suddenly lacking. Wheth-
the electric power supply domain. In er demand response can help in the very
fact, it is common practice in the coor- short time frame in which the rotating
dination between (large-scale) power mass of power plants has a stabilizing

Putting it all together ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­4 7

 A holistic approach 5 Change of the voltage support task in distribution networks with increasing distributed
generation (schematically)

considering the
supply of electric
energy as well as
of heating and

Voltage (kV)

Voltage (kV)
cooling is essential
for the utilization
of demand-side 5a Past: Distribution; voltage is decreasing 5b Now and in the future: Distribution and
flexibility options. along the LV lines and voltage band can be
guaranteed by a fixed setting of the
feed-in, resulting in a broader variation of
voltage at the end of the line, possibly
distribution transformer requiring on-load voltage adjustments

effect today depends on whether an au- Future conventional generation will re-
tonomous reaction of the load to imbal- quire plants that can be operated eco-
ances between generation and con- nomically even at low loads and in
sumption can be achieved. After 15 min f requently and fast-changing load
­
the use of demand response is only real- s ituations. The transmission networks
­
istic for selected applications. will have to take over more long-dis-
tance transmission tasks with strongly
Demand response is particularly suitable varying load flow situations compared
for heating and cooling applications as with the past. To compensate for the
thermal energy storage can in most cases volatility of the new renewable sources,
be implemented at a relatively low cost. wide-area interconnected systems such
Hence, a holistic approach considering the as those proposed for the region
supply of electric energy as well as of heat- ­E urope-North Africa-Middle East within
ing and cooling is essential for the utiliza- the scope of the Desertec concept can
tion of demand-side flexibility options. be an option.

Storage options
Storage is another The transition from an elec-
important building
block for the inte- tricity supply based on ther-
gration of renew-
able energies. But
mal power plants to a supply
due to the variety using new renewable energies
of applications and
available solutions as its main source will lead
it is a highly com-
plex topic, which
to a fundamental redesign of
requires a separate power systems.
discussion. Energy
storage is explored
in more detail in “A bright future” on The consequences of the integration of
page 27 of this edition of ABB Review. distributed generation into the distribution
networks will be particularly far-reaching,
The road ahead both quantitatively and qualitatively. First
The transition from an electricity supply of all, an increase of grid capacity will be
based on thermal power plants to a sup- inevitable in many cases. As the combina-
ply using new renewable energies as its tion of extracting power from and feeding
main source has technical implications in power into the grid leads to a larger range
all areas of electric power supply and uti- of operating conditions, additional voltage
lization and will lead to a fundamental monitoring and regulation will often be re-
redesign of power systems. quired. And finally it will no longer be sen-
sible to design the distribution networks

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­4 8 ABB review 2|15

6 Requirements for balancing generation and demand in different time domains and possible
solutions today and in the future One of the most
Time domain Task Traditional solutions New solutions for the future significant changes
<30 s Instantaneous reserve,
balancing of short-term
– Rotating mass of the
power plants
– Battery storage
– Renewable energy resources
in the sys­t em man-
variations and load management may
also contribute agement will be the
<15 min Minute reserve, balancing
of short-term variations
– Hydropower plants
– Power plants on the grid
– Load management
– Battery storage
integration of a
very large number
– Fast start-up power plants

1-3 d Balancing of diurnal variations

of the residual load
– Pumped storage
– Power plants (fuel storage)
– Pumped storage
– Load management
(selected applications)
of distributed units,
Weeks Balancing of annual variations – Power plants (fuel storage) – Water reservoir
both on the gen-
to months of the residual load – Water reservoir
(natural inflow)

–
(natural inflow)
Expansion of interconnected eration and the
consumption side.
power system

for rare extreme situations – this is mainly continues to drive the growth of renew-
due to the low number of full-load hours ables, paving the way for the new elec-
associated with solar energy and because tric power supply system.
of e-mobility. Thus monitoring and control
down to the secondary distribution level
will be necessary.

Balancing loads and generation will be-

come more difficult in systems with a Jochen Kreusel
strongly varying primary energy supply ABB Smart Grids
that is not storable. Besides the proven, Mannheim, Germany
but landscape-profile-dependent pumped jochen.kreusel@de.abb.com
storage plants, battery storage facilities
can contribute in the short term, eg, for
frequency stabilization and peak shav- References
[1] VDE/ETG, “Erneuerbare Energie braucht flexible
ing. In the long term, ie, mainly for the Kraftwerke,” The Power Engineering Society
compensation of seasonal variations, the (ETG) in the Association for Electrical, Electronic
system boundaries will likely be expand- & Information Technologies (VDE), VDE-Verlag,
ed by extending the interconnected sys- Frankfurt/Main, Germany, 2012.
[2] VDE/ETG, “Energiespeicher in Stromversor-
tems or interconnecting other systems gungssystemen mit hohem Anteil erneuerbarer
such as heat and gas supply. Energieträger,” The Power Engineering Society
(ETG) in the Association for Electrical, Electronic
The most significant changes in the sys- & Information Technologies (VDE), VDE-Verlag,
Frankfurt/Main, Germany, 2008.
tem management will be the integration
[3] F. Zickfeld, A. Wieland, “Desert Power 2050,”
of a very large number of distributed Dii GmbH, Munich, Germany, 2012.
units on both the generation and the [4] J. Häfner, B. Jacobson, “Proactive hybrid HVDC
consumption side, as well as achieving breakers – a key innovation for reliable HVDC
grids,” presented at the CIGRE International
frequency control with a decreasing
Symposium on the Electric Power System of the
number of rotating masses acting as Future, Bologna, Italy, 2011.
­s tabilizing elements. [5] ABB Ltd. (2013). Smart-R-Trafo Voltage
Regulation Solution for Distribution Transform-
ers. Available: https://library.e.abb.com/public/
The greatest challenges in the necessary
0803e28840f64334802c7c7c686b730a/
further development of the systems are Smart-R-Trafo_leaflet_EN.pdf?filename=
– from a more organizational perspective Smart-R-Trafo_leaflet_EN.pdf
– the coordination of the required mea- [6] T. Hammerschmidt, et al., “Innovative concepts
for efficient electrical distribution grids,”
sures in all system areas and – from a
presented at CIRED 2011, paper 0447,
technical perspective – the development Frankfurt/Main, Germany, 2011.
of suitable storage, the operation of the [7] C. Franke, et al., “On the necessary information
system without rotating masses and the ex¬change and coordination in distribution
smart grids experience from the MeRegio pilot,”
integration of large numbers of distribut-
Proceedings of the CIGRE International
ed units into the system management. Symposium on the Electric Power System of the
With its commitment to innovation, ABB Future, Bologna, 2011.

Putting it all together ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­4 9

 A growing need
Affordable irrigation with ABB’s solar pump drive
FILIPPO PAGANI – It is no secret that the world’s thirst for water option in many parts of the world. And so, ABB has turned to
and energy continues to rise dramatically. But did you know the sun to develop an innovative solution that uses solar
that half of the world’s energy is used to operate pumps? power as a reliable energy source for pumping water. The
With agriculture’s reliance on irrigation, which depends on ABB solar pump drive, designed to use maximum power
water pumps, it is no wonder that so much energy is dedi- point tracking and conventional drive technologies, enables
cated to this field. But plugging into a reliable or affordable water pumps to run at maximum power proportional to the
local power grid to operate a water pump is not always an available solar power.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­5 0 ABB review 2|15

 1 ABB’s solar pump drive system includes either an ACS355 drive or an ACSM1 drive.

1a ACS355 general machinery drive 1b ACSM1

S
olar pumping systems are in- Solar pump drive The complete system consists of four
creasingly being adopted for In 2011, ABB developed a solution that components: a photovoltaic (PV) panel,
use in a variety of applications. combines ABB drives with solar panels a drive, a motor and a pump. The ABB
For example, the systems are and a maximum power point tracking solar pump drive system uses a PV panel
being used in community water supplies, (MPPT) system that controls the pump as its power source, which is connected
fish farming and agriculture, forestry, and through solar radiation. Pump operators, to the direct-current (DC) connectors of
wastewater treatment engineering. These such as farmers, can then benefit from an ACS355 or an ACSM1 drive ➔ 1. The
systems are also more frequently being the maximum amount of pump output drive is connected to the motor that runs
used for municipal engineering, city parks, over the course of the day. Compared the pump ➔ 2.
resorts, and even fountains in residential with diesel generator pumps, the ABB so-
areas – and, of course, for irrigation. lar pump drive is environmentally friendly Maximum power with dual supply
and has a long lifetime and low mainte- The ABB drives provide uninterrupted
In some countries many small- and me- nance costs. It is independent from the flow, even during drastic changes in ir-
dium-sized farms are either off-grid or grid and produces no pollution or noise. radiation, thanks to the MPPT algorithm.
receive only a few hours of electricity Built-in MPPT functionality is also im-
each day. Often, the farmers’ only alter- The power range for the solar pump portant for reliability when the equip-
native is to run irrigation pumps with drive was recently extended from 0.37 to ment is installed at remote sites where
diesel generators, which are costly to 18.5 kW up to 45  kW. This increased maintenance is minimal. Users can
operate – especially as water demand power range enables the use of the solar monitor the pump remotely, from any-
rises during the growing season, caus- where. Embed-
ing fuel prices to spike. Now, solar en- ded, pump-spe-
ergy is playing an important role in the In some countries many cific features such
irrigation sector for agriculture around as dry-run detec-
the world. small- and me­d ium-sized tion and sensor-

farms are either off-grid or less flow calcula-

tion are used to
receive only a few hours protect and moni-
tor the pumping
of electricity each day. station. The drive
is designed to
Title picture ­a utomatically shut
An Indian pump supplier has incorporated ABB’s
pump drives in larger pump applications down to prevent equipment damage
ACS355 solar pump drive into its pump technology,
enabling independence from the electricity grid and such as high-power pumps in agriculture from running the pump dry. Sensorless
from diesel fuel. and solar desalination. flow measurement gives a direct indica-

A growing need ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­5 1

 In 2011, ABB 2 The ABB solar pump drive

developed a solu-
tion that combines
ABB drives with
solar panels and
an MPPT system
that controls the
pump through DC AC

solar radiation.

tion of the performance, allowing the In some Indian states the government
end user to measure system perfor- funds as much as 86 percent of the cost
mance based on flow rather than on of solar pumps as a long-term investment
electrical parameters. in the country’s agricultural output and
sustainability.
After dawn, when the sunlight is suffi-
ciently intense to power up the drive, the There is demand for the solution in, for
drive automatically starts the motor and example, Asia, South America and Africa
runs the pump to draw water. At sunset, as well: Only around 6 percent of culti-
the drive turns off the motor and the wa- vated land in sub-Saharan Africa is cur-
ter flow ceases. When equipped with a rently equipped for irrigation. Even in
changeover switch, it is possible to run countries that do not subsidize renew-
the drive from the grid – for example, ables, a number of financing alternatives
during the night or when maximum flow including rental programs, cooperatives
is required and not enough solar power with shared ownership and micro-loans
is available. are making solar water pumps economi-
cal for smaller off-grid farms.
Compact and beneficial
The solar pump drive is preprogrammed With the world’s growing demand for
for specific pump applications with mini- both water and energy, and environmen-
mal parameter settings required. Other tal pressures showing no signs of easing,
benefits include: long pump life, elimina- solar pumping is a viable short-term as
tion of restarting during DC voltage varia- well as long-term solution. ABB is paving
tions, and automatic fault-reset and the way for increased use of renewable
a uto-start. The solution is also free of
­ energy sources around the world.
other restrictions that can impact pro-
ductivity, such as load shedding, elec-
tricity supply cuts and increased energy
prices, as well as burnt motors often
caused by voltage fluctuations.

A number of ABB’s low-voltage compo-

nents such as relays, terminal blocks and
contactors are also used in the solution,
including PV-S miniature circuit breakers,
which are specially designed to safely
extinguish dangerous DC arcs in PV
­a pplications.

Driving success Filippo Pagani

The ABB solar pump drive has been a ABB Discrete Automation and Motion, Solar Pumps
success in India, where ABB already has Sesto San Giovanni, Italy
thousands of installations. filippo.pagani@it.abb.com

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­5 2 ABB review 2|15

Transforming
revenue
ABB’s technology cuts transformer losses

PATRICK ROHAN, TERO KALLIOMAA – Although transformers power installation, every Watt of power lost is one that
have a high efficiency – typically above 99 percent – the cannot be sold. Indeed, during the hours of darkness,
industry-wide energy losses from transformers are significant energy often has to be purchased to keep the transformer
simply due to the huge number installed. This is one reason energized, unless it can be disconnected from the network.
why environmental performance legislation is increasingly The obvious question then arises: How can operators reduce
regulating transformer performance. Just as important is the losses and maximize the return on investment from their
cost of these losses to operators: In a utility-scale solar transformer fleet?

Transforming revenue ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­5 3

 1 Most solar farms operate significantly below their peak output most of the time.
Example data for a solar plant at latitude 45.3 ºN.

4,500
4,205
4,000

3,500

3,000

Hours at % load
2,500

2,000
1,489
1,500

1,000 788 788 788

701
500

0
80 – 100 60 – 80 40 – 60 20 – 40 > 0 – 20 0

Hours (%)

Transformer losses
Transformer efficiency is impacted by the
inverter output: As the load increases, so
does the transformer load loss. However,
losses also arise when there is no load
as energy is consumed when voltage is
applied to magnetize the iron core. These

T
losses are independent of the load and
he European Union Ecodesign will be present as long as the transformer
Directive, effective July 2015, remains energized.
provides consistent EU-wide
rules for improving the environ- The collector network of a utility-scale
mental performance of energy-related solar plant, which includes transformers,
products. A transformer is one such is sized to the peak inverter output. But,
product and the directive requires all averaged over a year, outputs usually do
transformers placed on the market to not exceed 20 to 30 percent of the peak
comply with strict new design specifica- value ➔ 1. Geographical location and the
tions that explicitly address transformer technology employed – eg, tracking sys-
losses. This trend toward the regulation tems – cause production variation from
of transformer losses is making owners site to site, therefore it is important to
and developers of solar plants pay closer know what the average of the inverter
attention to the overall costs of trans- output is so that transformer manufac-
formers – espe-
cially the fact
that while the It makes financial sense to use
capital costs of
the lower-loss lower-loss transformers: They
transformers
that are re-
cost slightly more to purchase,
quired to meet but increase lifetime revenues.
new efficiency
directives may
be slightly higher than those of “stan- turers can customize their designs to
dard” transformers, the lifetime costs are minimize whichever loss component has
lower. The lifetime cost should take into the greatest impact. In the case of solar
consideration not only the purchase plants, no-load losses become a signifi-
Title picture
Even though they are generally very efficient, price, installation costs, maintenance cant proportion of total losses because
the sheer number of transformers in the field means costs, etc. but also the future revenue of the lower average output.
that a substantial amount of energy is being lost. not realized because of losses – a reve-
How can operators reduce these losses and
nue loss that will be greater than the Comparing the cost of losses
get more from their fleet investments? Pictured is
a solar MV station including a low-loss transformer ­initial purchase price. Solar farm owners seek to maximize their
and switchgear. return on investment by operating as

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­5 4 ABB review 2|15

2 Example data for a transformer capital cost and performance (transformer prices are for
illustration purposes only) Losses also arise
Transformer options when there is no
Transformer kVA
Voltage
(V)
No-load loss
(W)
Load loss
(W)
Purchase price
($) load as energy is
1: Regular grain-oriented steel 2,500 20,000/400 2,782 23,682 21,600
consumed when
2: High-permeability steel 2,500 20,000/400 1,747 21,861 25,700
voltage is applied
to magnetize the
iron core.
3 Energy comparison: The low-loss transformer results in increased annual revenue

Energy sales for both transformers

Load Transformer 1 Transformer 2

factor Hours
(%) Energy sales Price Energy Energy sales Price Energy
(MWh) ($/MWh) sales ($) (MWh) ($/MWh) sales ($)

100   701 1,733 130 225,349 1,735 130 225,609

80   788 1,563 130 203,138 1,564 130 203,363

60   788 1,174 130 152,565 1,175 130 152,739

40   788 783 130 101,800 784 130 101,937

20 1,489 739 130 96,037 740 130 96,253

0 4,205 -12 -65 -760 -7 -65 -477

Total 778,128 779,424

close to capacity as possible, while mini- per year. This illustration is for a 2.5 MW
mizing losses across the collector net- installation, however the saving can be
work. Capital investment aimed at lower- scaled up linearly for larger installations.
ing losses and increasing efficiency is
decided upon depending on the calcu- Note the negative energy sales during
lated return. As an example of such an times of zero inverter output, indicating
evaluation, two liquid-filled transformers the solar site is purchasing power from
can be compared: One using a grain- the grid to energize the transformer and
oriented steel that exhibits “standard” collector network ➔ 3. This represents
losses and a low-loss unit, using a high- the no-load or core losses that are
quality, high-permeability steel that con- ­a lways present when the transformer is
forms to the new EU directive. The cost energized.
of future losses based on the loading
profile shown earlier can be calculated After the revenue calculation, the next
for these two, assuming: step is to calculate if the additional pur-
– The average price of energy sold is chase price for the lower-loss transform-
$130/MWh. er is worth the investment. The calcula-
– The average price of the (nighttime) tion incorporates the initial purchase
energy purchased is 50 percent of cost of the transformers and the in-
average selling price. creased annual revenue that can be
achieved with the increased efficiency of
➔ 2 – 3 compare the net energy sales for the lower-loss transformer over its life-
these two transformer types. Transform- time (assumed to be 20 years).
er 1 is the standard unit and has a cumu-
lative total of 5,960 MWh available to sell, The financial argument for using lower-
which would yield a revenue of $778,128. loss transformers can be examined
Transformer 2, which has lower losses more closely by calculating the NPV (net
and uses Hi-B core steel, has 5,992 MWh present value) and the IRR (internal rate
available to sell, resulting in a revenue of return), using an interest rate of 8
of $779,424. Therefore, the lower-loss percent. The power purchase agree-
transformer increases revenue by $1,296 ment (PPA) price sensitivity graph in ➔ 4

Transforming revenue ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­5 5

 Depending on the 4 The PPA price sensitivity graph shows an IRR and NPV of the additional investment at
varying PPA prices.

site’s geographic 12,000 50

location and the 10,000

45

price paid for

40

35
8,000

nighttime energy, 30

NPV ($)

IRR (%)
6,000 25

it can also be 4,000

20

worthwhile to
15

10
2,000

­c onsider switching 0

NPV

IRR 5

the transformer 100 110 120 130 140

Power purchase agreement price ($/MWh)

150 160

out of the circuit

altogether to save
the nighttime shows an IRR and NPV of the additional In utility-scale solar plants, there is
­e nergy cost. investment at varying PPA prices. A
$130/MWh PPA would yield an IRR of
switchgear on the MV side of each of the
transformers to protect them and the MV
39 percent and an NPV of $8,726. This network from harm. The switchgear is
means the additional cost for the lower- ­either directly beside the transformer or
loss transformer is indeed a good in- further away in a collection station or grid
vestment. connection substation, depending on the
size and the design of the power plant. In
Switching out to save order to break the current, the switch-
Depending on the site’s geographic loca- gear is equipped either with a fuse switch
tion and the price paid for nighttime or a circuit breaker. While motorized fuse
­e nergy, it can also be worthwhile to con- switches can be operated up to 1,000
sider switching the transformer out of times, the circuit breaker can be operat-
the circuit altogether to save the night- ed several thousand times.
time energy cost. This can be done
with the help of medium-voltage (MV) Equipping switchgear with motorized cir-
switchgear. cuit breakers and remotely controlled
protection relays
allows automatic,
Equipping switchgear with or remotely oper-
ated, opening and
motorized circuit breakers and closing schemes

remotely controlled protection to de-energize the

transformers. The
relays allows automatic, or additional invest-
ment required de-
remotely operated, opening pends on the plant

and closing schemes to design and can in-

volve simply chang-
de-energize the transformers. ing fuses to circuit
breakers, motoriz-
ing existing circuit
ABB has a wide selection of switchgear breakers or adding motorized circuit
suitable for application in solar installa- breakers. The protection relays may also
tions – for example, SafeRing/SafePlus need to be changed or have communi-
or UniSec secondary switchgear. ABB’s cation equipment added to enable re-
green policy ensures a focus on envi- mote control of the circuit breaker.
ronmental factors during the manufac-
ture and over the life span of the switch- The savings achieved by doing this de-
gears. pends on the length of time each day the
panels are not producing electricity and

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­5 6 ABB review 2|15

5 Energy purchase price sensitivity of the additional investment for switchgear on NPV and IRR for the
regular grain-oriented steel transformer, for the case where the existing circuit breaker is motorized Savings are heavily
7,000 140
dependent on facil-
6,000
130 ity design: If circuit
breakers were
120

5,000 110

4,000
100
already planned
NPV ($)

IRR (%)
90
3,000 80 for, simply motoriz-
ing them would
2,000 70

60

enable the opera-

1,000
NPV IRR 50

0 40
30 40 50 60 70

Nighttime energy purchase price ($/MWh)

80 90
tor to de-energize
the transformers.

how many mechanical operations the $580 per year of energy savings, assum-
circuit breakers can withstand. Obvious- ing energy costs of 65 $/MWh and that
ly, in solar power plants, no electricity is the transformer was de-energized during
produced at nighttime and to de-ener- winter when the nights are longest and
gize a transformer every night and re- solar irradiation lowest. This adds up to
energize it every morning over a 20-year 3,226 hours and 9 MWh energy savings
lifetime, each circuit breaker would have annually in the case of Transformer 1
to be operated 14,600 times. This poses (compare with ➔ 3). The return on the
a challenge because the circuit breakers additional investment would be a 97 per-
in secondary switchgear are usually lim- cent IRR and $4,750 NPV. Therefore, the
ited to a maximum of 10,000 mechanical additional investment in motorized circuit
operations. breakers would be worthwhile ➔ 5.

In smaller power plants (under 10 MW), Savings are heavily dependent on plant
the solution is to either replace the circuit design: If circuit breakers were already
breaker after 10,000 operations or simply planned for, simply motorizing them
limit the number of operations to this fig- would enable the operator to de-ener-
ure over the transformer lifetime. In larger gize the transformers. In installations
solar power plants, which utilize primary with smaller transformers in which the
switchgear either in the collection sta- fuse-switch option is viable, changing
tions or in the grid connection substation, them to motorized circuit breakers may
it may be viable to invest in motor-operat- also be a good investment – depending
ed circuit breakers that are capable of on the energy costs.
30,000 mechanical operations. While
more expensive, the number of circuit ABB can offer support in both the inter-
breakers required would be fewer be- nal power plant network design and the
cause the primary switchgear in collec- selection of the appropriate products to
tion substations and grid connection reach the most optimal solution from
substations is connected to several MV both the original investment and total
stations within the facility. cost of ownership point of view.

For example, ABB’s UniSec secondary

switchgear can be fitted with a circuit Patrick Rohan
breaker capable of 10,000 operations at ABB Power Products, Transformers
up to a 24 kV voltage level. A UniSec Waterford, Ireland
switchgear with a motorized vacuum cir- patrick.rohan@ie.abb.com
cuit breaker could cost the site develop-
er as little as $ 600 more than a nonmo- Tero Kalliomaa
torized option. However, the savings ABB Power Products, Medium Voltage Products
from de-energizing the transformers Vaasa, Finland
overnight would generate an additional tero.kalliomaa@fi.abb.com

Transforming revenue ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­5 7

 Next-
1 Example of photovoltaic applications: commercial 20

generation
components
g
Advanced low-voltage components
for next-generation 1,500 V DC
utility-scale PV solar applications

ALLEN AUSTIN, FEDERICO MAI – Solar photovoltaics is the fastest growing

renewable energy source in the world and ABB, a leading industry
supplier, is committed to meeting the needs of this rapidly developing
industry by providing a complete portfolio of products, systems and
solutions for photovoltaics applications. To date it has met the challenge
of the next-generation advanced component design by introducing a
new line of 1,500 V DC low-voltage components that ensures safe
processing of 1,500 V DC power, including reduced power losses, t
reduced number of poles, visible blade technology, integrated heat
dissipating and advanced arc extinguishing technologies.

A
s the solar photovoltaic (PV) in- and voltage/current sensors. Some com- f c s

dustry continues to become an ponents are rated up to 3,000 A / 1,500 V

increasingly important share of DC and carry various certifications, UL
the energy mix, the balance of and IEC included.
system component technology is con-
tinually evolving to help lower the cost of Adapting to the solar market
energy production. In the past few years, Clearly 1,500 V DC is not new – for in-
the industry has seen a tremendous stance it is used in rail applications – but
jump from 600 V DC inputs to 1,000 V adapting it to the solar market has The new products also ensure safe pro-
DC inputs, which represent the majority brought certain challenges. cessing of 1,500 V DC power, as well as
of utility-scale solar PV installations. The reduced power losses, reduced number
next step in this trend is systems with A major challenge has been the issue of of poles, visible blade technology, inte-
1,500 V DC inputs, which, by increasing higher voltage requirements affecting the grated heat dissipating and advanced
the voltage level, enable higher power design of the system and insulation re- arc extinguishing technologies.
output capability by up to 50 percent – quirements. Temperature is an additional
thus decreasing system losses and bal- aspect that has to be addressed with In addition to the increased voltage, the
ance-of-plant costs. components in the PV plant having to new products can also handle more cur-
operate at higher temperatures, often rent – up to 6,000 A depending on the
ABB has developed 1,500 V DC low-volt- reaching 70°  C. Additionally, compo- device. This allows for utility-scale PV
age components in order to process this nents for the 1,500 V DC PV utility-scale combiner boxes and inverters to handle
new power. These components include installations may have to be designed for more power. Some of the new products
switches, molded-case circuit breakers, bidirectional current flow. can handle two 1,500 V DC inputs simul-
contactors, surge protection devices taneously.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­5 8 ABB review 2|15

to 1,000 kW

b
v w u
r

Id kWh kWh

c d h ID+GPD
q

p h
e j k n
m
i

Id kWh kWh

ID

Low-voltage products Solar inverters

a – Contactors: GAF series, IOR bar contactors i –  M olded-case circuit breakers: Tmax r – Central inverters: PVS 800
b – DC string boxes: j –  S urge protective devices: OVR T1 / T2 Remote monitoring portal
Switchboards: Gemini series, k –  C ontactors: A and AF series
Consumer units: Europa series l – Insulation monitoring devices: CM-IWN String monitoring
c – Fuse disconnectors: E 90 PV; Fuses: E 9F PV m – Power supplies s –  P LC AC500
d – Surge protective devices: OVR PV n – E nergy meters: EQ meters t –  C urrent Measurement System (CMS)
e – Fuse disconnectors: E 90 o –  Residual current device blocks: DDA 200 B
f – Switches: OTDC series, Residual current devices: F202 PV B and F204 B Medium-voltage products
Miniature circuit-breaker disconnectors: S800 PV-M Miniature circuit breakers: S 200 u – S econdary switchgear
g – Miniature circuit breakers: S800 PV-S p – CM-UFD.M22 v –  D ry-type transformers
Miniature circuit breakers: S200 M UC Z q – ArTu switchboards w – Liquid-type (oil-filled) transformers
h – Switch disconnectors: Tmax PV x –  C ompact secondary substations

Already a leading supplier for all photovol-

taic applications, ABB can now also pro-
vide advanced solar components to its
customers that will allow them to begin
their own next-generation 1,500 V DC PV
utility-scale designs, thus enabling them
to benefit from higher efficiency and Allen Austin
­reduced costs for their systems  ➔ 1. ABB Low Voltage Products
Houston, TX, United States
allen.austin@us.abb.com

Federico Mai
ABB Low Voltage Products
Sesto San Giovanni, Italy
federico.mai@it.abb.com

Next-generation components ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­5 9

 Self generation
Photovoltaics play an essential role in
ABB’s Active Site technology

LEONARDO BOTTI, PHILIP JUNEAU – What is the best way to connect rooftop photovoltaic panels, and how can users
deploy them optimally? Photovoltaic technology has undergone a rapid transformation, both in terms of performance
and cost, and is reaching the brink of competitiveness with conventional generation. Its installation is already viable
without recourse to subsidies and incentives, and even with subsidy protection being decreased or abolished in many
countries, the sector is continuing to see strong growth. However, the shift from conventional generation to solar
generation is not just about replacing one source of power with another. It is also about a shift from centralized to
distributed generation. With commercial, communal and industrial sites consuming and generating electricity as well
as possibly having on-site storage, these sites are increasingly developing into microgrids. These microgrids need to
be optimally managed and connected to the macrogrid. This is the role of ABB’s Active Site technology.1 This technol-
ogy provides broad and comprehensive support for the emerging needs of the market. ABB provides an ideal solution
for connecting and managing on-site photovoltaics (PV) using a broad range of state-of-the-art three-phase string
inverters, including compact and outdoor devices and fast responding maximum power point tracking (MPPT).

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­6 0 ABB review 2|15

 1 Annual installed unsubsidized commercial and industrial PV

20,000

15,000

MW
10,000

5,000

0
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Year

Source: IHS, BNEF

installations can be achieved without sub- including the major utilities, whose role
sidies and can attain an IRR (internal rate will shift from being energy providers to
of return) of more than 6 percent and comprehensive energy service compa-
a payback period of under 10 years (with nies ➔ 2. Their ability to make this transi-
an equipment life span double this). The tion will be a key market success factor.

S
figures are even
ubsidies for photovoltaics (PV) more encouraging
in the main European markets for commercial build­ Presently, photovoltaic
have become unviable and are ings and industrial
being scaled down. Other ma- complexes where systems can be built
ture markets will soon be seeing the same
trend. But this is not bad news for solar
the IRR can rise
above 10 percent
without subsidies and can
energy generation. Significant cost reduc- and the payback generate an IRR of more
tions and rising retail tariffs have turned time fall below sev-
PV from a heavily subsidized and marginal en years – making than 6 percent.
technology into a mainstream and com- them the best can-
petitive source of power. Not only com- didates to imple-
mercial users, but also residential house- ment Active Site technology. Active Site Enabling factors will be:
holds, are installing solar generation can control and optimize the microgrid – Smart distribution capabilities (ability
systems on their roofs to reduce their and its interface to the macrogrid, ensur- to master the technological complex-
electrical bills. The self-consumption ing an optimization of energy usage and ity of the evolving grid)
model, enabling residents to become costs while permitting the microgrid to – Expertise in energy management
“pro-sumers,” means they can use ener- fully participate in the smart grid. (experience in grid management as
gy generated on the premises, while also well as the necessary hardware and
being able to either sell surplus or buy ad- In mature markets such as Europe and software tools)
ditional power as needed. Presently, such the United States the self-consumption – Technical prowess (expertise, profes-
model appears to work well, being finan- sionalism and experience as well as
cially viable and overall self-sustainable. recognition by customers and end
Many analysis and research studies fore- users)
Title picture
Hospitals, campuses and factories, rather than cast that over 20 percent of electricity
being pure consumers of electricity, are increasingly demand will be replaced by self-pro- Distributed generation with PV
also generating it. This picture of ABB’s inverter duced solar power by 2020 in these An electricity bill is an important expense
factory in Helsinki, Finland shows the company is
countries, thanks to over 60 GW of un- at all consumption levels, from a single
no exception. ABB’s Active Site technology can
help manage such sites and connect them to the subsidized roof installations planned to apartment to a large industrial complex.
grid. occur within this timeframe ➔ 1. Being able to manage and control energy
consumption is an important factor in
In this scenario, with customer needs cost control. On a commercial or indus-
Footnote
reaching a higher complexity level than trial campus there are many different
1 For more information regarding ABB’s Active Site
technology, please refer to “Active Site” on ever before, competitiveness will be even load profiles, characterized by individual
page 34 in ABB Review 4/2014. more challenging for all energy providers, buildings and objects. These profiles are

Self generation ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­6 1

 2 Energy services environment presenting the greatest potential for utilities

Ancillary services

Transmission
Distribution

Tech support Data

exchange

heavily influenced by factors such as the cluded) of 17 cents/kWh (0,156 EUR/kWh),

Power generation weather, hourly usage profiles, etc. To results in a substantial savings of over
manage this users must first implement a $150,000/year (140.000 EUR/year) with
using small and process to measure, analyze and deter- a payback of slightly more than six years

flexible modules mine the demand and consumption pro-

files on an equipment or asset level. This
and an IRR of 11.5 percent. ABB’s solu-
tion to achieving this goal is combining
within the electrical is possible by harnessing the plethora of 24 units of TRIO-27.6-S2X and a single
energy meters, sensors and other mea- VSN-700-05 monitoring system, along
grid is crucial to surement components within the build- with environmental sensors, low-voltage

achieving a truly ing automation system. breakers and ancillary protections.

decentralized Combining this data can not only provide Local intelligence and virtual power
a detailed and precise overview of pres- plants
­e lectrical system. ent load profiles, but also help better Power generation using small and flexible
forecast future ones. With this detailed modules within the electrical grid is cru-
data available, and combined with other cial to achieving a truly decentralized
pertinent information about the site, electrical system. An Active Site featuring
­d etermining the best on-site generation distributed solar generation is the most
capability is a relatively small next step. effective way to attain this goal. Under
certain conditions, such installations can
To use a real-life example, a small indus- become virtual power plants (VPPs), fea-
trial plant in Italy is evaluated ➔ 3. The turing a continuous exchange of data be-
plant, which manufactures plastic enclo- tween microsites and the grid. VPPs en-
sures, was seeking to improve its energy able the provision of system services in
performance by installing a PV installa- the transmission and distribution network
tion on its roof. Following a detailed anal- (eg, control power in the so called “minute
ysis of the electricity demand and con- reserve capacity”) configured by combin-
sumption, with over 10.6 GWh annual ing loads from end-use equipment with
power expenditure, a profile was deter­ emergency generating units and distrib-
mined ➔ 3b. uted generation. The VPP aggregates the
electrical output from a multitude of ob-
The shape of the curve is a good repre- jects and makes this supply available to
sentation of the load activation time and the distribution system. When requested,
perfectly matches solar availability ➔ 3a. the VPP controls the immediate dispatch
Through simulations and analysis of all of electrical output to the connected
the different variables, ABB determined plants, contributing to grid stability.
that the most effective solution was a
700 kW PV installation. This solution per- ABB’s three-phase string inverters fitted
mits the site to consume 1.1 GWh/year in industrial campuses as well as in com-
and, assuming an electricity rate (taxes in­ mercial buildings play a crucial role in

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­6 2 ABB review 2|15

3 Real world example: factory in Italy

800,000 800,000

700,000 700,000

Consumption profile (Wh)

Energy balancing (Wh)

600,000 600,000

500,000 500,000

400,000 400,000

300,000 300,000

200,000 200,000

100,000 100,000

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Time (h) Time (h)

PV self-consumption
Buy from grid
Machines Lighting

Electric consumption
PV energy
HVAC
Other

3a Daily energy balancing at site with local PV 3b Daily consumption profile for the site

bringing these Active Sites to the VPP – Avoids replacement of old and/or and operating schemes provided by the
level. Thanks to their multiple maximum obsolete power plants with new grid operators balance the energy opera-
power point tracking (MPPT), these in- power generation facilities (capex tion of the site with the aim of minimizing
verters can maximize site production. avoidance). This is a critical item in wastage and meeting network fluctua-
many countries where massive tions. ABB solar inverters can communi-
Looking at grid requirements in detail, investments are the main alternative. cate using a range of protocols including
the ABB inverter product lines PVI, – Reduces expenses on legacy grids by ModBus, TCP/IP and RS 485 as well as
TRIO and PRO provide a wide range of leveraging the Internet of Things with open gateways. They are fully integrated
reactive power and fault ride through the use of applications (apps) via into the building automation system and
functions. Coupled with frequency/ smart tablets and smartphones. Such can exchange data continuously with the
voltage management control, they end-user apps will help reduce overall Active Site energy management
make an important contribution to net- general and administrative efforts. system.
work stability. The benefits of VPPs for – Extraordinary ability to perform
energy providers include: real-time diagnostics when faults PV installations are a vital part of ABB’s
– The option of “trimming” electrical occur with the opportunity to perform Active Site concept. Coupled with a
demand peaks, thus securing a higher effective preemptive interventions, company’s energy storage and building
stability level for the energy produc- thus saving on maintenance expenses automation technologies, the PV installa-
tion facilities. This indirectly provides (opex). tions have a vital part to play in energy
independence and sustainability.
Communications
Algorithms and operating Optimizing a site’s
self-consumption
schemes provided by the grid is the way to make

operators balance the energy the most of solar-

based electricity,
operation of the site with the but to do so re-
quires a continu-
aim of minimizing wastage and ous and reliable

meeting network fluctuations. exchange of data

between the differ-
ent participants in Leonardo Botti
consistent savings in terms of the the decentralized electrical system, namely ABB Discrete Automation and Motion,
additional costs otherwise required to generators, loads and the grid. ABB’s Power Conversion
meet higher peaks for short periods. Active Site architecture bases its commu- Terranuova Bracciolini, Italy
– Reduces the need for backup nication on multiple protocols to ensure leonardo.botti@it.abb.com
systems due to the lower consump- that all possible inputs are analyzed and
tion and the better energy flow managed by the Active Site control system. Philip Juneau
management achieved. This allows The system’s communication connects ABB Low Voltage Products, Building Automation
closing legacy generation plants loads, switches, sensors and meters and Zurich, Switzerland
(capex reduction). distributed solar generators. Algorithms philip.juneau@ch.abb.com

Self generation ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­6 3

Steady as a rock
Two PCS100 AVC products now designed
for different applications

DARIO ROZMAN – Even developed countries equipped with production shortages. In developing countries, or regions
modern power networks are not immune to voltage problems. with a weak power supply, the main problem is poorly
While outages may be rare, the voltage problems caused by regulated voltage. Without the correct voltage, the reliable
weather, network faults or “digger-through-the-power-cable” process operation may not be possible. If the voltage is low
type events are ever-present. With modern industry employ- or imbalanced then the overheating of motors is a particular
ing more and more automation, the sensitivity of processes to concern. ABB’s PCS100 AVC products are designed to
such power quality events is increasing. Even an event lasting protect industry from voltage events, allowing companies
less than a few cycles can cause processes to unexpectedly to get on with what they do best.
stop – potentially resulting in product damage, wastage and

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­6 4 ABB review 2|15

 1 PCS100 AVC-40 schematic

Utility voltage PCS100 AVC-40 Load voltage

compensating voltage

Input
circuit
breaker PCS100 AVC-40 Injection
transformer
Three-phase Three-phase
utility supply protected load
Auxiliary
circuit
breaker

Autotransformer Inverter &

(220 V models only) bypass

Rectifier

power – ABB’s PCS100 Active Voltage current required to make up the correc-
Conditioner (AVC). tion voltage from the utility supply. With-

O
out the ongoing maintenance costs typi-
ften, industrial sites are lo- The PCS100 AVC product cally associated with batteries, the cost
cated close together – for ex- ABB has a variety of power protection of ownership of PCS100 AVC systems is
ample, in an industrial park or products and the PCS100 AVC is unique very low.
in a particular area of a city. If among these. Specifically designed for
one user in this cluster disrupts the utility industrial and large commercial applica- Furthermore, the PCS100 AVC contains
voltage – by starting a large motor, for tions, the PCS100 AVC is able to re- a bypass system that, in the event of a
example – the others can be affected by fault within the
power supply sag or fluctuation. Weather PCS100 AVC, en-
events or faults in other parts of the util- The PCS100 AVC-40 responds sures that the load
ity network can also cause the voltage to continues to be
sag well below its nominal value and stay to voltage sags or swells supplied from the
there for many cycles.
within several milliseconds utility.

Such voltage variations can cause sensi- and can inject up to 40 per- The PCS100 AVC
tive production equipment to stop. If a is available with
production line stops, it has to be re- cent voltage correction. ratings from 150 kVA
started and this can be a complicated to 3.6 MVA and is
and very expensive exercise. Equipment realized in a low-
damage caused by power quality events spond instantly to voltage sags and voltage switchgear cabinet ➔ 3. It offers
can be even more costly. Further, equip- surges, correct for voltage imbalances precise online voltage control, a proven
ment can be very dependent on a stable and remove voltage flicker. and dependable converter platform, so-
power supply to deliver a good-quality phisticated control software and an effi-
end product. The PCS100 AVC consists of two con- ciency of 99 percent. The PCS100 AVC
verters that are not in the current path product portfolio now has two products
It is best, then, for companies exposed between the load and the utility. Instead, designed for different applications:
to the risk of an uncertain power supply the corrective voltage injection is – The PCS100 AVC-40 – designed for
to invest in equipment that ensures a achieved by means of a transformer customers who have a stable net-
constant supply of clean, high-quality winding placed between the utility and work, but one which may be suscep-
the sensitive load ➔ 1 – 2. This configura- tible to voltage sags caused by
tion delivers a very efficient and effective external factors such as weather, etc.
voltage correction. – The PCS100 AVC-20 for continuous
Title picture
voltage regulation. This product is
ABB’s PCS100 AVC corrects voltage sags or
fluctuations and ensures a supply of high-quality The PCS100 AVC does not require bat- ideal for customers whose network is
power to critical loads. tery storage as it draws the additional weak and unstable.

Steady as a rock ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­6 5

 The PCS100 AVC 2 The PCS100 AVC

does not need

batteries as it
draws the addi-
tional current
required to make
up the correction
voltage from the
utility supply.

Each product is specifically engineered voltage sags down to 45 percent of the

to fix different types of common utility nominal voltage are fully corrected.
power supply problems.
For three-phase sag events, the PCS100
PCS100 AVC-40 Active Voltage AVC-40 can restore voltage that has
Conditioner for sag correction sagged to 50 percent back to the 90
The PCS100 AVC-40 responds to volt- percent level, thus guaranteeing contin-
age sags or swells within several milli- ued plant operation. The AVC can sus-
seconds and can inject a voltage correc- tain this correction for 10 seconds. This
tion of up to 40 percent. For example, if performance amply covers the sag dura-
a facility was faced with a voltage that tions experienced by customers. Thus,
sagged to 60 percent of its nominal val- plant operation is well protected against
ue, the PCS100 AVC-40 would boost the the two main aspects of voltage sags –
voltage back to 100 percent. No lights depth and duration.

For single phase, the PCS100 AVC-40

The PCS100 AVC can correct sags of up to 30 percent
remaining voltage back to 90 percent,
­
contains an inter- guaranteeing continued plant operation.

nal bypass system The AVC can perform this correction for
10 seconds at this voltage level. Again
that, in the event this is more than covering the sag dura-
tions experienced by customers.
of a fault with the
AVC, ensures that In addition, the PCS100 AVC-40 is able
to continuously correct voltage fluctua-
the load is continu- tions of ±10 percent in the mains voltage
and even remove imbalances from the
ally supplied from supply voltage.

the utility. The product is rated from 150 kVA to

3.6 MVA and is available for 220 V, 400 V
would dim and no equipment would trip and 480 V. Special voltages and powers
– business would go on as usual. This up to several MVA are available as cus-
example applies to three-phase power; tomized designs.
performance is even better for single-
phase sags (the most common type):

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­6 6 ABB review 2|15

3 PCS100 AVC-20 schematic
Rated at up to
Utility voltage PCS100 AVC-20
compensating voltage
Load voltage 3 MVA, the
PCS100 AVC-20
Input
circuit
Injection
ensures continuous
voltage regulation
breaker PCS100 AVC-20
transformer
Three-phase Three-phase
utility supply protected load
Auxiliary
circuit to 100 percent for
voltage fluctuations
breaker

Inverter &
bypass
of ±20 percent of
the mains voltage.
Rectifier
It also removes any
imbalances from
the supply voltage.

PCS100 AVC-20 Active Voltage The PCS100 AVC-40 and AVC-20 prod-
Conditioner for voltage regulation ucts both feature a large touch-screen
Rated at up to 3 MVA, the PCS100 AVC- LCD, through which the device can be
20 ensures continuous voltage regula- operated and detailed event logs ac-
tion to 100 percent for voltage fluctua- cessed. An integrated Web server allows
tions of ±20 percent of the mains voltage. remote access and emails can be sent to
The PCS100 AVC-20 also removes any those concerned when a power quality
imbalances from the supply voltage ➔ 3. event occurs.

If the voltage fluctuations are even high- Modern factories with sophisticated
er, the PCS100 AVC-20 will undertake a equipment face continuous threats from
partial correction, with a voltage injection power utility network events such as
of up to 20 percent. For example, with sags and surges. By installing ABB’s
mains voltage drops of 30 percent, it PCS100 AVC they are equipping them-
corrects to 90 percent of the nominal selves with a sophisticated layer of pro-
voltage – keeping voltage levels inside tection that improves their bottom line by
standard specifications of most electrical dramatically reducing downtime, scrap
equipment. material, poor product quality, lost pro-
duction time and reduced plant mainte-
Common features nance.
The PCS100 AVC has several advantages
over competitors’ devices:
– Small dimensions: Space is often an
issue in industrial environments and
the compact dimensions of the
PCS100 AVC allow it to be installed
in small spaces.
– High reliability: An integrated bypass,
and industrial-grade overload and
fault capacity contribute to the high
reliability.
– Lowest total cost of ownership:
The absence of energy storage
(batteries), low maintenance and high Dario Rozman
efficiency mean running costs are low. ABB Discrete Automation and Motion
Napier, New Zealand
dario.rozman@nz.abb.com

Steady as a rock ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­6 7

 Safe and
powerful
Dry transformers for subtransmission

MARTIN CARLEN, MARIANO BERROGAIN – ABB’s recent innovative power transformer,

the HiDry72, is now in operation in a number of substations around the globe.
With HiDry72, ABB has paved the way for dry-type transformer use to move from
distribution applications into the subtransmission voltage range. The very capable
and very safe oil-free technology behind this power transformer now allows
substations to be easily integrated into any building, with full peace of mind.
HiDry72 is particularly beneficial for substations located in cities and busy public
venues with hefty power requirements.

Title picture
Salvador da Bahia in Brazil, with the Arena Fonte
Nova stadium, which contains a 69 kV substation,
equipped with 69 kV / 25 MVA dry-type transform-
ers. Photo credit: World Cup Portal.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­6 8 ABB review 2|15

Safe and powerful ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­6 9
 nounced the launch of a dry-type power
transformer for the 72.5 kV voltage class
– HiDry72 [1]. HiDry stands for “high-volt-
age dry”; the superscript “72” indicates
the 72.5 kV voltage class.

Those responsible for the project were

intrigued by the idea that fire- and explo-
sion-proof dry transformer technology
could now be used not only for medium-
voltage (MV) applications, but also for
high-voltage (HV). It also became clear
that dry transformers allowed the most
straightforward design and layout, pro-
vided the most cost-efficient solution
and that their use would remove any
safety concerns about integrating the
substation into the stadium. Safety is a
primary aspect in a venue attended by
tens of thousands of spectators.

Dry transformer technology

In contrast to oil-insulated transformers,
dry transformers are air-insulated. This
has pros and cons: The dielectric
strength of oil is about eight times that of

A
air, so the dimensions of an oil-immersed
number of new stadiums transformer core and coils are smaller
were erected for the 2014 than the air-insulated equivalent. On the
FIFA World Cup in Brazil. One other hand, dry transformers need no
of the stadiums is the Arena bushings and oil spills cannot occur.
Fonte Nova in Salvador da Bahia, a city Their major advantage, though, is the
of 2.7 million, located on the Atlantic lack of inflammable oil and other com-
coast in central Brazil. The stadium has bustible materials. While a typical power
55,000 seats and is located in the center transformer contains several thousand
of the city ➔ title picture. liters of inflammable oil, the insulation
materials used in fire class F1 dry trans-
Electric power is supplied to this part of formers are self-extinguishing. Dry trans-
the city by a 69 kV subtransmission cable formers also provide an alternative to
line. With the demolition of the old stadi- gas-insulated transformers and are safer
um and construction of the new one, a to handle.
nearby outdoor substation had to be
­replaced. The substation site was on a There are a number of different technolo-
planned recreational space, so the local gies used for dry transformers – like
v acuum cast coil
­
(VCC), RESIBLOC®
Dry transformers need no and Open Wound
– with each offer-
bushings and oil spills cannot ing different spe-

occur. Their major advantage, cial features. ➔ 1

shows the main
though, is the lack of inflam- components of a
VCC transformer.
mable oil and other combus-
tible materials. Between the pri-
mary and second-
ary coil of a VCC
energy provider came up with the idea of transformer is an air duct. Since the
integrating the new substation into the ­dielectric constant of the solid insulation
stadium under construction. Fortuitously, material around the winding is higher than
this was at the same time that ABB an- that of air, the electric field is mainly taken

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­7 0 ABB review 2|15

1 Dry transformer 2 HiDry72 characteristics

Primary voltage Up to 72.5 kV

Rated power Up to 63 MVA

Lightning impulse 325 kV for IEC

h voltage 350 kV for ANSI/IEEE

g Short-duration AC 140 kV for IEC

c withstand voltage 140 kV for ANSI/IEEE

Secondary voltage Up to 36 kV

Connection group Y or D

Partial discharge <10pC

b a – Primary coil (HV)
b – Secondary coil (LV, inside)
Insulation class F (155°C) or H (180°C)
c – HV coil terminal (top)
d – HV coil terminal (bottom)
e – Delta connecting bars Environmental class E2

a f – Taps
g – Transformer core Climatic class C2
f h – Core clamps
e i – Entry of cold cooling air Fire class F1

AN, ANAF, AFAF, AFWF

d A: air
Cooling W: water
N: natural convection
i F: forced convection

Tapping and OLTC 17 positions (± 8 x 1.25%)

No enclosure, or IP and
NEMA (National Electrical
Enclosure Manufacturers Association)
indoor or outdoor enclosure
according to requirements

up by the air in the duct. The size of the plications dry transformer technology al-
air duct needs to be large enough to with- ready strongly dominates, in MV applica- While a typical
stand lightning impulse testing. Each tions oil-immersed units are still the most
transformer is tested for partial discharge prominent. For HV applications, besides power transformer
(a partial discharge level below 10 pC is
required). This guarantees that the solid
a few units using SF 6 gas insulation, oil-
immersed types predominate as well.
contains several
insulation is of high enough quality and is HiDry72 transformers are the first series thousand liters of
free from voids. air-insulated transformers for the 72.5 kV
voltage class. inflammable oil,
The same air duct also provides a flow of
cooling air, which enters at the bottom HiDry characteristics and technology
fire class F1 dry
and creates a self-sustaining flow thanks HiDry 72 is available for power ratings up transformers are
to the chimney effect. This provides an to 63 MVA in either three-phase or sin-
automatic regeneration of the insulating gle-phase solutions. It offers the same self-extinguishing.
air. Additional air ducts are located be- functionality as an oil-immersed power
tween the low-voltage (LV) coils and core transformer [2, 3] – including on-load volt-
legs. The HV coils are also cooled on their age regulation using a dry-type on-load
outer surface. For transformers with high tap changer (OLTC). The OLTC offers a
power ratings, additional air ducts can be regulation range of ±10 percent ➔ 2.
introduced into the LV and HV coils.
HiDry72 transformers use the same base
The windings can be made from an alu- technology as is used for MV applica-
minum or copper conductor, depending tions and is available in ABB’s VCC and
on customer preference. Incoming ca- RESIBLOC dry transformer implementa-
bles or open busbars are directly con- tions. But the demands placed on trans-
nected to the HV coils. formers for subtransmission voltage lev-
els are much higher than those placed
Globally, there is a significant trend to- on distribution transformers: The higher
ward using more dry transformers. The voltage, higher rated power and in-
market potential is large: While for LV ap- creased range for voltage regulation

Safe and powerful ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­7 1

 3 The dielectric behavior of air is a critical factor in the transformer design.

Streamer Streamer Leader

inception propagation propagation

2.6 kV/mm
0.1-0.2 kV/mm
Voltage (a.u.)

0.5 kV/mm
d

Distance d between electrodes (a.u.)

3a The green curve represents the withstand voltage for a sphere-plane 3b Evaluation of prospective discharge path by dielectric simulations
arrangement [1].

4 HiDry72 69 kV substation in Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, with transformer and GIS installation

Access to arena

Transformer PASS
Seats

r­equire complex dielectric, thermal and for which HiDry72 is ideally suited due to
Globally, there is a mechanical problems to be solved. its excellent fire-safety properties.

significant trend In particular, when going beyond the HiDry 72 transformers use an epoxy resin

toward using more 36 kV voltage class a thorough under-

standing of gas breakdown physics is
for the casting of the coils. Epoxy resin is
a thermosetting polymer that – in con-
dry transformers required in order to minimize dielectric trast to thermoplastic polymers – does
distances in air ➔ 3. Distances are mini- not melt at elevated temperatures. The
and the potential mized by introducing shielding rings in resin is filled with a large amount of non-

market is large. the windings, shielding core parts, and

applying multiple-barrier concepts and
combustible silica – either small sand
particles or glass fiber – which, in case of
barrier arrangements. These techniques fire, takes up heat and reduces the com-
influence the local electric field distribu- bustion temperature. When subjected to
tion and determine discharge paths. high temperatures, the epoxy does not
spontaneously ignite but, rather, de-
Fire safety – decisive for indoor and grades and starts to degas and oxidize.
underground substations Once the external input of heat stops or
HV substations in city centers are mostly an external fire extinguishes, this pro-
located in special buildings, mainly be- cess ceases. Thus, the HiDry72 trans-
cause of transformer fire and explosion former never poses a flammability risk.
risk. However, growing use of HV in in-
ner-city settings and decreasing space Flammability testing
availability makes the integration of HV Transformers of fire class F1 (which is
substations into public or private build- based on the IEC 60076-11:2004 stan-
ings very desirable – a market situation dard) have restricted flammability and the

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­7 2 ABB review 2|15

5 HiDry72 69 kV/25 MVA transformer at the Arena Fonte Nova

5a With dry OLTC (on the left) 5b PASS M00 72.5 kV SF6 /air hybrid switchgear

ABB’s experience
HiDry transformers offer
72 of dry transformers
with internal fail-
the same functionality as oil- ures is that they

immersed power transformers do not explode or

eject parts. Nor-
– including on-load voltage mally the coils
crack, local arcing
regulation using a dry-type and carbonization

OLTC. occurs, and some

smoke is generat-
ed. Depending on
the fault, the sys-
tem protection will
then disconnect
emission of toxic substances and opaque the transformer or the temperature sen-
smokes is minimized. The F1 fire behavior sor will detect a tripping temperature [4].
test is performed with one complete
phase of a transformer – comprising HV Arena Fonte Nova substation, Brazil
and LV coils, the core leg and insulation The 69 kV substation installation in the
components. A container filled with ethyl Arena Fonte Nova stadium has a redun-
alcohol is placed below the coil and the dant configuration of two transformers
alcohol is ignited. An electrical heating and two sets of HV switchgear ➔ 4. The
panel, representing an additional external transformers are placed below the ac-
heat source, is placed along one side of cess area of the stadium, very close to
the HV coil, irradiating it with 24 kW. The the grandstand. Open busbars fixed to
test is performed in a standardized test the ceiling of the electric room connect
chamber and the temperature and optical switchgear and transformers. The sub-
transmission properties of the exhaust station was put into operation in spring
gas are measured. 2013, well in time for hosting 2013 FIFA
Confederations Cup games.
It is very important that the exhaust gas-
es are not of poisonous or of a highly The 25 MVA transformers connect on the
corrosive nature since they can flow into secondary side to the MV switchgear ➔ 5.
other parts of the building or be distrib- They have a secondary voltage that
uted via the ventilation system and may is switchable between 11.95  kV and
affect a large number of people. High 13.8 kV. The transformer coils are made
transparency of the smoke allows people with VCC technology, which provides ro-
to orient themselves and find emergency bust windings (E2 environmental class)
exits. and good protection from environmental

Safe and powerful ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­7 3

 6 HiDry72 31.5 MVA / 66 kV dry power transformer at CESI test lab for 7 16 MVA / 45 kV dry transformer with OLTC and enclosure for
short-circuit testing installation in an outdoor substation in Sweden

pollution and humidity. The transformer zero ➔ 7. The RESIBLOC coils are quali-
is cooled by natural convection. It is tested fied for temperatures down to -60°C.
for a lightning impulse voltage of 350 kV.
Future substations
The dry-type OLTC is installed in front of Combining gas-insulated switchgear
the transformer, with each phase having with HiDry72 transformers allows very
its own unit. The OLTC uses vacuum in- compact substations to be constructed
terrupters for switching. It is configured and easily integrated into any building.
to provide a regulation range of +4/-12 HiDry 72 transformers can deliver higher
percent in 1.25 percent steps. Both voltages and more power to urban areas
transformer and OLTC are fenced off in without the need to build additional sub-
order to avoid unintentional personnel stations. The very positive experience
contact, but no enclosure is required. achieved so far with the 72.5 kV dry
power transformer suggests that the Martin Carlen
Seville inner-city substation, Spain portfolio of dry transformers should be ABB Power Products, Transformers
There are now many HiDry72 transform- extended to the next-higher voltage Zurich, Switzerland
ers installed around the world. In Seville, class. martin.carlen@ch.abb.com
Spain, for example, Endesa, the largest
electrical utility in the country, decided Mariano Berrogain
to replace the existing oil-filled power ABB Power Products, Transformers
transformers in two substations with Zaragoza, Spain
HiDry72 transformers in order to eliminate mariano.berrogain@es.abb.com
any related risk for the neighborhood.
Each substation has two transformers.
One of the 31.5 MVA, 66/22 kV, OLTC
References
(±8 x 1.25 percent) transformers was suc-
[1] M. Carlen et al., “Transformer innovation:
cessfully short-circuit tested at the CESI Dry-type transformers for the 72.5 kV voltage
independent testing facility in Italy, class – safe and ecological,” Advanced
against the relevant requirements of Research Workshop on Transformers, Santiago
de Compostela, Spain, 2010, pp. 8–13.
IEC 60076-5 ➔ 6. The OLTC was mount-
[2] M. Carlen and M. Berrogain, “Dry-type
ed on the transformer. This was the larg- transformers for the subtransmission voltage
est power rating of a dry transformer level,” presented at the EEA 2014 Conference,
ever tested at CESI. Auckland, New Zealand, 2014.
[3] A. Pedersen et al., “Streamer inception and
propagation models for designing air insulated
Similarly, the utility in Ulricehamn, Swe- power devices,” IEEE Conference on Electrical
den needed to replace an outdoor oil- Insulation and Dielectric Phenomena, Virginia
immersed transformer in a forest. The Beach, VA, 2009.
[4] M. Carlen et al., “Dry-type subtransmission
utility decided to install a 45/11  kV,
transformer: Compact and safe indoor
16  MVA HiDry transformer and OLTC, substations,” paper A2-304, presented at the
thus reducing the environmental risk to 2014 CIGRE Session, Paris, 2014.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­7 4 ABB review 2|15

Editorial Board

Claes Rytoft
Chief Technology Officer
Group R&D and Technology

Ron Popper
Head of Corporate Responsibility

Christoph Sieder
Head of Corporate Communications

Ernst Scholtz
R&D Strategy Manager
Group R&D and Technology

Andreas Moglestue
Chief Editor, ABB Review
andreas.moglestue@ch.abb.com

Publisher
ABB Review is published by ABB Group R&D and
Technology.

ABB Technology Ltd.

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