GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions business will unveil new technologies at CIGRE Session 2022.
GE said among these are the world’s first sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)-free g3 circuit-breaker for 420 kV gas-insulated substations. These technologies demonstrate the value of combining hardware with digital technologies to address customers’ needs and adapt to a digitalized, decentralized, and decarbonized energy landscape.
“We are investing in and delivering advanced technologies and services to meet these new grid challenges and many of these new technologies are on display during the CIGRE Session 2022,” Vera Silva, Chief Technology Officer at GE Grid Solutions, said.
At this year’s CIGRE, GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions business will spotlight its latest innovations and services as part of the company’s approach to building the grid of the future with a special emphasis on four of the biggest challenges facing the grid: modernization, decarbonization, digitization and electrification.
Modernization
GE will unveil solutions that modernize transmission and distribution substations with the protection and control and monitoring and diagnostic technologies to increase grid reliability and extend asset life while maximizing performance.
The MiCOM P40 5th generation is now supporting the challenges of low inertia grids with advanced sub-cycle algorithms and adaptive reclosing to ensure stability and avoid excessive costly circuit breaker operations.
Advanced monitoring and diagnostic technologies for primary equipment (such as Kelman Transformer Monitoring Solutions) coupled with software and analytics to predict asset behavior (such as Perception Fleet) and build an intelligent asset performance strategy (such as EnergyAPM Software), enable operators to gain actionable intelligence that helps focus resources when and where they are needed most.
When combined with GE’s field services (such as non-intrusive inspection) and field inspection tools (such as EnergyFIT), utilities can identify and benefit from efficient maintenance and asset management strategies, allowing them to improve asset operations and minimize the cost of ownership.
Decarbonization
During CIGRE and as part of the EU co-funded LifeGRID project, GE will showcase its SF6-free g3 circuit-breaker for 420 kV gas-insulated substations (GIS). In 2023, this circuit breaker will be available in the 420 kV g3 GIS bay that will be launched at the end of this year, in line with GE’s g3 product roadmap. GE’s g3 insulating and switching gas helps eliminate the use of SF6 – a potent greenhouse gas from high voltage equipment.
With g3, the contribution to global warming is reduced by 99 percent, while the switchgear compactness provides the lowest carbon footprint compared to other SF6 alternatives. This is just one of the steps GE is taking to help the power and distribution industry decarbonize and meet its carbon neutrality commitments and net zero ambitions. The industry alone accounts for about 80 percent of the SF6 use in the world today.
Digitization
GE will feature the latest in intelligent digital substations, device management, cyber security, critical communications infrastructure, and advanced automation applications. Solutions such as DS Agile, Wide Area Monitoring Protection and Control, and Dynamic System Rating are designed to play an increasingly critical role in ensuring operators can deliver energy efficiently, affordably, and reliably.
Electrification:
GE will demonstrate its developments in microgrids and enterprise grid software including distributed energy resource management solutions that provide utilities with the visibility, controls and optimization needed to operate and balance generation resources and loads.
GE’s GridNode solutions facilitate the connection of distributed energy resources while maintaining grid stability and maximized renewable energy flows. Several advances in Grid Automation solutions further address the challenge of low inertia and generation intermittency faced by the grid.