Electrical-equipment group acquires energy-automation firm

Powercorp has developed a rapid energy source and sink system based on a modern flywheel and bi directional inverter. Energy required to prevent under frequency is drawn from the flywheel at a rate of 1MW in 5msec. Alternatively the system can absorb energy surges at the same rate and prevent driving grid conditions outside utility specifications.

A power and automation technology group, ABB, has agreed to acquire an Australian renewable power automation company, Powercorp. The acquisition improves control technologies ABB uses to combine renewable energy sources.

Darwin based Powercorp employs about 30 people and offers automation and intelligent controls to manage renewable-energy generation in isolated grids, ensuring utility grade power quality and grid stability. This enables higher levels of wind and solar power penetration into isolated diesel powered grids, thus reducing emissions and dependency on fossil fuel.

Powercorp has installed several systems to integrate renewable power into remote grids and keep generation in balance with consumption. The company also supplies systems that dynamically store and release energy in response to frequency and voltage deviations, to stabilize small or remote grids. The transaction is expected to close before year end.

ABB
www.abb.com

Department of Energy to fund major offshore wind grid interconnection study

ABB, AWS Truepower, Duke Energy, NREL, University of Pittsburgh have created a provisional partnership to perform studies that identify sites for high offshore wind energy potential and grid interconnection along all U.S. coastal regions.

The DOE says it is providing funding for a team of leading energy organizations to perform a broad study that will assess the most promising sites for high offshore wind production along all of the U.S. coastal regions. The ABB-led team will investigate important technical and economic questions about the integration of offshore wind energy through a range of transmission technologies.

The chart graphs DOE estimates for the growth of wind power.

This DOE effort – the “National Offshore Wind Energy Grid Interconnection Study” – will determine the expected staging of offshore wind development in each coastal region, develop expected wind generation production profiles, assess the applicability of integration study methods to offshore wind production, assess a variety of offshore wind collection and delivery technologies, and consider regulatory issues that may influence the selection of technologies or the implementation of systems.

The study will also provide technical and economic viability data necessary to produce a roadmap to the DOE’s “20 Percent Wind Energy by 2030” wind goals for the U.S. This Offshore Wind initiative will help guide the national effort to achieve a 54 GW of deployed offshore wind generating capacity by 2030.

Electric power generated by wind resources has become an increasingly important part of the energy production portfolio of the U.S. Most current wind production, however, is land-based despite significant accessible wind resources offshore, as well as significant technological developments for offshore wind production in recent years.

The DOE Offshore Wind Initiative invests $43 million in 41 projects across 20 states over the next five years to speed technical innovations, lower costs, and shorten the timeline for deploying offshore wind energy systems. The projects will advance wind-turbine design tools and hardware, improve information about U.S. offshore wind resources, and accelerate deployment of offshore wind by reducing market barriers such as supply chain development, transmission, and infrastructure.

Team leadership for this project will be provided by ABB’s John Daniel along with Ken Pennock at AWS Truepower, Spencer Hanes at Duke Energy, Lynn Coles with NREL, and Gregory Reed at the University of Pittsburgh. Team duties and tasks have been divided this way. ABB will oversee the project, and its main technical contribution will be to assess the collection and delivery technologies, including collector-system alternatives, delivery-system alternatives, marine substation design and hardware and undersea cabling and installation technologies.

AWS Truepower will focus on the initial phases of the Offshore Wind Grid Integration study. The company shall include formulation of offshore wind development staging, offshore wind generation production profile simulation, and an analysis of wind generation ramp frequencies between the offshore and onshore wind projects.

Duke Energy Business Services will assist ABB by providing transmission consulting services and regulatory policy support to this national integration study. Duke Energy will collaborate with its research partners to stage national offshore wind modeling in a way that addresses potential use-conflicts with military, commercial and recreational fishing, environmental, and other important interests.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is a laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development.

University of Pittsburgh will focus on examining traditional and advanced electric power delivery options. To access the most effective integration of offshore wind into onshore networks, Pitt researchers will look at state-of-the-art power electronics-based transmission technologies, integrating ac and dc power converters, and undersea cable systems.

The project team is expected to provide its final report and recommendations to the Department of Energy in September 2013. Download the report from: http://www.20percentwind.org/20p.aspx?page=Report

ABB
www.abb.us

AWS Truepower
www.awstruepower.com

Duke Energy
www.duke-energy.com

University of Pittsburgh
www.pitt.edu

www.awstruepower.com

ABB acquires EV-charger company

Epyon’s equipment and software are said to let the charging-station owner monitor conditions and requirements of the station.

Electric cars are coming and one global electrical firm is getting ready in part by acquiring Epyon B.V., a manufacturer of electric vehicle charging stations focusing on direct current fast-charging and network charger software. EV charging station unit sales are set to multiply rapidly over the next five years, and reach 1.6 million units globally by 2015, according to Pike Research. ABB agrees. Epyon’s dc fast-charging stations reduce charging time to 15 minutes compared to 6 to 8 hr using a standard ac charger outlet.
Epyon’s equipment and software lets the charging station owner monitor conditions and requirements of the station, linking billing and administrative needs. It provides a range of different charging methods for each of the station connections, letting it tailor charging to various start conditions, power requirements and charging times.
ABB
www.abb.com

Swedish utility deploys 75 kW grid battery

The project is part of a partnership agreement in which Falbygdens Energi and ABB will work together to collaborate on develop technologies for integrating renewable energy and building smarter grids.

A Swedish utility plans to test a grid-connected system of batteries that stores wind energy during times of low demand and better balance electricity loads. “The battery will store wind energy produced during the night when demand is low and distribute it to users during the day,” says Falbygdens Energi CEO Lars Ohlsson. The utility also plans to explore how stored energy can support an electric-car infrastructure. Falbygdens Energi is working with the power and automation technology group ABB to deploy a dynamic energy-storage device on its power distribution network. The battery system will be installed as part of an existing substation in the city of Falköping and will store locally produced energy from wind turbines. Storage capacity will be 75 kW in cycles of up to 60 minutes.

It will be the first such low-voltage dynamic storage system of its kind in the country. The project is part of a partnership agreement in which Falbygdens Energi and ABB will work together to collaborate on develop technologies for integrating renewable energy and building smarter grids.

ABB
www.abb.com

Falbygdens Energi
www.feab.nu

url

Improving a Project’s Rate of Return

When the Department of Energy enacted the national efficiency standard for distribution-class transformers up to 2,500 kVA in 2010 (72 CFR 58190), it excluded Generator Step-Up (GSU) units. This was unfortunate because the industry continues to construct wind-collector networks with sub-optimal GSU transformers which lead to lower overall collector efficiencies, lower kWh sales, and longer project paybacks. The oversight ignores significant developments in GSU transformers that can alleviate such problems.

In the last year, ABB introduced a line of liquid (green cabinet) and dry type distribution-class transformers with amorphous-metal cores that significantly reduce no-load losses. EcoDry and Green-R-Pad transformers provide an optimal solution for applications in which average loadings are below 50% of nameplate rating.

Transformers financials 101
Every wind turbine has a GSU transformer stepping up the generator-output voltage from 690 to 34,500 volts. The transformer can be installed alongside the generator in the nacelle, or inside or outside the tower. Transformers inside the nacelle or tower can either be dry or liquid. Outside the tower, they have been liquid filled and pad mounted. The turbine OEM usually specifies and delivers the transformer, otherwise, it’s specified by the EPC or contractor. The OEM, EPC, or contractor delivers the specified efficiency. What the site’s owner and operator does not know is that GSU transformer efficiencies could be raised for a nominal additional capital outlay. Improved collector efficiencies lead to faster project payback and increased return on investment.

Distribution-transformer efficiency is impacted by the turbine output (volt-amp and power factor) along with transformer no-load (core) and load (winding) losses. Higher outputs and losses lead to lower transformer efficiency. Load losses increase as collector current increases. However, no-load losses are constant, no matter what the collector current. They are impacted only by the collector voltage. No-load losses come from magnetizing the iron core, which happens when voltage is applied to the transformer.

The collector network, including tranformers, are sized to the peak turbine output. But the actual average yearly turbine output is well below the peak. On average, wind turbine outputs are less than 50% of top ratings for a good portion of the year. The bar graphs in Annual turbine outputs shows a few production periods. Because these can vary from site-to-site, it is important to know the average turbine output or network loading for appropriately sizing transformer losses. Transformer manufacturers can customize the design to minimize whichever loss component has the greatest impact. In the case of wind sites, no-load losses become a significant proportion of total losses at those lower average loadings. The table (below) RGO GSU transformer characteristics lists a few values for conventional (Regular Grain Oriented – RGO) units.

Transformer manufacturers can reduce core losses by using a combination of a greater core cross-sectional area, increased number of winding turns, thinner laminates, or higher grades of material. Unfortunately, nothing comes free because an increase in core cross-sectional area and number of turns also increases winding (load) losses. And there are material limitations with regular-grain oriented (RGO) core steel when it comes to how thin one can make the laminates. So, transformer manufacturers have turned to amorphous metal (AM) as the material of choice for designs when average transformer loadings are below 50% of nameplate rating. AM properties allow manufacturing the material to 1/10 the thickness of RGO core steel, helping reduce core losses by 70 to 80%. Load losses do slightly increase for AM as compared to RGO due to an increase in core cross sectional area. However, the total losses at whatever load is less with AM cores. The table Amorphous metal GSU transformer characteristics lists a few values.

A total cost of ownership calculator is also available online at www.abb.com/transformers. (Select Transformer calculators, then Renewable Energy). It was developed by ABB and a financial modeling company for renewable project investments. Financials

When assessing the cost effectiveness of one transformer design over another, it is common practice for electrical utilities to capitalize the cost of losses (COL) over the life of the project. These capitalized losses are then added to the purchase price to find total ownership cost (TOC). Capitalizing losses takes the annual cost of no-load and load losses over, let’s say, a 20-year project, and amortizing it to present value (PV). When amortizing, one would need to know the cost of money or some interest above the prime lending rate. From the perspective of an owner and operator of a wind site, the collector losses are revenue (kWh) detractors versus cost of infrastructure to supply the losses, as is the case for utilities. But as a way to introduce the subject, we will use an electrical utility’s perspective. Later, we will take it from an Independent Power Producer (IPP) operating a wind site.

So, taking those previous RGO and AM transformer designs, we can make a PV calculation of the COL assuming an interest rate of 6% over 20 years. The cost for an electrical utility to supply the losses through its generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure might be $0.065/kWh. We can assume some average transformer loads over 20 years. A more accurate representation would be an inflationary series in which general inflation, infrastructure cost, and loads increase over time. But for simplicity, let’s use a uniform series fixing all values over the 20 years.

First, calculate the annual cost ($/yr) to support the transformer losses. This is done by multiplying the total transformer losses (Watts) by the number of hours per year (8,760 h) by the infrastructure cost ($0.065 per kWh).

Then multiply the annual cost ($/yr) by the present value factor (PVF) to get the present value cost of losses.

The following two tables (Present value cost of losses for RGO and AM transformers) shows this calculation for various trans-former load factors. Consider the 37.5% load factor for making a COL comparison. The result is the AM COL ($25,249) is 44% less than for the comparable RGO COL ($45,020) And the AM COL benefit grows as the average load factor diminishes.

TOC requires one last piece: the purchase price. In this case, let’s assume the AM transformer costs 20% more than the RGO version. If the RGO transformer costs $32,000, the AM unit costs $38,400. The RGO TOC would then be $77,020 ($45,020 + $32,000) while the AM TOC $63,649 ($25,249 + $38,400), so the AM transformer would cost 17% or $13,371 less.

So if one knows the losses within the transformer (or any other electrical device), one can financially assess the better option by comparing purchase price plus amortized cost of operation over the life of the devices. The equipment, from a present-value perspective, that costs less would be the best option. The hurdle is coming up with average figures over the life of the device.

A case history
Now let’s turn our attention to an IPP owned and operated wind site. The IPP seeks to maximize its return on investment by operating as close to capacity as possible while minimizing losses across its collector network. The decision on how much additional capital investment to make to lower losses and improve collector efficiency depends on the return on the additional investment. Knowing this, we undertook a case study on a wind site in North America. We completed a load-flow study of the entire collector network that included 70, 2.3-MW turbines, 70-GSU transformers (2,300 kVA), 1-power transformer (100 MVA), and 530,000 ft of XLP / PVC cable.

Collector network losses were calculated and compared between the case using the RGO GSU and then AM GSU transformers. (Their data appears in the first and second tables.) The study also took into consideration the turbine output at various hours during the year which netted an increase of 1,842 MWh (449,741 minus 447,899) of additional energy sales for the collector using AM GSU transformers.
Note the negative energy sales during times of zero turbine output, indicating the wind site is purchasing power from the grid to energize the collector network. For the transformers, this is the no-load or core losses that are always present as previously noted.

The next step was to evaluate whether or not the additional 20% price for the 70-AM GSU transformers would be worth the investment. It amounts to less than a 1% additional investment in the primary equipment cost. A cash flow statement was prepared using a 20 year power-purchase agreement (PPA), 30% income tax credit (ITC), five-year depreciation on assets, unleveraged debt-investment, and $0.05/kWh demand charge for electricity.

The PPA price sensitivity graph shows an Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Net Present Value (NPV) of the additional investment at varying PPA prices. A $70/MWh ($0.07 per kWh) PPA would yield an IRR of 25%, an NPV of $467,000 (8% discount rate) and a simple payback of 3 years. Even a $50/MWh PPA agreement would yield an IRR of 15% and a NPV of about $300,000. So the additional cost for AM GSU transformers would be a good investment.

How would this picture look for other cases relative to capital outlay and tax credits (Investment sensitivity, Capital and tax credits)? Not so good if one doubles the investment for the AM GSU transformers, taking the IRR to less than 15% and a payback close to five years. However, one can increase the rate of return if the production tax credit would have been taken over the ITC. If neither of the tax credits would be taken, the return would approach 20% with less than a four-year payback. Hence, the outcome is sensitive to the investment approach.

As for variation in turbine output, a load-flow study should be conducted for each load profile to know the losses within the collector network. Because it wasn’t done for this case study, cash-flow analysis was conducted comparing various kWh generation profiles without considering collector network losses. The base case had 64% of its MWh generated at or below 38% of turbines top rating. Varying turbine profiles were analyzed, progressively increasing the MWh generated above the 38% turbine rating. Although the IRR diminished, it remained above 20% even when only 24% of the MWh were generated at or below the 38% turbine rating. Because the AM GSU no-load losses are so much lower, the total losses remain below the RGO GSU design, even when the turbine is operating near its top rating.

Optimally, a load-flow study should be done to compare the internal rate of return of various technical solutions and conducted ahead of tendering or procuring the transformers. As it is today, transformer manufacturers are asked to tender an offer on the basis of not exceeding certain losses. Unfortunately, this approach limits equipment optimization to the specific wind site.

There is an alternative, however, that allows reporting financial and generation profiles at the time of tendering the transformers without divulging particulars. Also, the transformer manufacturer gains the flexibility to design a best transformer for the specific wind site. The alternative would provide at the time of tender, no-load (A) and load (B) loss capitalization factors ($/Watt) unique to the wind site. These factors give the transformer manufacturer enough information to find a cost effective or lowest TOC design. The purchaser then selects the transformer design having the lowest TOC by multiplying the transformer losses by its associated factor and adding them to the price. For example:

Where P = price of the transformer ($), A = No-Load capitalization factor ($/W), B = Load Loss capitalization factor ($/W), NL = No-Load losses of the transformers (W), and, LL = load losses of the transformer (W).

The article provides insight on how to evaluate the financial impact of transformer losses on a wind site. Owner, operators, and investors should realize that for a nominal additional investment, typically less than 1% of primary equipment cost, the project payback can be lessened and returns improved. Such financial opportunities must be taken into consideration when setting project budgets. Transformer tenders should use the principle of total-ownership cost when selecting a design.

Douglas M. Getson P.E.
ABB Global Podut Manager
Distribution Transformers
Jefferson City, MO.
www.abb.com/transformers

WPE

Battery stores 40 MW for Fairbanks, Alaska emergencies

Winter temperatures in Alaska can drop to -50°C, making power outages bad news. One way to prevent them is an emergency power source that feeds energy into the grid until back-up generation can come online. Battery backup is an economic and ecological alternative to ‘spinning reserve’ – gas turbines kept running in case of an emergency. In August 2010, the world’s largest battery was inaugurated in Fairbanks, Alaska. In addition to stabilizing the local grid, it will reduce power outages in the area by 65%. A consortium led by ABB supplied and installed the system.

A forklift adapted for installing, charging and watering the batteries, tracks a wire guidance system cut into the floor. The guidance system increases its speed while reducing the risk of colliding with the rack or batteries.

Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA), a rural electric cooperative in Fairbanks, Alaska, serves 90,000 residents spread over 2,200 mi². The local population needs a reliable supply of electricity because many residents live in remote areas and winter temperatures can fall as low as minus 50 °C. Back-up power therefore has to be available in the event of an outage.

Traditional reserve-power solutions require building and maintaining transmission and generation capacity well in excess of normal demand.

At the heart of the world’s most powerful storage battery system are a converter, designed and supplied by ABB, and nickelcadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries, developed by Saft. The converter turns the batteries’ dc power into ac power, for transmission over the GVEA grid. The batteries can produce up to 27 MW of power for 15 minutes, giving the utility enough time to get back-up generation on line. While the BESS is capable of producing up to 46 MW for a short time, the client’s primary need is for the system to cover the 15-minute period between sudden loss of generation and start-up of back-up generation.

Although the BESS is initially configured with four battery strings, it can expand to six strings to provide 40 MW for 15 minutes. The facility may accommodate up to eight battery strings, that would let GVEA boost output or prolong the useful life of the system beyond its planned 20 years.

The final spec required that the vendor provide a turnkey solution and guarantee for 20 years that the BESS could supply 40 MW for 15 minutes, with a 4 MW/min ramp-down after the 15-minute mark. The system must operate in all four quadrants (ie, the full power circle) and provide continuous, infinitely adjustable control of real and reactive power over the entire operating range. The BESS must also operate in an automatic mode because GVEA does not plan to man the facility.

The BESS can operate in seven modes:

• Var support: The BESS provides voltage support for the power system under steady-state and emergency operating conditions.
• Spinning reserve: In this mode, the BESS responds to remote generation trips in the Railbelt system. It is initiated at a system frequency of 59.8 Hz, with the BESS loading to full output at 59.4 Hz if system frequency continues to drop. Spinning reserve has the highest priority of all the modes and will interrupt any other mode the BESS is operating under.
• Power-system stabilizer, included to damp power-system oscillations.
• Automatic scheduling, used to provide instantaneous system support in the event of a breaker trip on either a transmission line or a local generator. The BESS has thirty independently triggered inputs, which will be tied remotely to the trip circuits of breakers.
• Scheduled load increase: This is initiated and terminated by SCADA and puts the BESS in a frequency and voltage-regulation mode to let it respond to the addition of large motor loads.
• Automatic generation control: In this mode the BESS is capable of operating by AGC, similar to that of rotating machinery.
• Charging: The SCADA dispatcher can control the MW rate at which the BESS will be charged and when charging is to start after a BESS discharge.
• The Alaskan BESS battery comprises 13,760 Saft SBH 920 performance rechargeable nickel-cadmium cells, arranged in four parallel strings to provide a nominal dc link of 5,000 V and a storage capacity of 3,680 Ah. The cells are built into 10-cell modules for mounting in a drive-in racking system. An aisle between the racks provides installation and service access for a swing-arm fork truck. The complete battery weighs some 1,300 tons and its building measures 120 x 26 m.

The initial battery configuration has four individual strings operating in parallel, but can be expanded to accommodate eight strings. Each string has 3,440 cells connected in series.

The battery features a pocket plate construction with thin, high-performance plates. This design allows attaining to the 20 to 25 year life without loss of the beneficial characteristics of Ni-Cd batteries. The type of cell used can deliver 80 % of its rated capacity in 20 minutes. Ni-Cd pocket plate cells can withstand repeated deep discharges with little effect on battery life.

The design’s several advantages:

• Compact arrangement: More rack depth can be used, minimizing the space taken up by aisles.
• Easy installation: 90 % of the connections are made in the factory; only the inter-module connections are made on site.
• Quick change-out: If there is a problem with an individual cell, the module containing that cell can be replaced by another complete module in less than 30 minutes.
• Minimum power losses: 99 % of the inter-cell connections are made with solid copper bars which minimizes power losses caused by flexible cable connections are therefore minimized.
• Spill isolation: The cells sit on a plastic grating, allowing spills to drain into the base of the module. The tray can hold the electrolyte content of all ten cells.

Golden Valley Electric Assn
www.gvea.com

Customizable generators come with standard base

The first product family built on ABB’s standard platform is the new 1.5 to 2.0 MW slip-ring generator series.

Recent wind power generators from ABB combine a standard-base construction with customized interface connections to lower costs for turbine manufacturers and shorten delivery times. “It all began when our market intelligence revealed big changes taking place in the wind turbine industry,” says ABB R&D Manager for Wind Power Generators Raimo Sakki. “Previously, such generators had proprietary components, custom-designed to fit an individual  manufacturer’s turbine. Turbine manufacturers were showing interest in standard generators – provided they were designed for wind turbines.”

So ABB made the decision to complement its proprietary generators with a new range of standard units based on its own platform. Market surveys helped detail requirements. While the new generators would be standardized as much as possible to maximize the benefits of large-scale production, they also needed flexibility to accommodate different manufacturers’ interfaces. ABB chose a modular approach, building the required interface flexibility around a core made from a relatively small number of basic components.

“The most difficult task was defining the basic design requirements,” says Sakki. “With that done, we could get on with development work which was made easier because the new products are based on the proven technology of our earlier designs.” The company began building the first prototype, but soon faced a new challenge. “Potential clients began giving us their requirements. As a result we ended up ‘aiming at a moving target’ and making several different prototypes.”

In September 2010, the company launched another product series, the 2.5 to 3.5 MW high-speed PM generators, which shares the same basic platform as the DF series.

The first product family built on ABB’s standard platform is the new 1.5 to 2.0 MW slip-ring generator series. Launched in June 2010, the new generators have been developed to fit most doubly-fed (DF) turbines. They feature an enhanced rotor design with patented carbon-fiber winding-end support rings. This feature enhances overspeed tolerance and improves cooling of the rotor winding and connections, resulting in better overall reliability. The company says the new platform is easily expandable and serves as a basis for permanent magnet (PM) and induction generators.

In September 2010, the company launched another product series, the 2.5 to 3.5 MW high-speed PM generators, which shares the same basic platform as the DF series. In fact, they are mechanically interchangeable (i.e., wind-turbine manufacturers may use the same drivetrain design for both types of generators). This makes it easy for turbine manufacturers to expand their existing DF offering to also include full converter PM turbines. A customer using a DF system who would like to test a PM generator can order a unit with identical fixings and interfaces that can be simply ‘slotted in’ to replace the DF unit.

“One major benefit of the standard-platform approach is that development cycles speed up,” says Sakki. “That means faster prototype-delivery times for clients. Previously, a custom designed generator would typically take nine months to develop. The standard platform now cuts this time by about half. The engineering work alone has been reduced from four months to just four weeks.”

From the outset, the new generators were developed for a global approach to design, sourcing, and manufacturing. They can be manufactured at all ABB’s wind power generator plants, for instance, and sold to clients anywhere around the world.

“For example, a buyer in China can talk to our people in China, and the engineering work can be done in the local office there. The bulk of the work is therefore done as close as possible to the customer.”

ABB
www.abb.com

Service firm now offers supply and support for parts from ABB

A provider of parts and services to the wind-power industry in North America says it will offer service, support and supply of low and medium voltage electrical parts and components from ABB – a global manufacturer of power and automation technologies. The Parts Management Program will be administered from Availon’s warehousing facility in Grimes, Iowa. ABB low voltage and medium-voltage products offered by Availon North America includes circuit breakers, switches, and other parts and components.

Availon Inc.

Charging stations almost ready for your first electric car

As propulsion batteries improve, stations like this one from ABB, will make recharging as fast and simple as filling up the tank.

ABB DC fast charge stations will son rapidly recharge electric vehicles. Depending on the battery and vehicle, recharged range of greater than 100 km in less than 10 min is readily achievable, says ABB. Keeping the heavy and expensive power electronics and filters required for high power charging outside the vehicle and in a common and shared piece of infrastructure allows reducing vehicle weight and cost. The vehicle should include a low power onboard charger that uses standard power outlets and ac charging poles, but this can be optimized in size and cost.

The time to charge an electric vehicle depends on the power available from the charger to fill the battery pack. Short charging times, especially for larger vehicles, require high power. The company’s range of dc fast chargers will work even for heavy vehicles, and as batteries able to support these charge rates become widespread the traditional range limitation of electric vehicles will disappear, enabling long distance journeys and high use fleet vehicles.

ABB
abb.com

Software for long-range resource planning

Map of ERCOT nodal market. In addition to ERCOT, the other six ISOs in the United States use Ventyx analytics software for generation and transmission planning.

ABB companyVentyx has a PowerBase Suite license contract with U.S.-based ISO Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). The company’s software adds long-range resource planning analysis capability to nodal electricity market operations.

The PowerBase Suite—which includes PROMOD IV, MarketPower, and Simulation-Ready Data—will be used for long-range resource planning analysis including: nodal and zonal market price forecasting, ancillary service analysis, intermittent resource analysis and generation expansion and retirement analysis in ERCOT’s new nodal market system, operational since December 2010. ERCOT also recently implemented the Network Manager Market Management System (MMS) from Ventyx to administer its wholesale power market in the United States.

Ventyx www1.ventyx.com