ABB has recently released a white paper titled “The ‘smart’ approach: Integrating distributed energy resources.” The six-page paper examines both time-related (intermittency) and location-related (geographical) constraints impacting DER integration, including a framework to minimize their impact. It offers suggestions on how to begin the integration process and also takes a look at IEEE Standard 1547, the…

North Carolina’s energy economy is evolving to meet growing demand for sustainable electricity. ABB expects renewable energy to play a larger role in North Carolina’s energy economy as the search for more reliable, cost-efficient and environmentally friendly power continues. Industry leaders discussed this and other related topics during this week’s Business North Carolina Energy Round Table.…

ABB, in conjunction with the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), will once again host a free pre-show technical training seminar on the latest technologies and best practices prior to the start of AWEA Windpower 2015. The three-hour training session is titled, “ABB Wind Farm Best Practices Series: Optimizing Your Wind Farm’s Output, While Improving Forecasting…

Operators of renewable energy sites have noted a number of different design and performance issues that have not always been properly addressed during the development of the projects. These issues have included transient over-voltages, harmonic problems, transformer saturation, power factor, reactive power, and voltage control. ABB has been a major supplier of equipment for renewable…

Five companies active in the energy market – ABB, Alliander, DNV GL, ICT Automatisering and Stedin – have formally established the Universal Smart Energy Framework (USEF) Foundation. Its mission is to offer a future-proof framework for the development of smart energy products, services and solutions. The Foundation intends to conclude cooperation agreements with Essent and…

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded National Offshore Wind Energy Grid Interconnection Study – led by ABB, AWS Truepower, Duke Energy, DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and University of Pittsburgh – concludes three-year investigation with positive outlooks for US-based offshore wind potential by 2030. The US Department of Energy (DOE)-funded “National Offshore Wind Energy Grid Interconnection…

A strategy for standardizing renewable-energy based generator step-up transformers can improve the profitability of wind projects. Jesse Gill • Business Development Manager • ABB Inc • www.abb.com RENEWABLE POWER IS THE FUTURE. Although here to stay, it comes with challenges that must be met before wind power becomes more mainstream than it is today. Besides the uncertain future of the Production Tax…

ABB recently introduced its new line of AF Range contactors featuring four coils in the entire voltage range for 90% fewer stock keeping units (SKUs) than conventional contactor lines. The line’s single-coil code covers all global network voltages; four coils cover 24 VAC, 20 VDC to 500 VAC/DC. ABB’s line of AF Range contactors range…

ABB announced it has received an order to deliver two PowerStore units as part of a microgrids solution to stabilize the power grid and increase renewable energy on Kodiak Island in Alaska. ABB’s Microgrids Business in Raleigh, NC, worked closely with Kodiak Electric Association (KEA) to develop and deliver the microgrid solution. KEA, a rural…

ABB officially introduced the ACS880, its newest wind turbine converter, at the EWEA wind energy conference in Barcelona. The converter is based on ABB’s variable-speed drive, the ACS880, a technology proven and tested in thousands of applications worldwide. The ACS880 is rated from 0.8 to 8.0 MW, with the highest powers being assembled using parallel-connected…

Managing wind-farm assets can be inefficient without using the proper metering instrument transformer to monitor produced and transmitted power. Recent improvements to instrument transformer designs have increased the accuracy and stability of the current transformer’s performance range. This provides accuracy down to extremely low-current levels to capture generated power regardless of wind-turbine availability or wind…

With population growth, worldwide industrialization, and the emergence of new technology, expanding energy infrastructure and investing in sustainable power sources is becoming more critical than ever. Many utilities are looking to windpower as a viable alternative to traditional fossil fuel based power plants, as it is a safe and constant source of power that has…

Editor’s note:  What breathing human could pass up a good railroad story? We are certain that at some time or another, wind power will pulse through these heavy transformers. The Port of Duluth says it’s about to break another record – this time for a transformer project lining up to set a record for the…

Russellstoll Interconnection Systems by Thomas & Betts (T&B) has combined its product line with the ABB Industrial Plugs and Sockets product line to enhance T&B’s industrial connector selection. Facilitated by ABB’s acquisition of T&B last year, the consolidation of the two lines creates one of the market’s most comprehensive selections of explosion-proof, heavy and light…

Growing energy demands and increasing concern over climate change are significantly impacting the way electricity is generated and in turn, transmitted and distributed. The result is the emergence of more environmentally friendly, flexible, interconnected and smarter grids. But even as ABB addresses these new aspects, grid reliability and efficiency remain at the core of the…

From SNL, by Esther Whieldon JCM Capital Ltd., a Toronto-based investment firm focused on renewable energy projects, has closed development financing for Lake Erie Power Corp.’s $1 billion underwater high-voltage, direct-current transmission line that would carry power from Ontario to PJM Interconnection LLC markets in Pennsylvania, JCM announced Sept. 23. The privately funded Lake Erie CleanPower Connector…

The Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) of wind power is rapidly gaining equilibrium with other energy sources, making it one of the most attractive options for utilities and developers looking to increase the penetration of renewables in their portfolio. However, the LCOE of wind can vary widely from project to project, and developers must keep…

The Department of Energy (DOE), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), National Wind Institute of Texas Tech University (NWI/TTU), and Group NIRE (NIRE) recently commissioned the SWiFT (Scaled Wind Farm Technology) test facility in Lubbock, Texas. ABB was invited to attend the special event, and was recognized as among the companies that provided key equipment to the facility.…

ABB says it has installed the world’s highest-voltage offshore converter station in the North Sea. AC electricity generated in three wind farms off the coast of Germany will be converted on the platform into high-voltage direct current (HVDC) for transmission to the mainland. The 320 kV converter station has an 800 MW power transmission capacity…

ABB  has delivered the East West Interconnector to EirGrid, the Irish transmission system operator. The 260-km long, 500-MW transmission connection is the highest capacity link of its kind, based on voltage source converter (VSC) technology, to go into commercial operation. The grid is complete. The interconnector establishes a link between the Irish and U.K. grids,…