Electricity and Control October 2020

ENERGY MANAGEMENT + THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT

At a glance  Hitachi ABB Power Grids aims to play an active role in creating a sustainable energy future.  For the Sub-Saharan cluster, the mandate is to grow the business across the region in a responsible and sustainable way.  The vision is to accelerate the journey to deliver clean energy, enable flexible, efficient and reliable power grids, and support increased power supply across Sub-Saharan Africa. maintenance, workforce safety and productivity, as well as long-term strategic investments. It also delivers ‘grid edge’ solutions (the e-mesh™ portfolio) which include energy storage and digital automation for energy optimisation and management, advanced control, and monitoring. These digital solutions help customers increase profitability by reducing energy costs, maximising renewable integration and lowering CO 2 emissions, as well as improving overall reliability in the system. Globally, the grid solutions business covers 500 MW and 200 projects. Grid edge solutions manage hybrid energy systems – which might combine solar/wind/grid/battery storage/ backup power supplies – to optimise use and costs, taking account of time of use tariffs, the availability of sun or wind energy, determining when to store power, and when to make it available most cost-effectively. “With micro grids, for example,” Naicker highlights, “we can island power for industry or users that are far from the main grid, or those that need more power than the national grid can supply and therefore require supplementary energy sources, and deliver it efficiently.” The Grid Automation business unit also handles all allied control switchgear, electrical support and supply of battery As the name implies, this business unit is where all products and services are considered together. It offers power consulting services, energy audits, training, assessment, power quality solutions, and the upgrading of infrastructure where required – as an overall solution – for new renewables plants, or distributed generation, for example. It serves industry as well as other sectors such as data centres, rail, marine and ports.  High voltage products High voltage (HV) products have been at the core of Hitachi ABB Power Grids’ leadership in innovation and technology. It holds over 120 years of expertise in HV transmission, critical in enhancing safety, reliability and efficiency of power networks while minimising environmental impact. The high voltage products business unit offers a wide range of products – up to 1 200 kV, the highest in the world. Its portfolio covers switchgear, circuit-breakers, power quality products, generator circuit-breakers, surge arresters, disconnectors, instrument transformers and high storage if required.  Grid integration

Gas-insulated switchgear at Johannesburg’s Sebenza substation. itself will be a spur to the economic growth, enterprise and development that Africa needs.” While there is a clear drive globally to move away from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy, Naicker notes that much of Africa still relies on fossil fuel-based power – including diesel generators. Increasingly however, countries are recognising that power supply systems need to evolve to incorporate more renewable energy, and energy management is becoming a priority. Grids need to become more flexible and smarter to accommodate distributed energy systems and deliver localised and regionalised generation and distribution, providing greater resilience. “ABB’s approach has always been to work in partnership with utilities and our industrial customers and this will continue now with Hitachi ABB Power Grids,” Naicker says. He highlights that the company’s solutions are technology agnostic – so they can integrate with diverse systems – and he says it has solutions now that can assist in easing the current power constraints in South Africa and regionally. These span: - generation – in energy storage systems; - transmission – a long-established expertise in high volt- age direct current (HVDC) transmission over long dis- tances, which is readily adaptable to carry power from remote solar or offshore wind farms, for example, to a re- gional or national grid; - and distribution – with its intelligent energy management systems. Core business units Hitachi ABB Power Grids comprises four business units.  Grid automation This unit provides solutions for the digitalisation of smart power grids, automation of distribution networks and smart digital substations. It is a leading supplier of power auto- mation and communication systems, software and servic- es, as well as solutions for predictive maintenance across a wide range of industries including utilities, renewables, transportation, oil & gas and mining, among others. With a history of combined operational technology (OT) and infor- mation technology (IT) the unit helps companies operate, maintain and support the lifecycle of mission critical assets, enabling customers to make decisions on day-to-day asset

Electricity + Control OCTOBER 2020

11