Sparks Electrical News October 2017

ENERGY MEASUREMENT AND SUPPLY

17

TESVOLT FITS ALPINE CABIN WITH OFF-GRID BATTERY STORAGE SYSTEM

without interrupting the power supply. “TESVOLT’s storage systems are compact and easy to install,” says Anker, explaining why he chose TESVOLT. “And for demanding projects like this one, reliable and failsafe batteries are extremely important in order to minimise maintenance work.” “Our storage systems are particularly high-performing and can withstand high loads. This not only makes them ideal for use in industry, it also secures the power supply even in challenging and remote areas without a grid connection,” says Daniel Hannemann, managing director of TESVOLT. Thanks to their particular design and chemical composition, the prismatic cells installed in the TESVOLT storage systems enable high charging speeds. With a total capacity of 76.8 kWh, both storage systems in the TESVOLT TS 40 series provide 100% usable energy (DoD) and are therefore well suited to rapidly storing energy and rapidly delivering it again in an emergency. The Active Battery Optimiser developed in-house by TESVOLT controls each individual cell, ensuring optimal charging and discharging and thus avoiding faults and damage. The modernisation of the energy supply installation, including the process of installing the storage system, was more than 50% subsidised by the Austrian state and the German Alpine Club.

GE’S HORNET VOLTAGE REGULATORS SET TO SWARM INDUSTRIAL POWER SECTOR A s a part of its efforts to place a sharper emphasis on industrial applications, GE’s Industrial Solutions has introduced its Hornet in- dustrial voltage regulators. The product family, which consists of 15 non-isolated dc-dc converters, also offers the high power density often de- manded by energy-hungry and space-constrained industrial applications. With the rise of the Industrial Internet and the Internet of Things (IoT), the industrial sector is evolving into a more advanced, automated space. As this happens, engineers and designers are constantly fighting the battle between integrating as many features as possible into their end products and remaining conscious not to create a solution that is too large for its own good. “Our new Hornet voltage regulators give back valuable space in the design process by combining high power capabilities in a minimal footprint to deliver leading power densities. This, in turn, allows for additional capabilities and components to be incorporated into end designs,” said Vesa Jokitulppo, senior product manager, GE’s Industrial Solutions. “In addition, because our Hornet units have been engineered to provide complete voltage regulation in a single module, users are able to integrate them quickly and easily into their power train designs – speeding time to market for their end products.” GE’s Hornet family of board-mounted dc- dc converters range in maximum power capability from 11 to 108 W, and they provide efficiency levels ranging from 92-97 percent, depending on the model. The power modules convert standard bus voltages of 12 and 24 V to the precise load level required to power components such as memory, processors, actuators and other embedded electronics. Of the 15 total Hornet solutions, 13 step down power from 12 or 24 V to a lower required voltage, and the remaining two units boost the voltage to a higher (16-34 or 32-54) voltage. The product family offers versatility to meet the power conversion requirements of various industrial applications. “The powerful processors and field-programmable gate arrays commonly found in modern industrial applications require highly accurate voltage regulation to help ensure continuous, high-performance operation,” Jokitulppo continues. “Our Hornet voltage regulators provide the precision these applications demand as well as the transient response needed to accommodate demanding industrial loads.” The Hornet voltage regulators also provide the ruggedness desired and often needed in demanding industrial applications such as automation equipment, factories and manufacturing, water treatment facilities, energy exploration and refineries. The units are well-suited for conformal-coated customer boards, a process that helps to mitigate challenges associated with corrosive (salt mist), volatile and dirty environments. The modules also feature a high operating ambient temperature range, with 11 of the 15 modules able to operate between -40 to +105 ° C and the remaining four units from -40 to +85 ° C. In addition, the Hornet voltage regulators enable high reliability having completed rigorous testing to help ensure continuous operation in challenging environmental conditions. COMMERCIAL storage system manufacturer TESVOLT has sup- plied a battery storage system for the Coburger Hütte mountain refuge owned by the German Alpine Club (DAV) in Tyrol, Austria. The storage system, with a capacity of 77 kWh, replaces the old lead-acid battery and increases the solar power consumption of the cabin, which is fitted with a 16 kWp solar power system. The entire energy supply installation is tailored to meet the DAV’s stringent en- vironmental and sustainability criteria for mountain regions, and will reduce the consumption of rapeseed oil as fuel. The refuge, which provides overnight accommodation for hikers at more than 1900 m above sea level, is supplied with energy from both the photovol- taic system with its storage system and from a combined heat and power unit that runs on rapeseed oil. Compared to diesel which, in line with the DAV’s principles, is banned on the mountain, rapeseed oil is a more environmentally friendly fuel, but costs 20-30% more. The cabin is not connected to the power grid . “Delivering oil to the mountain is difficult and expensive,” says Michael Anker, CEO of the firm StromvomDach Erl GmbH, which is carrying out the work. “The new storage systemmeans that the cabin can be powered by the solar power system even when the weather isn’t so sunny.” In high season, the cabin consumes around 200 kWh each day. Owing to the challenging terrain at the site, the storage system was delivered to the refuge using a helicopter. It was installed during the high season while the refuge was operating at full capacity,

Enquiries: german.lewizki@sunbeam-communications.com

TESVOLT TS 40 battery storage system with the Active Battery Optimizer (Photo credit: StromvomDach Erl GmbH).

NEW FUNCTIONALITY IN NOJA POWER’S RECLOSER CONTROLLER

A s part of its ongoing commitment to developing the lat- est in distribution switchgear technology, NOJA Power has announced the global release of its latest Relay firmware 1.18.0.0. This firmware version is focused on rapid delivery of post fault information to operators, saving utilities significant time in power restoration after an interruption. By upgrading the NOJA Power RC10 and RC15 controllers to Re- lay firmware 1.18.0.0, utilities gain access to new functionality such as configurable alerts and the ANSI 21FL Distance to Fault estimation. This functionality is available as a complementary firmware upgrade for users of NOJA Power equipment, and can be accessed through contacting your local NOJA Power Rep- resentative. The theme of providing valuable information to operators is constant throughout the relay 1.18.0.0 release, as the implementation of Configurable Alerts has been included in this development. The NOJA Power RC10 and RC15 controllers sport one of the largest HMI interface screens available in this class of product, and the Configurable Alerts page is a natural augmentation to this capability. Configurable alerts allow utility engineers to customise the first page visible to utility operators

when they interrogate the controller in the field. By providing concise, utility specific information immediately to operators, utility engineers can reduce the complexity of operation and improve the speed of restoration and reliability of their network. Driven by utility demand, the Distance to Fault Estimation algorithms implemented in Relay firmware 1.18.0.0 provide users with the indication of fault location in distance away from the recloser installation. The functionality utilitises standard on board measurement instruments in the OSM Recloser to calculate the fault location distance, providing both a location estimate and a diagnosis of the type of fault. In the event of a fault or outage, utilities lose the source of revenue on the feeder, and prudent economic management of the network would be to restore supply in the fastest possible manner. Reclosers are often responsible for protecting large swathes of overhead conductors, and locating permanent downstream faults is a time-consuming process for traditional methods. Fault location information assists utilities in power restoration, minimising outage time, saving utilities money as well as improving total power reliability.

Enquiries: www.nojapower.com

Enquiries: www.geindustrial.com

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

OCTOBER 2017