by Brianna Crandall — September 17, 2021 — Global technology provider Hitachi ABB Power Grids recently announced the launch of its next-generation grid stabilization solution SVC Light Enhanced at CIGRE 2021. SVC Light Enhanced enables the smooth integration of renewable energy into the world’s rapidly evolving energy system, underpinning new and fast-growing uses for emission-free electrification, ranging from powering data centers to sustainable mobility.
Concept of an enhanced STATCOM (the SVC Light Enhanced grid stabilization solution). Graphic courtesy Hitachi ABB Power Grids
The world’s power grids are coming under increasing strain from the destabilizing effects of variable and often unpredictable renewable energy (i.e. solar and wind) in the power mix, points out the company. This is heightened by the closing of conventional power plants, which store large amounts of energy in their rotational equipment (called inertia) that is used to counteract disturbances that could cause an outage in the power grid.
The SVC Light Enhanced solution addresses these challenges by combining two power quality and grid stabilization technologies in a single compact device. This pioneering technology comprises an SVC Light STATCOM, which provides vital reactive power to balance the impact of renewables. It also incorporates supercapacitors that store hundreds of megawatt-seconds of energy and automatically release it within milliseconds when disturbances occur, thus reducing reliance on conventional power plants.
Niklas Persson, managing director of Hitachi ABB Power Grids’ Grid Integration business, stated:
SVC Light Enhanced fills a large and growing gap in the market, for which our customers worldwide have been seeking an efficient and reliable solution. It delivers huge amounts of power instantly to keep grids stable and resilient, enabling utilities to increase their uptake of emission-free energy and progress toward carbon neutrality.
STATCOM technologies such as SVC Light from Hitachi ABB Power Grids have a 40 percent lower carbon footprint over their life cycle compared to traditional solutions, reports Hitachi ABB Power Grids. Earlier this year, the company introduced powerful STATCOMs that are now enabling more renewable energy to flow through the German transmission system. Other recent innovations include the world’s first hybrid synchronous condenser and STATCOM in the UK.
Find out more about the SVC Light Enhanced grid stabilization solution on the Hitachi ABB Power Grids website.
With a combined heritage of almost 250 years, Hitachi ABB Power Grids employs around 36,000 people in 90 countries. Headquartered in Switzerland, the business serves utility, industry and infrastructure customers across the value chain, and emerging areas such as sustainable mobility, smart cities, energy storage and data centers. Hitachi ABB Power Grids balances social, environmental and economic values and is committed to developing pioneering and digital technologies to enable a stronger, smarter and greener grid.
