Utility

Proven Solutions for Improving the Electrical Grid

Utilities today are facing new pressures brought on by a combination of load growth, the introduction of competition, and insistent customer demands for improved power quality and reliability. Current efforts aimed at deregulating the transmission and distribution of electricity and the higher power quality requirements of our growing digital economy are encouraging utilities to quickly react to changing market conditions and offer new solutions to their customers.

The backbone of many countries' electrical infrastructure, the transmission and distribution network, or grid, is suffering from decades of under investment and neglect.  As a result, the grid can be subject to the following kinds of problems for which AMSC has solutions:

Voltage Instability - uncontrolled rapid decline in system voltage or slow uncontrolled voltage decline.

Voltage stability problems can be caused by a sudden loss of generation or transmission, and may result in voltage collapse, loss of load and blackouts.

Low System Voltage - steady state system voltage that is below the established acceptable criteria

Low voltage can be caused by contingency outages during peak load or high transfer periods. Possible results include equipment damage and system collapse.

Import/Transfer Capability Restrictions - limited ability to reliably import, export, or transfer power

While line transfer capacity must often be restricted to prevent thermal overload, in many cases lines are operated below their thermal capacity to reduce stability and low voltage concerns. Significant economic penalties may result, as the maximum benefits of competition are not realized.

Capacitor Bank Switching - sudden step increases or decreases in system voltage

Switching capacitor banks on and off causes momentary changes in system voltage, and can also cause sudden malfunctions in customer control systems.

Increased Demand for Electrical Generation Capacity

Renewable energy using wind enegy converters (WEC) is providing additional generation capacity worldwide.  Although small compared to traditional electric generation, it is forecast to provide more than 5 percent of the worldwide electrical generation by the year 2010.

 

>>Download AMSC brochure "Power Delivery Solutions for the Intelligent Grid"