Svenska Kraftnät, the Swedish National Grid, has awarded ABB’s disconnecting circuit breaker (DCB) their 2007 Environmental Prize, an honor that will be shared this year with an expert in butterflies.
Power automation and substation specialist Hans-Erik Olovsson from Västerås and Carl-Ejnar Sölver from high voltage products in Ludvika were invited to a ceremony held on Svenska Kraftnät’s customer and stakeholder day in Stockholm on March 22nd.
The Svenska Kraftnät Environmental Prize will be awarded every year or every other year in recognition of important contributions that can lead to environmental improvements within Svenska Kraftnät's area of operations. It is hoped the award will stimulate development of new solutions, methods, products, etc. that will have a positive effect or reduce the negative impact of technology on the environment.
Less space, easier installation
For Svenska Kraftnät, the positive environmental effects of ABB's disconnecting circuit breaker are that it requires less space and makes for easier installations. The DCB eliminates the need for separate disconnectors on each side of the circuit breaker. Moreover, a smaller number of components in the apparatus increases grid safety and reliability.
The size of the disconnecting circuit breaker - also called the Combined - is kept down by using SF6 gas as an insulation medium. Although SF6 is a greenhouse gas, losses are almost zero thanks to ABB technology.
"It is very good that attention is paid to the environmental advantages of our disconnecting circuit breaker in this way," says Sölver. "We focused on availability and safety in the development work by decreasing the number of components. But the fact that it has also contributed positively to the environment with fewer energy losses and CO2 emissions is a bonus."
The standard solution
The DCB has become almost standard for the Swedish National Grid and just recently, the hundredth unit was ordered. Worldwide, ABB has sold more than 500 DCBs.
"Hopefully, the technology will become the standard solution all over the world," says Olovsson.
The winners were awarded a diploma and 100,000 Swedish kronor (about $15,000). This year, the prize was shared by ABB and butterfly expert, Ingemar Frycklund, whose studies have shown that several butterfly species threatened with extinction can find a protected place to live under power lines.
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