Complete solutions for the solar power industry
Even with the uncertainty of a global recession and oil hovering around $70 a barrel, the annual global growth rate of installed solar power systems is expected to quadruple from five gigawatts (GW) in 2008 to around 22 GW by 2013. European Photovoltaic Industry Association, 2009
ABB now has a broad offering of power and automation solutions for the solar sector and continues to develop the specialist technologies that will be vital to the realization of projects like Desertec.
Our involvement in the industry goes back to the early 1990s when we developed an automation platform for the world’s first test facility for concentrating solar power technologies, the Plataforma Solar de Almería in Spain.
Since then, ABB has provided solutions for solar power projects around the world and has developed technologies to maximize the productivity and reliability of both photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) systems. Photovoltaic (PV) systems use semiconductor materials to convert light directly into electricity. Concentrated solar thermal power (CSP) uses mirrors to reflect sunlight onto fluids, which heat up and then pass through a heat exchanger to generate steam, drive a turbine and generate electricity.
As solar technology has advanced, market interest has increased. In 2008, grid-tied solar PV grew by 70 percent, and the capacity of utility-scale solar PV plants (larger than 200 kilowatts) tripled to 3 GW. The CSP market grew by 15 percent.
China just announced it will develop a 2,000-megawatt photovoltaic farm in the Mongolian desert, to be completed in phases by 2019, which is expected to provide enough electricity to power three million Chinese homes.
Large-scale PV and CSP power plants
For large-scale solar power plants, generating anywhere from one to hundreds of megawatts (MW) of electricity, ABB offers power and automation packages specifically designed to meet the market and technical requirements of both types of technology.
For PV power plants, ABB has developed a unique 1-MW generating module designed to capture maximum energy from the sun. Modules are easily connected to increase generating capacity, and come pre-assembled, factory-tested and containerized for rapid installation, anywhere in the world, ensuring a faster return on investment.
The modules feature sophisticated ABB software and solar trackers that make continual adjustments to exactly align the solar panels with the sun's position and maximize the amount of electricity drawn from sunlight.
Critical components like inverters Inverters are essential components in sustainable energy production. They transform the direct current electricity generated by installations like solar panels into alternating current, either for immediate consumption or for transfer into the AC power grid. are part of ABB's reliable, energy efficient automation technology which can significantly reduce the amount of power used by electric motors.
Solar tracker systems can generate up to 35-percent more power than fixed PV systems, and ensure maximum productivity even during periods of weak or low sunlight. Totana is a prime example of this highly scalable concept at work.
In the CSP segment, ABB provides complete power and automation solutions for entire installations. The solutions include technology that enables each of the thousands of parabolic troughs in the solar fields to collect maximum energy; instrumentation and control systems for the heat transfer tubes, thermal storage tanks and power plant; electrical balance of plant for the power block; and electrical equipment that feeds the power reliably into the power grid.
Examples of ABB solutions for CSP plants include the two largest installations in Europe -Andasol 1&2 and Extresol 1&2 in Spain, generating 50 MW of electricity per unit. Other examples are eSolar in the United States (recently featured on the National Geographic TV channel), and the 150-MW Hassi R’Mel plant in Algeria, which is one of the first power plants in the world to integrate solar and combined cycle power generation in a single facility.
Photovoltaic applications
In addition to providing complete power and automation solutions for large-scale solar power plants, ABB is a leading global supplier of power and automation products for solar power installations in industrial, commercial and residential buildings using fixed modules or solar trackers installed on a building or in a solar field.
ABB supplies a complete range of power and automation components for PV systems in building applications. The portfolio includes all the key components for operating the solar trackers, converting the direct current into alternating current, protecting the entire system from surges, and delivering power to the grid.
Decentralized generation and smart grids
ABB is currently executing a pilot project to develop a network control system that integrates automated metering, decentralized power generation, multi-directional energy flows, and energy trading systems into a single, smart power grid.
The solution is based on ABB’s Network Manager, the world’s leading platform for energy trading systems and for the monitoring and control of power generation, transmission and distribution networks.
Robotics solutions for solar cell manufacturing
As one of the world’s leading robotics companies, ABB supplies a comprehensive range of robot-based solutions for the manufacture of wafers, cells and modules for photovoltaic systems. The portfolio includes compact, high-speed robots for handling wafers and cells, lifting and assembling modules, precision-trimming and handling laminates, soldering and interconnecting components, and packaging and palletizing final products.
ABB wins $120 million hydropower order in Switzerland
Zurich, Switzerland, Oct. 21, 2009 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won an order worth $120 million from Kraftwerke Linth-Limmern AG (KLL) related to the construction of a new hydropower plant and energy-storage facility in eastern Switzerland. The order was booked in the third quarter.
The Linth-Limmern high–capacity, pumped-storage hydropower station will be installed in an underground cavern in the Linthal valley. The facility will be used to pump water from the lower reservoir (the Limmernsee) in the valley to the upper reservoir (the Muttsee), 600 meters above the station. During peak demand, water will be released from the upper reservoir to generate high-value power.
The project will help to meet future demand across Switzerland and the first of four generating units is expected to be operational by 2015.
ABB will provide electrical equipment, including transformers, medium-voltage switchgears, and instrumentation and automation systems. ABB will also provide a 380-kilovolt GIS (gas-insulated switchgear) substation, which will help to feed power from the plant into the grid.
“ABB has the range of technologies as well as the domain expertise and proven track record to execute such projects” said Peter Leupp, head of ABB’s Power Systems division. “We look forward to working with KLL on this project to deliver reliable power to the region.”
Pumped-storage facilities offer the most effective opportunity for large-scale energy storage, in terms of both cost and environmental impact. The ability to tap into stored reserves during periods of higher demand improves the reliability of power supplies.
Kraftwerke Linth-Limmern (KLL), a partnership between energy utility Axpo AG and the Swiss canton of Glarus, produces 460 million kWh of electricity annually. It manages a complex of hydropower stations and the new facility will boost their total capacity almost four-fold to about 1,460 megawatts.
ABB is already executing a related project for KLL and supplying two turnkey substations and auxiliary power equipment for the nearby Tierfehd hydropower plant.
Breaking ice and saving energy in the Antarctic
The solution is currently being installed on the Almirante Irízar, Argentina’s sole icebreaker and a vital link with the country’s research stations, bases and outposts in the frozen wilderness of Antarctica.
Launched in 1978, the Almirante Irízar was seriously damaged in 2007 by a fire that gutted the vessel and destroyed its power and propulsion systems. The 300 crew and passengers had to be rescued at sea and the ship towed into harbor for assessment and repair.
Buenos Aires-based ship repair yard, Tandanor, was awarded the contract to repair the icebreaker, and they in turn selected ABB to provide a complete electrification, propulsion and automation solution as part of the vessel’s extensive repair works and modernization.
The benefits for the icebreaker’s owner, the Argentine Navy, are many. In addition to gaining a revamped and modernized vessel at the cutting edge of icebreaker performance, the navy will also benefit from considerable savings in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
ABB has supplied more than 80 icebreakers with electric propulsion systems and is one of only a few companies that can provide a comprehensive solution of this kind.
For the Almirante Irízar, ABB is supplying a complete power plant and electric propulsion system, as well propulsion and vessel control systems, engineering, installation, commissioning and training – all within a tight delivery deadline to get the icebreaker back into service as quickly as possible.
The solution includes ABB AC motors and ACS6000 variable speed propulsion drives, which provide the fastest and most accurate speed and torque control of any variable speed drive system available. This enables the propulsion system to achieve maximum torque at zero speed whenever the vessel is breaking ice in this, the toughest of operating environments.
The resultant reductions in fuel consumption and harmful carbon dioxide emissions, as well as operating costs and maintenance expenditure, are well documented.
ABB is the world’s leading supplier of power and automation solutions for icebreakers and icegoing vessels, and has recently provided complete solutions for icebreaking oil and shuttle tankers for year-round operation in the Arctic.
Helping an ancient Turkish city use water more efficiently
The solution consists of 195 WaterMaster electromagnetic flowmeters, ABB’s uniquely accurate device for measuring flow in water, wastewater and sewage applications.
Each of the city’s 195 subterranean wells is equipped with a WaterMaster flowmeter that enables metropolitan water utility, Koski, to efficiently manage Konya’s precious water resources by accurately measuring the volume of water pumped and consumed from each well. The data recorded by the flowmeters is transmitted continuously in real time by to a central SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system, which can be accessed by the utility for flow management and billing purposes.
Prior to the new installations, Koski was using aging mechanical flowmeters that were unable to meet the demands of modern water management. To reduce wastage and improve its ability to monitor the city’s water supply, Koski needed new meters and decided to put products from all the leading vendors through a long and detailed assessment.
At the end of the process, Koski selected ABB’s WaterMaster.
WaterMaster has a number of outstanding features that Koski considers essential to its operations. Chief among them are the flowmeter’s unparalleled accuracy, ease and simplicity of use, and unique verification capability.
WaterMaster incorporates the world's first self-calibrating transmitter, which enables it to calibrate itself every 45 seconds without interrupting the flow measurement. This unique, inbuilt verification and diagnostics capability enables WaterMaster to self-check and self-diagnose any faults while the process is running and without the need for additional equipment.
It uses advanced digital signal processing (DSP) that enables the transmitter to separate the real signal from background interference caused by vibrations, hydraulic noise, and temperature fluctuations, thus providing highly accurate and reliable outputs.
And it is exceptionally easy to use. Koski found its clear display and menu-based set-up particularly important for its field staff.
WaterMaster is part of ABB’s new FlowMaster range of electromagnetic meters for flow measurement in industrial processes, water and wastewater management, and the food and life science industries.
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 120,000 people. ABB has a full range of business activities in China, including R&D, manufacturing, sales and services, with 15,000 employees, 27 joint ventures and wholly owned companies, and an extensive sales and service network across 60 cities.