EU Funding Accelerates GE’s Development of World’s First SF6-free 420 kV Circuit-Breaker
February 13 2020 - 4:00AM
Business Wire
- EU’s LIFE program recognizes potential of GE’s Green Gas for
Grid (g3) to help significantly cut global greenhouse gas
emissions
- The gas mass of g³ high-voltage equipment has more than a 99%
reduced CO2 equivalent compared to SF6
- A g³ 420 kV, 63 kA gas-insulated substation circuit-breaker
will demonstrate that g³ technology can be applied to all other
high-voltage levels of Europe’s electrical networks
GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions business (NYSE-GE) has been
awarded €2.2 million through the European Commission’s LIFE climate
action program to help fund the development of a sulfur
hexafluoride (SF6)-free, 420 kiloVolt (kV) 63 kilo Amps (kA)
gas-insulated substation (GIS) circuit-breaker.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200213005296/en/
For illustration purposes only, this is
an example of a 420 kV SF6-insulated substation. Image courtesy of
EU LIFE18 CCM/FR/001096 project.
The new circuit-breaker will rely on GE’s industry-leading
“Green Gas for Grid”—or “g3” (pronounced “g- cubed”)—technology,
resulting in the same high performance and compact size as a
traditional SF6-insulated circuit-breaker, but with a gas mass
having more than a 99% reduced CO₂ equivalent value. Upon
completion in 2022, the g3 circuit-breaker is expected to be the
first SF6-free 420 kV gas-insulated substation circuit-breaker in
the world.
A circuit-breaker is protective equipment used to cut power in
case of a problem on the grid. High-voltage 420-kV circuit-breakers
are found at electrical substations on long-distance transmission
networks.
Due to its strong insulating and arc-quenching properties, SF6
is widely used in substation equipment with the transmission
industry accounting for approximately 80% of the world’s usage.
Identified as the world’s most potent greenhouse gas by the 1997
Kyoto Protocol, SF6 is estimated to contribute 23,500 times more
emissions than CO₂ if leaked and can remain in the atmosphere for
up to 3,200 years.
“Our g3 technology is a game-changing alternative to SF6 for
high-voltage equipment and is part of GE’s broader efforts to help
the electric transmission and distribution industry reduce its
greenhouse gas emissions,” said Vera Silva, Chief Technology
Officer at GE’s Grid Solutions.
“Because 420 kV is the highest voltage level used in most
European countries, a proven g3–insulated 420 kV circuit-breaker
will demonstrate that g3 technology can be applied to other
high-voltage levels, as well as all other gas-insulated substation
components, such as disconnectors, earthing switches, voltage
transformers,” said Yannick Kieffel, Grid Solutions’ Materials and
Eco Design Team Leader and Project Leader for the EU-funded g3
project.
Currently, GE offers the following g3 products: live tank
circuit-breakers and gas-insulated substations up to 145 kV,
gas-insulated lines up to 420 kV and instrument transformers up to
245 kV.
“This project is a great fit for our recent round of LIFE
financial awards due to its potential impact on Europe’s transition
to a more sustainable and low-carbon future,” said Angelo Salsi,
LIFE Programme Head of Unit at the Executive Agency for Small and
Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME). “The LIFE program is one of the
most efficient and well known EU funding mechanisms that has
supported nature, the environment and climate action for over 25
years. We look forward to the positive ripple effect this project
will have across Europe over the next decade and beyond.”
For the full press release on the g3 EU-funded circuit-breaker
project LIFE18 CCM/FR/001096 LIFE GRID, click
here.
GE’s Grid Solutions
Grid Solutions, a GE Renewable Energy business, serves customers
globally with over 17,000 employees in approximately 80 countries.
Grid Solutions helps enable utilities and industry to effectively
manage electricity from the point of generation to the point of
consumption, helping to maximize the reliability, efficiency and
resilience of the grid. https://www.gegridsolutions.com/
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Allison J. Cohen Allison.J.Cohen@ge.com
GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE)
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