During energy transmission from producer to consumer, the most important factor is to keep energy losses along the way as low as possible. Especially in times when the proportion of wind and solar power is growing, the challenge for the control, and consequently the stability, of power grids is also growing.
In order to make the power grids of the future more efficient and to transfer energy with as low losses as possible, the Miba company EBG is using
You can read about this in more detail in this blog.
Large (nuclear) power plants are being shut down and wind power and photovoltaic plants are taking over an ever larger share of the electricity generated. In Austria, renewable energy accounts for around 42 percent of electricity generated. Hydropower and biomass are the main sources. Germany obtains almost half of its electricity from renewable sources. Wind power and photovoltaics are the leading technologies here.
One challenge, however, is that the availability of sun and wind produced by nature is irregular. This means that electricity production is also becoming more volatile. On the other hand, more and more power consumers such as heat pumps and electric vehicles are being connected to the grid. This trend is important to reduce the carbon footprint of households and the transport sector.
On the producer side, electricity production is therefore becoming more and more decentralized. As a result, the challenge of regulating the stability of the power grids is increasing from year to year:
At EBG / Miba, we are making an important contribution to the above with our technologies.
Previously, conventional high voltage lines were mainly used for energy transmission from the power producer to the consumer. The loss of energy during transmission was negligible. This was because the distance between producer and consumer was relatively short compared to today.
As a result of the increase in electricity from renewable energy sources, electricity is often generated on flat coastal regions. These are typically located hundreds of kilometers away from cities and industries. High voltage lines are only partially suitable for efficient energy transmission in such cases.
That is why cables with high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission technology are used today. They have significantly fewer losses than the conventional transmission method. Even the open sea is not an unsurpassable obstacle. Offshore wind farms are increasingly being connected to the mainland using HVDC technology.
EBG power resistors are essential components of HVDC technology to avoid losses during energy transmission.
Miba's largest HVDC project at the moment involves five 500 kilovolt power lines in the Huádong industrial region of Eastern China.
“The costs of generating energy using offshore wind farms have fallen by around a third over the past five years. This increases the reliance on HVDC technology for connecting these plants to the mainland and for long-distance power lines.”
- Jens Kuschel, Geschäftsführer Miba Power Electronics Group -
Intelligent energy networks, aka smart grids, enable precise central monitoring and control of all sections of the energy supply system.
This is the case, for example, with energy transmission in widely extensive regions of the USA. Overhead lines are monitored and controlled centrally with pinpoint accuracy. The aim is maximum stability, reliability and efficiency. Line connections that have failed can then be quickly located and put back into operation.
The prerequisite for smart grids to work is an optimal network and control at both the high and medium voltage levels. The key to this is decentralization of the energy supply.
The increasing volatility of power generation also requires the expansion of the grid. In addition, the large number of decentralized power sources requires automated monitoring of the energy supply systems in real time.
High voltage resistors from EBG are essential for smart grids to measure voltages in the line. This allows local failures or faults in energy transmission to be quickly detected and promptly rectified. This ensures the stability of the entire network.
The advantages of EBG precision resistors and high voltage resistors are:
EBG resistors offer the necessary quality to ensure all of the above.
With the increased use of renewable energy sources, energy losses during energy transmission must be minimized and fluctuations in the supply network need to be compensated for.
High voltage direct current (HVDC) technology is key to making energy transmission over long distances efficient.
Smart grids enable central monitoring and control over these extensive networks. They allow the optimal use of resources and the integration of decentralized energy generation to increase grid stability. This is where high voltage resistors come into play.
This combination of technologies supports efficient and reliable power grids of the future.
