Switchgears News

Volta Trucks, the full-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer, has announced the appointment of Duncan Forrester as its Chief Communications Officer, effective immediately. Forrester’s appointment comes soon after the company’s confirmation of the sale of 1,000 Volta Zero vehicles to Petit Forestier believed to be Europe’s largest single purchase of large electric commercial vehicles and its announcement of its successful funding round, bringing $20 million into the company...

Infinitum Electric, the creator of the breakthrough motor that uses a silicon stator, announces company milestones achieved during 2020, along with plans to hire 30 employees in the areas of engineering, operations, sales, and marketing across the next twelve months to meet demand for its ultra high-efficiency electric motors. Twenty-five trillion kilowatt hours of electricity are consumed per year, of which 53 percent is consumed by electric motors. This leaves a significant opportunity for in...

Swedish start-up Starbit has been awarded two major contracts in the Nordic region for its Smart Retail and Smart Cities hi-tech solutions. Scandinavian retail chain, Coop Norden, will be piloting Starbit’s latest smart queuing system with AirSwipe technology along with a payment card-reader upgrade on their self-service solutions across its 850 stores. Starbit’s smart queuing systems make businesses more efficient by reducing manual workload for staff and streamlinin...

Aggreko, the pioneer in the temporary energy market, announces its ambition to be net zero by 2050 or sooner, aligning with the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5° Celsius. Aggreko also commits to offering cleaner technologies and fuels to support its customers through their energy transition - using flexible and competitive energy solutions to meet their environmental sustainability targets. 2030 And 2050 Goals  By 2030, Aggreko will: Reduce the amount of fossil diese...

DNV GL, the globally renowned assurance and risk management company, will combine its current Oil & Gas and Power & Renewables businesses into one new business area, called Energy Systems. The move will better reflect the emerging energy future, which will see renewables take a greater share of the energy mix and decarbonization become a major focus. Energy Systems Energy Systems, which will start operating from February 1, 2021, will provide certification, advisory and digital monito...

The E.ON Board has decided to sign the Terra Carta, which was unveiled during the One Planet Summit in Paris, France. The Terra Carta was initiated by HRH The Prince of Wales. He is calling on CEOs (Chief Executive Officers) from around the world to engage and play their part in leading the global transition towards a sustainable future. Terra Carta or Earth Charter The Terra Carta, or Earth Charter, derives its name from the 800-year-old Magna Carta in England The Terra Carta, or Earth Char...

On January 1, 2021, the new German Renewable Energy Act (EEG) came into force, following a long discussion. The amendment has profound consequences on the expansion and remuneration of renewable energies. Below is an overview of the most important changes. To achieve the goal of supplying 65% of German electricity from renewable sources, the expansion paths have been updated. Among other things, the installed capacity of onshore wind power is to be expanded to 71 and solar systems to 100 gigawa...

The RSOE-Z and RSE-Z are two new series of SIP8-regulated DC/DC converters that have been developed for various industrial, transport, and test and measurement applications that require on-board isolated 5V power supplies from a wide 4:1 input voltage range. The RSOE-Z (1 watt) and RSE-Z (2 watts) offer full industrial-grade performance at a competitive price. The 4:1 input voltages of nominal 12V (4.5-18V) or 24V (9-36V) means that 5V, 12V, 24V, or 28V regulated or unregulated battery-powered...

Aggreko, the globally renowned provider of mobile and modular power solutions, has signed a contract with Gold Fields, global mining operator, to provide a total of 25.9 MW hybrid solar and thermal power solution to the Salares Norte open pit mine in Chile.  This ground-breaking solution has been designed to provide power for the entire mine, which sits at an altitude of 4,500m in the Andes mountain range and is 190km from the nearest town. Renewable power generation The hybrid system wi...

RECOM launches cost-effective, high-specification board-mount AC/DCs. RECOM is announcing the launch of two ranges of board-mount AC/DC converters, the RAC02E-K/277 and RAC03E-K/277, rated at 2W and 3W respectively. Inputs include nominals of 100VAC up to 277VAC for use in a wide variety of applications worldwide. Regulated outputs available include 3.3V, 5V, 12V, 15V and 24V with operation without derating up to 80°C (RAC02E-K/277) or 75°C (RAC03E-K/277). ErP requirements  The p...

Aggreko, the Glasgow-headquartered global provider of mobile, modular power, temperature control and energy services, announces an upgrade of its production facility in Dumbarton, with an investment totaling £4.5 million. As part of Aggreko’s Net Zero strategy, the site will turn into a future energy hub, replacing all diesel with low-emission HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) as well as exporting surplus power generated during production tests of Next Generation Gas gensets back to...

In DESIGNETZ, 46 partners in three German federal states are investigating how a decentralized, digital and green energy system of the future will work. Possible solutions are being tested in a complex interplay of reality and simulation. So far, the experts had set up sub-projects such as battery storage or power-to-heat systems individually and put them into operation, gathering knowledge about how the overall system could be set up. bidirectional...

Volta Trucks, the start-up manufacturer of the full-electric Volta Zero, has confirmed that Belux-based VPD Transport and Logistics will trial and purchase the Volta Zero as part of its drive towards decarbonizing its distribution fleet. VPD Transport and Logistics already operates over 100 vehicles, from trucks to Cargo Bikes, but the Volta Zero is the first full-electric large commercial vehicle to enter its operations. With over 50 years of experience, and more than 150 employees, VPD Transp...

On December 18, 2020, the complete set of voltage sag control equipment based on the high-speed switch, independently developed by NR, successfully passed the full set type test of Xi'an High Voltage Apparatus Research Institute (XIHARI) and its performance has been fully certified by the authority. Among them, the fastest switching time of dual power fast switching devices is less than 16ms. The fastest working time of the bus voltage current limiting protection device is less than 10ms, which...

On December 23, 2020, the world's first black start project of 9F heavy-duty gas turbine through energy storage was successfully launched in Zhuhai Hengqin Thermal Power Co., Ltd., and officially put into commercial operation. Typhoon disasters occur frequently in China's coastal areas, which requires a high capacity of power disaster prevention and mitigation in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao area. Effectively improve the power supply capacity of Macao and the ability of the main power supply...

DNV GL, the world's renowned resource of independent energy experts and certification body, carried out a vendor due diligence for T-Solar Global Operating Assets that was key for the company sale transaction. The review of the company’s operational and pipeline portfolio included sixty-nine assets and was prepared for potential investors. The whole scope took more than two months and around twelve experts to complete it. Existing photovoltaic projects A total of forty-five existing pho...

On December 9, 2020, the world’s first 220 kV Distributed Power Flow Controller (DPFC)supplied by NR Electric, Huzhou DPFC pilot project of State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Co., Ltd., has successfully completed all system tests in the first phase and has been put into operation. DPFC is an advance type of flexible power flow control device based on high-power power electronic technology. It can dynamically optimize the line impedance characteristics, effectively control the power flow t...

At its meeting, the Supervisory Board of E.ON SE resolved to appoint Leonhard Birnbaum as Chairman of the company's Board of Management effective April 1, 2021. Birnbaum will thus succeed Johannes Teyssen. Teyssen joined the Group in 1989, has been a member of the Board of Management since 2004, and has led E.ON for more than ten years. European energy transition Supervisory Board Chairman, Karl-Ludwig Kley, said: “The integration of innogy marks the successful completion of E.ON's majo...

On November 28, 2020, the Static VAR Compensator (SVC) supplied by NR Electric, was successfully put into operation in ‘220kV BA’ER substation’ of Ali power network project. It has become one of the highest SVC systems in the world, and it is also the successful application of SVC project in extremely weak power grid, which has great engineering significance. Static VAR Compensator (SVC) supplied by NR Electric The transmission lines of Tibet power grid are long and the netw...

Amprion, the Dortmund-based transmission system operator, and E.ON, Germany’s largest distribution system operator, have agreed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen their cooperation. In this way, the companies intend to make a joint contribution to the fundamental transformation of the energy system. “We can only meet the increasingly complex challenges of the energy transition by collaborating across network operator boundaries. Jointly developing innovations, driving for...

Political leaders are making strides in climate change with election commitments from President-elect Biden in the US, UK Prime Minister Johnson launching a 10-point plan for a Green Industrial Revolution and the European Union unveiling plans to increase offshore windfarm capacity 25-fold as part of the Green Deal, but more action is required to get in striking distance of the Paris Agreement, according to DNV GL. Cross-sector industry support Cross-sector industry support is needed to boost...

Electric Ireland has added to its Brighter Together Energy Program with another innovative energy-saving product for farms. Ireland’s only interest-free Solar PV payment plan will see energy and cost savings for farms who avail and an additional 10% discount off the cost of installation for Electric Ireland customers. Solar PV technology will help farms to reduce electricity bills, reduce their carbon footprint and increase the energy efficiency of operations on the farm. Electric Ireland...

At the 13th China Wind Power 2020 (CWP 2020), recently held in Beijing, the 10MW offshore wind turbine of Dongfang Electric Corporation (DEC) was awarded the type certificate from the China Quality Certification Center.  This is China's first type of certificate for the 10MW offshore wind turbine, as well as for the largest power rating in China.

gridX and E.ON are equipping the so-called 'xHouse' with an intelligent energy management system and are also testing bidirectional charging of electric vehicles, among other things. Here, the electric vehicle is used as a flexible electricity storage device that exchanges energy with the home as required. One challenge of the energy turnaround and decentralization is the lack of a possibility to store large amounts of electricity. On sunny days, for example, a photovoltaic system generates muc...

gridX and E.ON are equipping the so-called "xHouse" with an intelligent energy management system and are also testing bidirectional charging of electric vehicles, among other things. Here, the electric vehicle is used as a flexible electricity storage device that exchanges energy with the home as required. One challenge of the energy turnaround and decentralization is the lack of a possibility to store large amounts of electricity. On sunny days, for example, a photovoltaic system generates muc...

The partnership between the young Aachen-based company - gridX and the energy company - E.ON sets a further milestone for e-mobility. gridX was able to prevail over its competitors in an international tender by E.ON. In the future, gridX's dynamic load management will thus be distributed throughout Europe by E.ON. Last Thursday, the starting signal for the extended cooperation of the two companies was given at the E.ON headquarters (Essen - Brüsseler Platz 1). At Brüsseler Platz the d...

On November 16, 2020, The LIKOMA station (1MW) of the 1.3MW island photovoltaic energy storage microgrid EPC project in Malawi, Africa was successfully put into operation by NR. The Minister of Energy-Malawi and the CEO of the Electricity Generation Company-Malawi were present to congratulate the project. The project is located on two isolated islands (Likoma and Chizumulu) in Lake Malawi, with a total design photovoltaic capacity of 1.3MW and energy storage capacity of 2839kWh. Intermittent p...

Electric Ireland has announced it will provide free Electric Vehicle (EV) Home Chargers to anyone who buys a new Nissan LEAF EV and signs up to Electric Ireland’s 100% Green Electricity Price Plan. Electric Ireland will fit the charger for them after their sign-up in just two easy steps. The 100% Green Electricity Price Plan comes with the additional benefit of an enduring discount of up to 8.5% off Electric Ireland’s standard unit rates. New products and services Considering the...

A commissioning ceremony was held for Shanghai Electric Golmud Meiman Minhang energy storage power station in Golmud City, Qinghai Province. The first of its kind with market-oriented operation, the 32MW/64MWh power station has made possible "Wind, Solar, Hydro, Thermal, and Storage Integration" and "Generation, Grid, Load, and Storage Integration". Shanghai Electric and the owners of new energy power stations co-invest in the project and share its benefits. The project is constructed by Shang...

DNV GL announced its Smart Cable Guard cable monitoring solution has passed the milestone of monitoring 2,000 medium-voltage power cables, with this advanced technology that was launched in 2017. The company sees continuous growth in the number of cables added each week to its monitoring base and the system is now active on all continents of the world. Cables are being monitored from different control centers over the world to facilitate 24/7 operations and contact. Smart Cable Guard cable mon...