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ABB provides digital transformers for Chile renewables project

May 15, 2020
Misc
Posted by Patrick Haddad

ABB has provided digital transformers for the Andes Renovable wind and solar platform.

Mainstream Renewable Power’s 1.3 gigawatt (GW) wind and solar platform Andes Renovables represents a large step towards achieving the goals of the “Roadmap to 2050: A Sustainable and Inclusive Strategy”, through which Chile aims for 70 percent of its electricity generation to come from renewable sources by 2050.

ABB Power Grids’ power transformers will contribute to the integration of this sustainable electricity into the grid across nine of Mainstream’s Chilean projects using digitally enabled transformers, to enhance their operation in this critical application.

The digitalized transformers will be equipped with CoreTec™ 4 units, enabling real-time management of their condition by analyzing data coming from different sensors to provide early warnings and recommendations to avoid unexpected downtime. These sensors include ABB Power Grids’ CoreSense™, a digital device for tracking the level of dissolved gases, which can indicate a potential problem inside the transformer.

They have also provided power transformers for three additional wind energy projects in Chile (Cuel, Sarco and Aurora), with total capacity of 332 megawatts, which are owned by Aela Energía and its subsidiary Aela Generación. Aela Energía is a joint venture between Mainstream Renewable Power and the global investment company, Actis.

These twelve projects total over 1.5 GW of renewable power capacity, enough electricity to provide for over 1.3 million people, over 7 percent of today’s total consumption in Chile.

“Driving the world with sustainable energy is one of our top priorities, and we are proud to be part of these major projects that will integrate renewables into Chile’s electrical grid,” said Bruno Melles, Managing Director of ABB’s Transformer Business Line. “By deploying ABB Power Grids’ digital transformers, Mainstream Renewable Power will be equipped to turn transformer health data into actionable intelligence for optimized asset performance and active network management for increased renewables integration – meaning more of this sustainable electricity can reach the end consumers.”

Mainstream Renewable Power, a global developer of renewable power based in Ireland, is a major player in Chile’s evolving electricity market and, worldwide, has over 16,000 megawatts (MW) of renewable power installed and in planning stages.

“To achieve our vision of electrifying the world with renewable energy, it is essential that the power our projects generate is always available,” said Manuel Tagle, Mainstream Renewable Power Latam. “The power transformers in our wind and solar farms are critical, so this technology must be of the highest quality and designed to never go offline unexpectedly. The digital devices integrated into these transformers will enable us to constantly monitor the health of the transformers and take preventative action before any issues become critical. This remote monitoring is especially important for our systems, which can be isolated and difficult to access.”

Source: ABB

Photo (for illustrative purposes): Wind Farm / 272447 / Pixabay / Free for commercial use

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