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The US grid network is over-stressed. Changes in climate increasing severe weather events, the aging of the system, and the need to incorporate innovative technologies that it was not designed for, such as DERs, means that there are many challenges to be faced. The frequency and duration of power outages in the United States is increasing. Between 2011 and 2021, for example, there were 64%..
Energy Central…
The grid must accommodate more inverter-based generation and adequately handle the bi-directional flow of electricity, but it must also apply alternative grid configurations and coordinate planning and operations across multiple participants and jurisdictions. That’s the vision Michael Pesin, deputy assistant secretary for the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Grid Research and Development division, outlined in detail in a keynote speech for attendees at the Experience POWER conference and exhibition, which took place this week in San Antonio, Texas.
The vision is rooted in multiple priorities laid out by the Biden administration, which include ensuring the nation’s power infrastructure is “fully modernized, secure, resilient, and reliable,” said Pesin. Its urgency is also remarkable: “The goal is to have a pollution-free power sector by 2035 and a net-zero greenhouse gas [GHG] emission economy by 2050,” he noted.
However, it is already rife with challenges: “In the wake of major rolling blackouts, like the energy emergencies in 2020 and 2021, it is no secret to anyone that today’s electric grid is being pushed to do more than it was originally designed to do, and, designed 100 years ago, it is pretty much based on the same principles.”…
The post Hitachi Absorbs ABB Power Grids in New $ 10B Joint Venture appeared first on POWER Magazine.
Hitachi on July 1 commandeered a majority share of ABB’s lucrative Power Grids business and officially launched a joint venture company—Hitachi ABB Power Grids. The new company, which already has a volume of about $ 10 billion, is expected to provide financial muscle to support ambitious projects and new business opportunities as the sector embraces decentralization and digitalization.
Japanese technology conglomerate Hitachi holds a 80.1% ($ 6.85 billion) stake in Hitachi ABB Power Grids, while Zurich-based ABB will hold the remaining 19.9% stake. ABB also holds a pre-defined option to exit the retained 19.9% shareholding three years after closing, and it is likely it will be bought out by Hitachi, which has said it will consider acquiring ABB’s share to make it a wholly owned subsidiary after 2023.
But for now, Hitachi ABB Power Grids will be headquartered in Switzerland and employ approximately 36,000 people in 90 countries.…
There have been numerous pronouncements recently about the upcoming demise of the bulk power grid as consumers are projected to move toward decentralized green energy sources. We don’t believe that the end of the electric grid is nigh upon us.
In the last decade, low load growth in the U.S. has been accompanied by continued transmission growth. Although the percent of load growth is declining or flat nationwide, investment in the transmission system is increasing. In addition, recent trends suggest that decarbonization efforts—installation of renewable resources and distributed energy resources—will likely be accompanied by increasing transmission expansion. Other factors are contributing to the increased transmission system investment as well.
Annual electric load growth has trended downward over our lifetimes, from 9.8% annual growth in the 1950s to 0.7% in the first decade of the 21st century. Nonetheless, the load itself continues to grow as does transmission system investment. Annual investment in the transmission system increased from around $ 2 billion in 1997, to $ 14 billion in 2012, an annual growth rate of almost 14%.…