FSC technology allows utilities to cost-effectively increase the power transfer capabilities of both existing and new transmission lines

ge_fsc_idaho

Grid Customers Energize 3,500 Mvar of GE Fixed Series Compensation (FSC) Systems in 2019. (Credit: GENERAL ELECTRIC)

GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions business [NYSE:GE] today announced that seven electrical grid customers energized its leading Fixed Series Compensator (FSC) systems at nine different sites in 2019 to increase the efficiency of their transmission networks. That’s the equivalent of nearly 3,500 megavar (Mvar) of compensation, with almost all of it being used to support increased renewables generation.

FSC technology allows utilities to cost-effectively increase the power transfer capabilities of both existing and new transmission lines, with reduced transmission line losses and overall improved power grid stability. This is because FSC technology makes transmission lines behave as if they are physically shorter, thus giving them an increased ability to carry electric power over longer distances with lower losses.

Below is the list of the seven GE customers that energized Grid Solutions’ Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) technology in 2019:

  • Idaho Power: Upgraded an existing bank at the Boise Bench substation.
  • Large electric wind developer: By adding GE’s FSC solution, this wind developer was able to increase capacity on its transmission line, eliminating the need to build a second line to connect to the grid from its wind farms.
  • AEP: AEP’s Kanawha River Project in West Virginia uses GE’s 345 kV FSC solution to help maintain the reliability on their transmission grid and allows flexibility during maintenance and construction outages. Specifically, the 345 kV FSC assists in alleviating an Interconnection Reliability Operating Limit (IROL) constraint under certain system conditions and will also assist in mitigating system impacts from Geomagnetic Disturbance events.
  • Large electric TSO in the Pacific Northwest: This transmission system operator expanded an existing substation in Oregon to interconnect Avangrid’s planned Montague Wind Power Project to Federal Columbia River Transmission System (FCRTS).
  • Large electric transmission provider: This provider energized a GE 345 kV Series Capacitor Bank which has improved capability compared with the competitor’s bank that it replaced.
  • Eletronorte: The upgrade of its existing Miracema facilities with FSC technology supports increased power flow through the North-South Interconnector in Brazil.
  • TAESA: This electric power transmission company energized a new transmission line with GE FSC banks at three sites in Brazil to support expansion of the North-Southeast and North-Northeast interconnections in the country to help dispatch energy and provide for future wind power projects.

The above listed projects are utilizing new technologies that provide customers additional cost-savings and improved safety, among other benefits. This includes GE’s newly developed polymer-housed metal oxide varistors (MOVs), which reduces cost, lead time and personnel safety as well as a new capacitor factory that produces a 22-inch tall fuse-less capacitor design (normally 13.5-inches). The capacitor investment allows GE to design capacitor stack-rack equipment packages that cost less than the traditional design and reduce platform space requirements, bridging the economic competitive advantages of large internally fused capacitor units while retaining all the operational and technical advantages of fuse-less technology.

“Not only does GE lead in Fixed Series Compensation technology, but we also have a design and project management process that allows us to execute safely and efficiently,” said Fabrice Jullien, Global FACTS Business Leader for the Grid Integration Solutions business at GE Renewable Energy. “Our on-time performance in 2019 was exceptional across these projects. In some cases, we even managed to energize ahead of schedule, enabling our customers to realize better-than-planned financial and operational performance. We continue to refine our project management best practices so that our customers can be confident when they purchase our FACTS technology.”

GE is the worldwide leader in the execution and delivery of Fixed Series Compensation projects, with more than a century of experience designing transmission networks, including the first FSC project in 1928 in New York. GE has energized more than 50,000 Mvars of FSC systems since 2010, providing superior systems through innovative products that result in project cost savings, and increased quality and reliability.

Source: Company Press Release