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Press Release24 April 2018,
updated25 April 2018Energy ManagementErlangen
Wind farm places the first SF6-free Siemens high-voltage switchgear (GIS) into operation
The image shows the visualization of the new blue GIS portfolio.
In the future, 66 kV could be the standard voltage for offshore turbines. A higher voltage means lower cable-laying costs and also fewer losses. The "cable in pipe" solution also makes it possible to simplify cabling between the turbines. A slimmed-down tower concept helps save even more material. In this case, reduced-weight prototypes that are specially suited to jacket concepts are to be installed.
The economic prospects of the offshore wind energy technology being tested in the project are expected to demonstrate a significant positive impact on power generation costs. The Danish energy agency DEA anticipates that the components being tested in Nissum Bredning will help substantially to save on investment and operating costs.
The 8VM1 blue GIS is an enhancement of the switchgear that use SF6 as the insulating, switching, and extinguishing gas, and which will remain in the product line. "We're proud that our new SF6-free switchgear are being used successfully in the Nissum Bredning Vind wind farm," said Karlheinz Kronen, CEO of the High Voltage Products Business Unit in the Siemens Energy Management Division. "We've constructed the 8VM1 specifically for this type of deployment and focused on an environmentally compatible design during development. Customers will therefore benefit from the advantages of our proven vacuum switching technology with no SF6." In vacuum switching technology, a vacuum-interrupter unit switches and extinguishes the arc, while technically prepared and purified air in a mixing ratio of 80 percent nitrogen to 20 percent oxygen (known as clean air) provides the insulation for the current-carrying conductors inside the housing of the metal-encapsulated gas-insulated switchgear (GIS). By combining vacuum-interrupter units of up to 72.5 kV for extinguishing arcs with dry air (clean air) as the high-voltage insulating medium, we've added another alternative to SF6 to our existing insulating and extinguishing technology.
The new blue GIS portfolio is Siemens' answer to the market requirements of customers who want to use both the proven properties of GIS systems asd well as a natural insulating medium in their power grids. The blue GIS portfolio represents Siemens' work with insulating media that contain no fluorine gases and therefore meet all the strictest safety and environmental standards.
For further information on blue GIS, please see www.siemens.com/global/en/home/products/energy/ecotransparency.html
For this press release
Event: Siemens at the Hannover Messe 2018
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for 170 years. The company is active around the globe, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world's largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is a leading supplier of efficient power generation and power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. With its publicly listed subsidiary Siemens Healthineers AG, the company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2017, which ended on September 30, 2017, Siemens generated revenue of €83.0 billion and net income of €6.2 billion. At the end of September 2017, the company had around 377,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.