Hitachi ABB Power Grids has announced the launch of its Smart Digital Substation offering which “brings together the latest in digital substation technology with the unique predictive, prescriptive and prognostic capabilities of Hitachi’s industry-leading Lumada Asset Performance Management (APM) solution.“
The new substation, says ABB Hitachi, forms part of a new wave of innovation that began with the recently announced integration of Hitachi ABB Power Grids’ Digital Enterprise software into Hitachi’s Lumada ecosystem. By replacing copper wires with fibre optic cables, the substation enables companies to reduce their carbon footprint with a smaller site and plan their next steps by employing digital technology and analytics in their operations today. On any given day, operators are now empowered with more data on every aspect of their facility – from the composition of a circuit breaker’s insulation (a red flag for potential catastrophic failure) to using unstructured video footage to help determine the probability of unplanned downtime for primary equipment throughout the substation.
The Smart Digital Substation also makes it possible, says ABB, to increase reliability and resilience, integrate new forms of cleaner energy and deliver energy services in smarter, safer ways – necessities for navigating the shift towards more distributed and less predictable renewable power generation.
By harnessing data generated by devices and sensors, the substation provides owners and operators “next-level” capabilities including actionable insights and a more complete view of their operations.
The integration of Lumada APM adds a layer of analytics and simulations enabling decision-makers to address issues on an asset before any disruption to operations. These analytics can be extended beyond the substation fence to assess risk and probability of substation or asset failure throughout a company’s fleet.
