Hitachi Energy is calling for immediate action to expand global power grids, reduce connection bottlenecks, and accelerate the energy transition by increasing the deployment of innovative power electronics technology.
Around 3000GW of renewable projects are currently waiting in grid connection queues globally, equivalent to five times the amount of solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind capacity added in 2022, the company said.
It is estimated that 80m km of grids must be added or replaced by 2040, requiring grid investment to double to more than $600bn a year by 2030, according to the IEA.
The increasing penetration of renewables, the decentralisation of power generation, and the electrification and decarbonisation of traditional fossil-based industries are creating challenging operating environments for power systems.
Due to more variable power flows, lower inertia and predictability, the need for increasingly controlled interconnection capacity, green energy corridors, directly feeding cities, is required to support the remote sustainable generation.
To address these issues and the needs of a fast-evolving power system, Hitachi Energy is today launching Grid-enSure at the CIGRE 2024 Paris Session – a portfolio of fully integrated solutions that helps to enhance grid flexibility, resilience, and stability to accelerate the sustainable energy transition.
Grid-enSure brings a new holistic approach to designing, planning and operating present and future power systems.
The portfolio is based on Hitachi Energy’s advisory and consulting services for grid development and modernisation, an in-house verticalised value-chain for power electronics and advanced control systems, as well as strong power system domain and control engineering expertise.
Hitachi Energy’s consulting services also help customers understand future challenges and the relevant Grid-enSure solutions to address them.
The solutions combine Hitachi Energy’s existing and future power electronic solutions such as high-voltage direct current (HVDC), static compensators (STATCOM and Enhanced STATCOM), static frequency converters (SFC), medium-voltage direct current (MVDC), energy storage solutions and semiconductor technologies.
Niklas Persson, managing director of Hitachi Energy’s business unit grid integration, said: “We are at a defining moment in the energy transition.
“With unprecedented levels of renewable power being added globally, we must reconsider how we design, plan, and operate power systems to support the rapid pace of the energy transition.
“Traditional power technology solutions alone cannot provide the necessary speed and functionalities that our renewable-powered grids require, so a more holistic approach is needed.”
Grid-enSure’s power electronics solutions include advanced semiconductor technology – entirely manufactured in-house – to allow the fast and secure conversion and control of energy flows, thanks to higher power density and optimal switching frequency, Hitachi said.