Renew On Line (UK) 28

Extracts from the Sept-Oct 2000 edition of Renew
These extracts only represent about 25% of it

ABB: Billion-dollar Boom?

ABB, the global technology company, outlined its strategy for alternative energy solutions at a press conference in London recently, saying it expects its share of the business to reach US$ 1 billion within the next five years. "We have developed technologies that make wind power and other renewable and alternative energies economically attractive for the first time- both small-scale and large-scale solutions," said Göran Lindahl, ABB's President & CEO. "Especially important is the information technology (IT) and communication features that we've built into the systems, making them easier to operate and maintain and much more cost-effective than conventional approaches."

"With deregulation in the power market, global efforts to cut pollution and government initiatives to boost electricity production from alternative energy- especially in Europe- we think this market is poised for tremendous growth," Lindahl said. "With our technologies and global scope, we intend to be a leader in this market worldwide."

As part of the strategy to rapidly develop this growth market, ABB unveiled its new wind power technology, called the Windformer (TM), which it says will enable the economical development of wind farms with outputs up to 300 MW or more. The Windformer (TM) also reduces power losses and can be used to connect wind farms directly to larger power grids, even from offshore: see below.

ABB said demand for alternative energy sources and small-scale power generation wind farms, fuel cells, combined heat and power plants using miniature gas turbines- has been sparked in large part by deregulation, which has forced power suppliers to put a higher priority on profitability. Small-scale power, because it requires less up-front capital investment, often meets this need better than conventional large power plants. In addition, governments around the world have committed to cut greenhouse gas emissions and this was also stimulating demand for new technology.

ABB, who already have more than 25% of the wind generator market, estimates that as a result of the ongoing shift to renewable and small distributed power generation, emissions from newly installed power generating capacity will, by 2005, be about 25 %lower than they were in 1997, even though the total power output will have increased.

As well as the Windformer system, ABB is developing a range of miniature gas turbines and announced a joint venture, Turbec, with Volvo in 1998 to develop gas turbines with an output of 100 kW or more. The first five commercial units should be ready units this summer, with a total of 50 turbines to be shipped by the end of the year.

In parallel, ABB and DuPont, have agreed on joint development of fuel cell systems for a variety of applications, in particular a very-low emission solution for distributed power generation.

ABB say that their IT-based network control is the key to the viability of decentralized power since it allows small plants to be linked into local microgrids. ABB's power network technology allows electricity to be traded among microgrids, creating a "virtual utility." Web-enabled control and service systems make it possible to monitor and maintain microgrids remotely.

* ABB, which employs about 165,000 people in more than 100 countries, has shifted its focus from being a builder of traditional large-scale power plants with the recent divestitures of most of its power generation activities to ALSTOM of France and BNFL of the U.K. Nevertheless, ABB remains a major supplier to this important sector and says it has targeted alternative energy ‘as a growth opportunity that complements existing power markets’.

ABB Corporate Communications, Zürich Tel: +41 1 317 7371

Fax: +41 1 317 7958 http://www.abb.com  (source of info above)

ABB Windformer

According to ABB the Windformer (TM) increases power output by up to 20% and cuts lifetime maintenance costs in half. It uses advanced cable technology originally developed for ABB’s Powerformer (TM) high-voltage generator. Protected by some 230 patent applications, this technology allows ABB to eliminate a number of components found in conventional wind generation systems. As a result, ABB has created a wind generator that requires neither a gearbox nor a transformer, making wind farms more reliable with lower electrical losses. Using the Windformer, wind farms can be economically built in a range from six megawatts to 300 MW or more. ABB said the the cost of producing electricity using the Windformer is below US 4 cents per kWh, competitive with costs from conventional gas, coal or oil-fired power plants. ABB is currently testing a 500 kW prototype. Vattenfall, the Nordic energy group, has agreed to install a 3-3.5 MW demonstration plant expected to go into operation in the summer of 2001. Combined with its other advanced power transmission technologies, such as HVDC (High-Voltage Direct Current) Light, ABB says the Windformer allows wind farms to be located at lower cost farther away from human settlements, such as in offshore installations.

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