Göteborg, Sweden — May 7, 2019 — GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions business (NYSE:GE) announced today it is showcasing its F35-145 kilovolt (kV) gas-insulated substation at Elfack in Göteborg, the Nordic’s largest annual trade fair for the electricity and power industry. The substation operates with Green Gas for Grid, or g3 (pronounced “g” cubed), GE’s groundbreaking gas alternative to the sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) insulating gas used in high-voltage electrical transmission equipment. GE’s g3 products feature the same ratings and same dimensional footprint as state-of-the-art SF6 equipment, with a drastically-reduced environmental impact: more than 99% less gas global warming potential (GWP), comparatively. Also, g3 products operate with no restriction under the same temperature range as SF6 products (down to -30°C).
Environmental life cycle assessments (LCA) on the overall environmental performance of g3 products compared with SF6 products have shown the use of g3 allows utilities to greatly reduce CO2 emissions from their HV switchgear. In addition, with product dimensions remaining the same, there is no pollution transfer induced on any other environmental indicators.
“GE is meeting the growing need for environmentally-friendly, high-voltage transmission infrastructure by developing new products that improve environmental impact without sacrificing system performance. At Elfack this week, GE is spotlighting a combination of g3 and digital solutions— the F35-145 kV gas-insulated substation. Operated with g3, it helps reduce the environmental impact. Embedding all-digital solutions, it can be digitally monitored, automated, and controlled, maximizing the potential of digital technologies,” said Dirk Uhde, Executive Product Manager at GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions business.
GE has g3 initiatives under way around the world, supporting transmission utilities with their commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These include 19 sites from 16 different utilities. Altogether, these projects will reduce the GWP of the installed gas masses by more than 99% while avoiding the installation of approximately 385,000 tons of CO2 (equivalent CO2e) on the grid.
Key g3 projects include:
GE’s g3 is fully type-tested and available for gas-insulated substations (GIS) up to 145 kV, gas-insulated lines (GIL) up to 420 kV and air-insulated substations (AIS) instrument transformers up to 245 kV.
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