The complexity of electricity infrastructures has increased considerably, driving a global digitalisation and modernisation that seeks to adapt to new power generation models. Power producers face the challenge of ensuring an extensive and high quality electricity supply throughout the territory, but this task is becoming increasingly complicated, especially with the advent of decentralisation in power generation.
The implementation of new systems, such as photovoltaic or wind power, has introduced load imbalances, temporary voltage outages and high maintenance costs at transformer substations, among other problems. To address these phenomena, energy monitoring solutions offer intelligent, real-time responses. These solutions not only address the emerging problems arising from new forms of power generation, but also provide significant savings in maintenance costs in the medium and long term. In addition, they enable the detection and anticipation of more serious and costly problems.
In this global context, SACI, Sociedad Anónima de Construcciones Industriales, presents an ideal solution to meet the challenges in substations: the Advanced Low Voltage Supervision System.
This solution was recently presented at the Enlit trade fair, held in November in Paris, and is increasingly necessary due to the increase in power generation sources to which transformer substations have to adapt, promoting a digitalisation that is equal parts modernisation of the country's electricity infrastructure and a reduction in the time it takes to respond to faults and anomalies. The new Advanced Low Voltage Supervision System designed by the Spanish firm consists of: a transformer supervisor (SBT4V-5C), remote communications hub equipment (SBT-C), a display (SBT-D) and a line analyser (SBT-LA).
The unit SBT4V-5C is a digital network analyser focused on the collection of information and data from a three-phase low-voltage network. There are many advantages offered by the SBT4V-5C for transformer substations. Firstly, it improves safety, as it is able to detect electrical problems, such as short circuits or overloads, at an early stage. Secondly, it reduces downtime due to its ability to monitor equipment status in real time, and its distribution of power in the transformer station helps identify problems before they become serious faults.
On the other hand, advanced monitoring systems can provide detailed information on energy consumption and equipment efficiency, allowing measures to be taken to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs and carbon footprint.
In addition, SACI's solution is able to accurately diagnose electrical faults, speeding up the troubleshooting process. Regulatory compliance is made much easier with the Advanced Low Voltage Monitoring System.
The advanced supervisor developed by SACI can be integrated with other wider control and automation systems, opening the door to more efficient management of the entire electrical infrastructure. In Spain, the version with sensors will be available, which offer high performance as network analysers, gathering information from the three-phase network that communicates with the remote control unit (RTU), through which control of the electrical substation is exercised.
The new advanced supervisor for substations is a further step in SACI's commitment to improve electricity digitalisation, safety, operational efficiency and reliability of the electricity supply, which in turn leads to smart and effective management of the electricity infrastructure.