Hitachi Energy, along with consortium partner Kanonaden Entreprenad Mälardalen AB, will deploy Sweden’s largest-ever power quality solution for Svenska kraftnät to increase the capacity of existing transmission lines and increase the country’s renewable energy consumption from hydro and wind resources in North Sweden.
The consortium order is worth US$300 million (3 billion SEK), for which Hitachi Energy will install up to 10 series compensation systems, expected to be operational by 2030. This technology is cost-effective and eco-efficient, as it improves the power transfer capacity of existing power lines. With more power transmitted, an additional one million households will be served.
“Hitachi Energy’s power quality solution will play an important role in helping Sweden achieve energy security and accelerate its transition to clean energy,” said Niklas Persson, Managing Director of Hitachi Energy’s Business Unit Grid Integration. “Our compensation systems will reliably transfer renewable power from northern generation sources to the southern urban areas, the country’s economic engine. This will mitigate one of the Swedish grid’s main challenges of transmission line losses by increasing system efficiency and ensuring a seamless delivery of renewable power to high-consumption centres.”
By installing a series of compensation systems at one or more suitable points in a power grid, it is possible to increase the transmitted power by up to 50% through new and existing power lines. From an electrical point of view, a series-compensated system enables more power to be transmitted over existing power lines and improves the voltage stability in a power grid. Series compensation offers valuable economic and environmental benefits.