Spanish SME seeks front-edge technology for medium voltage switchgears

The International Renewable Energy Agency-IRENA estimates that 90% of the global energy consumption will be renewable by 2050. Most of those will come from decentralised generation sources: photovoltaics (PV) parks, wind farms, biomass power plants, small hydro power plants, etc. Latin America hosts some of the world’s most dynamic renewable energy markets, with more than a quarter of primary energy coming from renewables, twice the global average. Governments in the region have set a target of generating 70% of the countries’ total energy consumption from renewables by 2030, requiring a rapid acceleration in renewable projects. Electrifying will be another driver for both Industry and mobility. According to the EU objectives, those will reach a penetration of 50 and 63% respectively by 2050. All these drivers will necessarily lead to expanding the global electrical system, requiring the installation of new MV/ HV switchgears. More switchgears installed will also require more circuit breakers. Switchgear global market size will be 59,84 billion USD by 2028. The company currently supplies medium voltage (1< 35 kV) and high voltage (35-50 kV) switchgears, based mainly in both AIS (Air Insulated Switch) and GIS (Gas Insulated Switch) circuit breakers from third-party companies. The type of plants where these technologies are commonly implemented includes among others, wind farms, micro-hydro power, cogeneration, solar farms or biomass. The firm is looking for a partnership with a company that has innovative and front-end switchgear/circuit breaker technology. With these cooperation agreements, the Basque firm wishes to create a new product line: the switchgear manufacturing unit. This new unit will be key for developing its new generation of MV/ HV switchgears. The main requirement of MV/ HV power network is to interrupt current during faulty condition irrespective of what type of circuit breaker is used in the MV/ HV switchgear system. From 1 KV to 35 KV a switchgear system is categorized as medium voltage switchgear or MV switchgear. It will be good to consider to expand the working limit of the circuit breaker to the low side of the High Voltage (HV). An ideal operating range will end at 40,5 kV. Although it may be capable of functioning in other conditions also, a medium/ high voltage switchgear should be capable of: • Normal ON/OFF switching operation. • Short circuit current interruption. • Switching of capacitive currents. • Switching of inductive currents. • Some special application. There is a wide range of available technological solutions for circuit breaker in the global market: • AIS – Air Insulated Switch • GIS – Gas Insulated Switch • VIS – Vacuum Insulated Switch • SIS – Solid Insulated Switch The company is open to both new or mature technologies. All the above-mentioned functions must be carried out with high degree of safety and reliability. The company, facing its 40 anniversary, counts with a brand-new factory, with 6.400 square meters of manufacturing and office space. The Basque company is interested either in buying a license to obtain the technology, achieving a technological cooperation agreement to develop the switchgear/ circuit breakers, or a joint venture agreement with a company developing projects related to this technology.