AMSC has delivered its D-VAR VVO system for an industrial application at a utility in New England. When installed, the VVO system is expected to enable the utility to connect an off-grid industrial customer to its electric grid without having to undertake a costly upgrade to existing distribution lines or other significant capital outlay.
For the utility, the VVO system offers power quality, environmental benefits and significant cost savings over traditional solutions, according to AMSC. The VVO system is expected to mitigate voltage flicker caused by the starting of a large motor located at the customer site and, once connected to the grid, will eliminate the use of diesel generators currently used to power the motor.
“We expect that the potential market for VVO will expand as utilities begin to deploy our VVO solution to address power quality issues caused by industrial applications,” says Daniel P. McGahn, chairman, president and CEO, AMSC. “In addition to enabling large-scale adoption of distributed generation, the precise and rapid reactive power and voltage control provided by our VVO system can assist utilities in maintaining their power quality standards in a cost-effective manner.”
AMSC’s D-VAR VVO technology brings harmony to the power grid by detecting and instantaneously compensating for voltage disturbances. The VVO system is designed as a solution to cost effectively optimize power quality within the distribution system and mitigate power quality issues at specific locations. This allows for the stabilization of distribution feeder lines, while maintaining installation flexibility. Additionally, the VVO systems are tailored to meet unique customer needs and are scalable to accommodate changing grid conditions.
