News | October 2, 2015

ABB Power Consulting Group Announces HVDC Seminar For Utility Planners, Developers

Two-day educational course in November will help power planners understand High Voltage Direct Current growth in North America, and how to model, plan and economically justify HVDC investment for new and existing transmission systems.

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, is pleased to announce that its independent Power Consulting business will host a two-day, intensive training seminar entitled, “HVDC: Planning, Modeling and Economic Justification.”

The seminar, which will take place November 17-19 at ABB’s Power Systems North America headquarters in Raleigh, includes a two-day training session on High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) planning practices and applications, followed by an optional half-day session on HVDC Economic Modeling on November 19. It is designed for personnel of electric utilities, developers and transmission system operating companies who are involved in the planning, engineering, specification and operation of power transmission systems.

The gradual increase in HVDC projects across the US and Canada in recent years can be attributed to several key drivers, such as the power industry’s shift from coal to gas-based generation; the rise of renewable energy and the need for efficient, reliable transmission from remote sources over long distances to load centers; and the growing interest in “invisible transmission” – underground and underwater transport of power via direct current over long distances, as an alternative to traditional overhead transmission, siting and political issues, and the limitations of AC underground systems to shorter distances. Recognizing these drivers and examining current HVDC applications will help course participants in assessing their own transmission systems.

“The Power Consulting team is pleased to offer this two-and-a-half day educational seminar and providing our guests with a clear overview of HVDC technologies, models, designs, applications and possibilities that they can take with them to help identify whether HVDC is appropriate for unique transmission systems,” said Willie Wong, Director of ABB’s Power Consulting business, North America. “We want to help developers, ISO’s and utilities to better model, plan and economically justify HVDC, to understand the benefits and see the possibilities that can come with this technology through a planners’ perspective.”

ABB Power Consulting (PC) is the system analysis and consulting center for ABB worldwide. Power Consulting is located on the Centennial Campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC with branch offices in Albany, NY and in Columbus, OH. PC offers a wide range of consulting services in the areas of transmission systems, HVDC, FACTS, system controls, power market analysis, energy efficiency, asset evaluation, industrial systems, and equipment selection. Combined with years of experience and state-of-the art technology, ABB‘s internationally recognized team of consultants can develop and optimize power systems to reach peak performance.

For more information on the HVDC seminar and to register, click here (http://www.eventbrite.com/e/hvdc-planning-modeling-and-economic-justification-registration-18628799240).

Source: ABB