China builds world's largest smart transformer to prevent grid failures
What's the story
Chinese engineers have developed the world's largest smart direct current (DC) transformer, a major breakthrough in renewable energy technology. The 750 million volt-ampere transformer was created by Changzhou Xidian Transformer in Jiangsu province. The innovation comes just over a year after an incident that almost caused a cascading failure of China's national power grid due to low-frequency swings from poorly integrated wind energy.
Technological advancement
Transformer to stabilize China's national power grid
The new transformer has been described as the "world record for the highest capacity of a single converter transformer in the field of flexible direct current transmission." It is expected to greatly improve the safety, stability, as well as operational flexibility of China's national power grid. The tech was developed specifically to counterbalance renewable energy shocks that could destabilize this crucial system.
Project details
World's 1st ultra-high voltage DC transmission project
The new transformer will be used to transmit electricity from Gansu province in northwestern China to Zhejiang province in the east. This is part of a national west-to-east electricity transmission project, which is also the world's first ultra-high voltage flexible DC transmission project. The system, which spans 2,370km, will deliver more than 36 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean electricity to Zhejiang every year after it goes live.