One gigawatt substation will support the city’s growing number of data centers to enable the new norm of remote working through efficient connections to electrical infrastructure

Hitachi ABB Power Grids has delivered a fully integrated, high-voltage substation close to Dublin’s digital business hub at Castlebagot, fast-tracking the standard two and a half year execution time to just 18 months, to keep the city’s growing number of large, increasingly important data centers running smoothly 24/7.

The project was commissioned by Ireland’s state-owned Electricity Supply Board (ESB) to meet Dublin’s recent, unprecedented upsurge in demand for electricity, due to the proliferation of new data centers. The project is the largest privately contracted substation development in Ireland to date. To ensure reliable supply to this booming industry, Hitachi ABB Power Grids has delivered a 220 kilovolt (kV)/110 kV substation with gas-insulated switchgear, including the protection and control SCADA system enabling an advanced power system management and monitoring of equipment status while in service. The gas insulated switchgear is a compact technology designed to minimize the substation’s foot-print, enabling space saving of up to 70 percent compared to air-insulated switchgear.

Dublin hosts some of the most important high-tech firms in Europe, in addition to a wide range of thriving tech start-up and colocation services. Planners are currently processing applications for additional, major data centers that will more than double the city’s electricity consumption in the years ahead. With its state-of-the art efficient grid solutions, Hitachi ABB Power Grids is helping to optimize power consumption while maintaining quality of supply.

“We specialize in the prompt delivery of reliable, high-voltage grid connections that respond to the ever growing use of advanced solutions continuing to support people through the challenging times of the current global pandemic.Efficient connections to electrical infrastructure are more critical than ever,” says Niklas Persson, Managing Director of Grid Integration business unit at Hitachi ABB Power Grids. “We are proud to enable the transition to the new norm of connecting people, when disruption to working patterns has increased the demand for remote and digital services, by meeting the need for a stable power supply.”

The energization of the Castlebagot substation in such a short time is even more remarkable given the current demanding situation. Hitachi ABB Power Grids and ESB were able to overcome this challenge due to their digital capabilities which made it possible to energize the substation safely and sustainably, while ensuring business continuity.
Substations are the building blocks for any power grid and facilitate the effective integration of power from conventional and renewable generation sources, to efficiently transmit and distribute it to consumption centers.

Hitachi ABB Power Grids is fast becoming the leading supplier of grid and power quality solutions for data center grid connections for both utilities and data center owners worldwide and is helping cities around the world to meet the extensive power demands of large data center projects. For this project, early collaboration with ESB ensured a design that fulfilled the utility’s availability and reliability requirements. It enabled fast project execution, leveraging our vast knowledge of utility grid codes and connection practices in different countries.

We are pleased to inform our friends and partners that GoodWe has been honored this week with the TÜV Rheinland’s 2020 “All Quality Matters” award in recognition for the outstanding quality of its EH Series storage inverter and its MT Series C&I inverter. This is the fifth consecutive year that GoodWe has won this prestigious award, which shows just how consistent the company has been in delivering high-quality products. The award ceremony took place on 30 June in the city of Suzhou and was attended by the company’s founder, Mr. Huang Min.

The evaluation process that preceded the decision for this award was very comprehensive and for this edition, Rheinland started testing one year in advance, only concluding its final report in June 2020. Renowned for its objectiveness and impartiality, the TÜV Rheinland’s “All Quality Matters” award has become an important reference point on a global scale and being a recipient of this influential award is always an honor.

EH Series – Storage Inverter

In 2019 GoodWe was ranked “World’s Number 1 Storage Inverter Supplier” by Wood Mackenzie and there was indeed much speculation about which storage product would receive the glamorous TÜV award this year. It was later confirmed that the EH Series had received the highest score due its versatility, safety and efficiency and overall ease of installation. GoodWe’s EH Series is a high-quality storage inverter with battery-ready function and, as part of this evaluation, it was tested against competitors’ products on the categories of efficiency, output and input capability, power quality and thermal stability. GoodWe is coming first on the below parameters thus becoming this year’s undisputed champion:

1. Efficiency: This inverter can achieve a Max MPPT efficiency of 99.9% and comes with two MPPTs, which makes it a leader among single-phase storage inverters.

2. Max. Input Power: EH Series is the first single-phase storage inverter in the market compatible with bifacial double-glass modules, which allows 12.5A input current per string. It also allows 35% DC oversizing to fully maximize capacity.

3. Max. Output Power: The EH Series proved to be able to improve AC output capability, generating more power thanks to its ability to support 1.1 times rated power output for extended periods.

Apart from its strong performance, EH Series offers customers the possibility to upgrade to a full energy storage solution by simply purchasing an activation code. Moreover, the fact that it takes less than 10 seconds to switch from grid to PV helps users avoid expensive intakes from the grid. It comes with an automatic UPS function and one of its most remarkable features is that even when it is on back-up mode it can still supply power to large loads. Last but not least, the communication cables come pre-wired, reducing installation time significantly. The Plug & Play AC connector also makes operation and maintenance a lot more convenient.

The three key features of the EH Series that stood out were its 30% oversizing ratio on the DC side, its outstanding and unique UPS function and its compatibility with several brands of high-voltage battery brands, including BYD.

MT Series – C&I Inverter

GoodWe has come a long way in the C&I segment, expanding its portfolio to include products up to 136kW and up to 12 MPPTs. In this year’s TÜV Rheinland award the MT Series (50-80kW) topped the list with its high efficiency, 50% DC input oversizing capability and 15% AC output overloading. The MT Series inverter comes with four MPPTs and is also capable of operating at 50 degrees Celsius. In addition, it offers optional PLC communication.

At the ceremony award, Mr. Huang Min mentioned that year after year, despite the challenges, GoodWe has consistently delivered high-quality inverters ranging from residential, storage, C&I and utility. Consistency and versatility have been GoodWe’s most important assets and its main contributions to the ongoing energy transformation. GoodWe would like to express its appreciation to its customers and partners for their continuous support and for sharing all that valuable feedback that helps us improve our products.

GoodWe is a leading, strategically thinking enterprise which focuses on research and manufacturing of PV inverters and energy storage solutions.