Paris, France – Smart Wires announced the roll-out of its latest power flow control technology, the Power Router™, at the CIGRÉ 2016 General Session in Paris. The state-of-the-art device is currently being deployed at utilities around the world with numerous pilots in place. The Smart Wires engineering team brought years of experience to the Power Router development, leveraging the success of other products while integrating revolutionary power electronics that enable the device to increase or decrease transmission line reactance.
The Power Router installed on a line in Kinnegad, Ireland
Designed to be the most powerful device in the Smart Wires product line, the Power Router is typically installed on existing transmission towers or in banks within or near the transmission right-of-way. The device is designed for modular deployment, allowing for flexible and more efficient infrastructure investments. The Power Router expands on the capabilities of the Power Guardian® technology with increased per-unit impedance change and the ability to synthesize a highly tunable capacitance or inductance. This new functionality allows the Power Router to address an even greater set of network challenges and offers electric utilities another degree of freedom in applications where pulling power is required.
Power Router deployments can be completed in a vastly compressed timeline compared to conventional construction, enabling faster integration of renewable generation and often eliminating the need for reconductoring or new line construction. Like other Smart Wires technologies, the devices can be deployed anywhere along a line, mitigating customer concerns and avoiding environmentally sensitive areas. Even at a fraction of the cost of conventional power flow control solutions, the Power Router generates added value by reducing construction outage windows and leaving open the possibility for redeployment when system topology changes and new needs arise.
“Our priority is a laser-like focus on delivering integrated end-to-end power flow control solutions designed to rigorous utility requirements. Early indicators from our client base who have previewed and piloted this technology are very promising. We are helping utilities to build intelligent assets and transform the way they plan their grids” explained Haroon Inam, CTO for Smart Wires.
About Smart Wires
Smart Wires solutions are deployed at leading utilities such as PG&E, Southern Company, TVA and EirGrid. Our modular approach to grid infrastructure is unique and has several advantages over traditional power flow control solutions that typically require long-lead times, are highly complex, demand significant capital investment, and ultimately represent single points of failure. Smart Wires solutions can be deployed incrementally and reconfigured as needs evolve, thereby reducing investment risk, shortening lead times, and providing flexibility in an era of increasing operational uncertainty. Smart Wires is located in the San Francisco Bay Area with offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland.
