ABB recognises that new solutions are needed to manage the pressures being placed on our environment. In acknowledgement of Earth Day on 22 April, ABB  is showcasing the benefits of digital switchgear. Switchgear is used to distribute electrical energy with electrical devices to control, protect, and isolate electrical equipment.

Growing out of the first Earth Day in 1970, Earthday.org is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 150 000 partners in over 192 countries to drive positive action for the planet.

“Our aim is to help make a safe, smart, and sustainable world possible with technologies that reduce energy consumption, eliminate emissions in industry, infrastructure, and transport, and improve quality of life,” says Graham Abrahams, Senior Vice President, Electrification Products Division at ABB South Africa.

As an alternative to our traditional AIS or GIS with SF6, ABB’s sustainable switchgear solutions use AirPlus™, a groundbreaking, climate-friendly gas mixture. Since its introduction, ABB’s AirPlus™ solutions have been performing successfully in several customer installations.

The latest trend is digital switchgear, which combines proven technologies with digital components and software solutions to enhance safety and reduce installation cost, while significantly reducing space needed and optimising operational cost while constantly detecting condition and maintenance needs.

By using multiple sensors to measure temperature and humidity, and by monitoring utilisation and operating cycles of electrical devices, digital switchgear can monitor its own health and indicate when conditions change. Hence it can predict potential failures before they occur or alert when maintenance is needed, avoiding costly or unnecessary downtime.

In addition, ABB Ability™ condition monitoring solutions collect, analyse, and visualise various data to provide valuable process insights. Most of ABB’s low-voltage and medium-voltage switchgear is available in digital versions.

Every Earth Day can drive a year of energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to create a new plan of action for our planet. ABB not only acknowledges that the world needs transformational change, especially in terms of power generation and energy mix, but that technological advances in specific areas such as switchgear play a key role.

ABB Electrification