Hitachi Energy’s new technology to tackle SF6
Hitachi Energy has launched a new technology which could help tackle sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) emissions, 80% of which come from the power sector.
Image for illustration purposes.
Switzerland, Zürich: Hitachi Energy has launched a new technology which could tackle sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) emissions, 80% of which come from the power sector. SF6 is widely used in switchgear, and it is 24300 times more climate-hostile than CO2, remaining in the atmosphere for over a thousand years. It makes up 220 million tons of CO2 equivalent or 0.6% of global emissions, exceeding the equivalent of 50 typical coal power plants.
Hitachi Energy has launched the world’s highest voltage SF6-free switchgear, the EconiQ 550 kV circuit breaker. It can be used in gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) or dead tank breakers (DTB) and the EconiQ 420 kV Live Tank Breaker (LTA). This equipment might replace SF6 switchgear around the world, including in China, the source of 57% of global SF6 emissions. Each new 550 kV GIS substation using EconiQ eliminates the carbon equivalent of 170 fully booked jumbo jets flying from Paris to New York while retaining the size, performance, and reliability levels of traditional switchgear.
Roughly 1300 tons of SF6 is used in the UK’s network of substations alone, with over 10000 tons used in the European Union, leaving grid operators to focus on two challenges: delivering the energy transition and addressing climate change. The former demands a rapid expansion of grid infrastructure like switchgear, while the latter necessitates a phaseout of SF6. The EU has already implemented a phaseout and banned SF6 in medium and high-voltage switchgear by 2030 and 2032, with the UK and USA preparing similar regulations.
The EconiQ products already have pilot orders confirmed. TenneT and SSEN Transmission have placed orders for the EconiQ 420 kV LTA. Meanwhile in North America, Hydro One and Wesco have placed orders for the new EconiQ 550 kV DTB.
Source: Hitachi Energy
