ABB to install solar based micro grid at Vadodara facility

ABB has announced that it will install a fully integrated and standardized micro-grid at its Vadodara facility in Gujarat, India to help boost renewable energy generation while reducing dependency on fossil fuel. This micro-grid, with a rooftop photo voltaic field at the company’s biggest manufacturing location in India with around 3,000 employees, will help ensure uninterrupted power supply.

Micro-grids are considered a viable and cost-efficient solution to not only improve access to electricity, but also to address other pressing issues related to energy supply, including growing demand, climate change, energy security and reliability for both industries and villages. In 2015 ABB exhibited the first multisource micro-grid pilot at its Automation and Power World event in New Delhi, India. Over a period of 3 days, 1,350 kg of CO2 was saved and enough electricity was generated to power approximately 12,000 rural households.

“Micro-grid technology assumes greater significance for India as it provides access to electricity through localized generation and consumption as well as reliable and resilient power supply to urban campuses and industrial operations,” said Sanjeev Sharma, CEO & Managing Director, ABB India Ltd.

“There is no better way to demonstrate our commitment to green and reliable power than installing a micro-grid for our campus and contribute to the nation’s vision of clean energy and 500 MW of micro-grids in the next five years, which is also in full alignment with ABB’s Next Level strategy.”

ABB’s containerized micro-grid installation in Vadodara includes a 600 kW rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) field and a PowerStore Battery grid stabilizing system together with a Micro-grid Plus dedicated control system, to help maximize the use of solar energy. Energy generated during the day will augment power from the grid and reduce dependency on diesel generators in case of grid outages. It results in substantial savings on electricity bills while helping to reduce carbon footprint. A cloud-based remote service system will be deployed for the operations and maintenance of the micro-grid in keeping with ABB’s Internet of Things, Services and People (IoTSP) approach.

Vadodara is ABB’s largest facility in India and manufactures critical power equipment like transformers, high voltage products, distribution relays, primary gas-insulated switchgear, motors, generators and turbochargers for a variety of national projects. ABB is a pioneer in micro-grid technology with more than 30 global installations across a diverse range of applications serving remote communities, islands, utilities and industrial campuses.

Source: ABB