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ABB’s Radjassamy on the Drivers and Enablers of Next-Gen Power Systems

IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK

We’ve been able to use our historical, Radjassamy: We’re seeing aging infra- more reliable and renewable, encompassing
mission-critical expertise to power the tran- structure as a real bottleneck to improving new semiconductor technology like GaN/SiC
sitions to faster broadband, and we’re seeing power grid performance. But it’s not an and using advanced technologies like IIoT
that being applied to 5G today through our insurmountable problem. The answer lies in and predictive analytics to continuously track,
AC/DC and DC/DC power solutions. implementing technology that is both scal- monitor, and act on a real-time basis.
able and reliable; otherwise, a single solution We have to remember that energy applica-
EETE: Which power supply technologies won’t be replicable across a broad spectrum of tions are currently disjointed. As technology
do you consider to be essential in the power systems. merges, there’s an opportunity to create
upcoming years? Tracking and monitoring grid performance a more holistic view in robotics, AI, and
Radjassamy: High-voltage DC deployment on a regular basis will help ensure consistent, analytics to enable more efficient cross-use
for data centers and 5G will become a must- actionable analytics with minimal manual and integration. But the challenge starts with
have for companies this decade to improve intervention. Power professionals are begin- connecting systems that weren’t initially
scalability and provide optimal protection ning to embrace new technologies through designed to speak to each other.
from outages. Furthermore, the migration IIoT data analytics to keep operations up and
from wired to wireless technology requires running for longer periods of time. EETE: Battery stacks based on lithium-
power solutions robust enough to eliminate As far as sustainability goes, there’s a big ion cells are used in many applications,
cables while remaining capable of accommo- evolution and emphasis on multi-energies such as hybrid vehicles and EVs, storage
dating an ever-increasing amount of power such as solar and hydropower backup, which of renewable energy for use at a later
transmission. Moving forward, we’ll see power is all, of course, dependent on the type of time, and energy storage on the grid
engineers innovate in remarkable ways to environment a given grid occupies. So, yes, for various purposes. What parameters
bring this vision to life, with wireless technol- we need to continue exploring those avenues should designers consider with regard to
ogy able to handle increased power loads in where microgrids can support smaller cities the battery? What is the future of energy
the complex web of connected infrastructure. or communities through sustainable power storage?
From a macro perspective, the capacity for sources, but first, we need to get the infra- Radjassamy: Energy storage via battery is
5G to make huge impacts in industrial and structure right. here to stay. The paramount question is:
smart-city applications is just beginning. What is the most efficient, cost-effective, and
I expect we’ll see power engineers rethink EETE: Growing and supporting renewable environmentally friendly way to go about it?
their approach to network density in order energy pose a lot of challenges, not only From a 10,000-foot view, key considerations
to realize the potential of 5G with reliable with regard to GaN and SiC devices but for companies include size, weight, safety, and
hyper-connectivity at breakneck speeds and also from a perspective of good control cost of ownership.
ultra-low latency. definition, optimization, and digital Drilling down, as you note, the lithium-ion
management of distributed energy battery and its variants are more and more
EETE: Renewables, microgrids, and resources. What is your view of these commonplace in consumer applications, but
other energy trends are putting greater challenges? they aren’t always the cheapest options on an
emphasis on the reliability of aging Radjassamy: You’re correct that there are a industrial scale. However, as lithium battery
electrical infrastructure and transmission lot of challenges for renewable energy, but technology continues to evolve and scale to
and distribution lines around the world. they are not unbeatable. First, there needs broader use cases, there are key benefits in
What are the design features for power to be a better understanding of the criti- leveraging the technology for data centers,
monitoring and infrastructure monitoring cality and energy needs of the entire power robotics, and [other applications]. With new
along transmission and distribution lines distribution value chain. Then we can identify infrastructure and miniaturized power density
and microgrids? solutions that will make the power network applications, lithium batteries are often

www.eetimes.eu | FEBRUARY 2021