January 7, 2016

Transformers and sustainability challenge

Abstract Transformers, enabling transmission of electric energy, are at the centre of the system which fuels modern society. Therefore, they are affected by the issue...

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Abstract

Transformers, enabling transmission of electric energy, are at the centre of the system which fuels modern society. Therefore, they are affected by the issue of sustainability, but there are solutions which can contribute to sustainability from several points of view: increased efficiency, materials and space saving, reduced noise, improved safety, extended lifetime, etc.

Key words: sustainability, natural ester, Envirotemp™, FR3™

Sustainability – challenge to modern society

Many indicators show that modern society consumes more resources and pollutes our planet more than it can sustain in the long term. Therefore, one of the key issues today is sustainability of all aspects of the society. Many civil, scientific and government organisations push in this direction. Smart grid and smart cities are examples of the response to the need for sustainable development.

Transformers, enabling transmission of electric energy are at the centre of the system which fuels our society. Therefore, they are affected by the issue of sustainability from several points of view.

Loss reduction

During their operation transformers dissipate some amount of energy, which reduces their efficiency. Although a transformer is one of the most efficient devices, with efficiency at the rated load even greater than 99.5 %, on the system scale the efficiency is not that high for a few reasons. First, there is not only one transformer on the path of electricity from power plants to consumers, but rather a series of transformers, which reduces the efficiency exponentially. Second, transformer loading is lower than rated, which causes an additional decrease in efficiency. Third, smaller transformers naturally have lower efficiency than large power transformers [1].

It is estimated that about 10% of globally generated electricity is dissipated in grid, 40% of which are the losses in transformers. This means that 4% of globally generated electricity is wasted in transformers. Significant power generation and transmission capacity, and corresponding energy resources, is used only to compensate for transformer losses globally, which is a huge amount and a solid potential for reduction of the environmental impact.

One way to reduce losses is to compact transformers using natural ester insulating liquid. This will reduce consumption of resources and impact on the environment. As natural esters are also essentially carbon neutral, smaller transformers with lower losses also contribute to reduction of CO₂ emission.

Material saving

The amount of the material needed to build a device is directly proportional to the influence on the environment. Building a smaller transformer saves material. Transporting smaller transformer saves energy resources. Hence, a compacted transformer has a multiple effect on creating a sustainable supply chain.

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