American Superconductor Corp. and GE Energy, a business of the General Electric Company, received an order for a D-VAR® system from Aquila, Inc. The 8-MegaVAR D-VAR system will be utilized to enhance the voltage stability of the Aquila transmission system. AMSC recently shipped the D-VAR solution in March of 2006 for installation in Aquila's Plainville Substation, with energization expected in June 2006.
After analyzing the transmission system, AMSC transmission planning engineers along with Aquila's transmission planning staff, determined that a portion of their Central Kansas system was susceptible to low voltage for certain contingencies. The in-depth studies indicated that a single D-VAR solution would assist with a fast voltage recovery, thereby ensuring the reliability of the transmission network to continue providing superior service to their customers.
"We were impressed with the in-depth analysis of our transmission system provided by AMSC," said Carl Huslig, Vice President, Electrical Transmission of Aquila, Inc. "They provided a proven solution that will assist us and other regional utilities in continuing to provide cost effective, efficient and stable power to the customer."
AMSC's transmission planning team of engineers is highly experienced in working with utilities to analyze transmission grid networks to develop strategies that improve grid reliability. Former utility planners themselves, the team is highly skilled at understanding specific grid operations.
"The passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 addresses the stability and modernization of the United States transmission grid, including mandatory reliability standards," said Greg Yurek, CEO of American Superconductor. "The D-VAR system provides a proven solution for meeting these standards and the AMSC transmission planning team provides the experience and expertise required to analyze and recommend appropriate solutions."
