ABB technologies focus on digitalization, asset health management, DERMS, microgrids and communication networks.

San Diego, California, Jan. 31, 2017 - ABB will present leading-edge grid technologies at DistribuTECH, the leading annual electric power transmission and distribution conference and exhibition event being held in San Diego, California from January 31 to February 2, 2017.

ABB experts will also present eight papers and chair technical sessions at the event. ABBs extensive exhibition will showcase some of its latest technology innovations, focusing in particular on "enabling a digital grid" through the new ABB Ability™ platform, which brings together for the first time all of ABBs digital products and services, and connecting its customers to the Internet of Things. In addition, ABB in its booth (#1301) will also hold several special utility-focused presentations on topics such as Distributed Energy Resources (DER) integration, managing an outage impacted by DER, distribution markets, and building prescriptive intelligence for improved asset performance.
For a complete list of conference sessions and times, please click here.
On Wednesday, Feb. 1, Greg Scheu, ABB U.S. and Americas Region President, will participate in a first-ever panel discussion at DistribuTECH with Duke Energy, the US Department of Commerce and other global executives, to talk about how collaboration between utilities, academic and government partners have come together in a unique way in the state of North Carolina to advance energy innovations and integrated solutions that have led to some major breakthroughs that will shape the future, digitalized grid.
Among its new offerings and product enhancements are several related ABB developments:
• Wireless communications
Arctic ARG600 Wireless Cellular Communications for remote locations - ABB launches the ARG600, an industrial-grade LTE cellular gateway with broadband speeds and secure VPN connections, bringing LTE technology to the distribution network. Part of the Arctic family of wireless communications, the ARG600 allows access and management of any remote asset from a central location.
Modern wireless field area communication networks - The ABB Wireless business will for the first time publicly display a variety of new communication products that enable a digital grid, including the TropOS 6430-T broadband wireless mesh router with integrated Tele-OS narrowband PTMP access point, the TropOS 2410 DIN-rail mountable broadband mesh router, the MicrOS 411 broadband client node and the SuprOS 8.5 communication network management system.
• Next-Generation Asset Performance Management (APM) software - ABB releases software as a service (SaaS) delivered Asset Health Center 3.0, combining ABBs industry expertise with Microsoft Cortana Intelligence. The industry-leading[1] Asset Health Center combines ABBs APM offering with the Microsoft Azure cloud platform and uses predictive and prescriptive analytics, as well as ABBs models incorporating decades of industry expertise, to identify and prioritize emerging maintenance needs based on probability of failure and criticality of the asset.
• Distributed Energy Resource Management System - ABB will demonstrate a new distributed energy resource management system (DERMS) together with Enbala. The new DERMS will enable utilities to manage the entire lifecycle of distributed energy resources while ensuring safe, secure and efficient operation of the electric distribution network. The DERMS solution that will be demonstrated at the event combines key functionalities of ABBs ADMS and Energy Portfolio Management solutions with Enbala Power Networks DER optimization and control platform Symphony.
• Thomas & Betts switchgear - ABB is exhibiting the T&B Elastimold® switchgear, the industrys first completely solid dielectric line that includes padmount and vault-mount models. Small-vault switchgear can be safely operated outside of power-distribution vaults with an insulated fiberglass hot stick. Other products include reclosers that incorporate vacuum-interrupter technology and a comprehensive selection of cable accessories. Additionally, the exhibit will include the EASE® expedient application selection engine, an online configuration tool for specifying cable accessories.
• High Voltage Overhead Applications - ABB will also demo the Thomas & Betts Joslyn® Hi-Voltage products for overhead applications. Among these products are VerSaVec® 15-38kV capacitor switches, which feature a solenoid operating mechanism that delivers 100,000 maintenance-free operations, and zero-voltage closing (ZVC) controls, which eliminate overvoltage disturbances.
• Solar Inverter Demo - ABB shows off one of the widest portfolios of solar inverters, from small micro-inverters and three-phase string inverters up to megawatt-sized central inverters. ABBs cloud based solution monitors over 100,000 consumer inverters around the world. ABB global solar experts will unveil these inverters, designed for distribution feeder networks.
• "Plug and Play" microgrid solution - ABB to showcase the new modular and scalable containerized solution that will help to maximize the use of renewable energy sources while reducing dependence on fossil fuels used by generator sets.
"We are pleased to once again have a major presence at DistribuTECH, and were eager to talk to utilities as they look at what a digital grid looks like around distributed energy resources, asset health and smart grid resiliency issues," said Gary Rackliffe, ABB vice president for smart grids, North America. "No other T&D solutions provider offers the shear breadth of integrated digital solutions, systems expertise, equipment, software and communications technology that ABB does."
DistribuTECH 2017 runs from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 at the San Diego Convention Center, and ABB will be exhibiting in booth #1301. For more information and to register, please click here.
ABB (ABB: NYSE) is a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing more than a 125-year history of innovation, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization and driving the Energy and Fourth Industrial Revolutions. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 135,000 employees. ABB has invested heavily in North America, with acquisitions totaling nearly $10 billion. ABB employs 20,000 throughout the U.S.in various manufacturing, engineering, robotics and technology positions. www.abb.com