Enedis leads SF6 alternative development for next-gen substations

Enedis is partnering with Schneider Electric on the project, utilising its new air-based technology at its R&D laboratory in Grenoble.

SF6 (sulphur hexafluoride), widely used for its high insulating and dielectric properties in equipment such as switchgear and transformers in MV/LV substations, is one of the most potent greenhouse gases and one of the six targeted in the Kyoto Protocol as well as being harmful to health.

The initiative will utilise Schneider Electric’s RM AirSeT RMU switchboards, a new air-based technology that is SF6 free, with two units to be installed at Enedis’s R&D laboratory.

Over a period of 18 months, the behaviour of the equipment will be evaluated in different electrical configurations and in conditions similar to those encountered in real-world operations.

Have you read?
UK Power Networks to instal new climate friendly switchgear
National Grid pilots emissions reduction mechanisms at Deeside innovation center

“Enedis has made a commitment to reduce its carbon footprint by 20% by 2025. This project should allow us to innovate to develop industrial solutions that respect the environment with a view to their industrialisation,” says Marianne Laigneau, Chairman of the Management Board of Enedis.

“Innovation has a major role to play in finding new technical and technological solutions for the electrical networks that we operate.”

Schneider Electric’s RM AirSeT technology is the outcome of more than ten years of research and development as a new insulation technology based on pure air delivering the same electrical performance on SF6 as well as optimal safety for handling.

The new range also is compact and incorporates all necessary connectivity.

Frederic Godemel, Executive Vice President, Power Systems & Services, says that Schneider Electric is convinced that the best gas is pure air.

“Today, the innovation we have deployed allows us to consider a sustainable solution while maintaining all the advantages that conventional equipment with SF6 has always offered us.”

With the drive for decarbonisation, more and more companies are looking to develop alternatives to SF6.

The 2021 IPCC physical science basis report records a 36% increase in the concentration of SF6 in the atmosphere from 2011 to 2019, while the earlier estimate of its atmospheric lifetime of 3,200 years has been revised downwards to around 1,000 years. The gas also is used in industry for magnesium production and semiconductor manufacturing.