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SF6-free – Stromnetz Berlin places climate-friendly switchgear in service

12.06.2020

Together with Siemens, Stromnetz Berlin today commissioned a switchgear installation in a medium-voltage (10 kV) compact station in Siemensstadt that operates without the global warming gas sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).

Together with Siemens, Stromnetz Berlin today commissioned a switchgear installation in a medium-voltage (10 kV) compact station in Siemensstadt that operates without the global warming gas sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). To eliminate the need for SF6, which is a global warming gas, the 8DJH 12 blue GIS switchgear uses clean air as an insulating gas. As an insulating gas, clean air consists entirely of natural components of the ambient air, such as nitrogen and oxygen. The new switchgear has the same dimensions as the version with SF6, facilitating deployment in compact stations. The rollout of SF6-free switchgear is just getting started. Further industrialisation to increase the availability of SF6-free technologies is expected in the coming years. Stromnetz Berlin is among the first companies using a blue GIS installation.

Thomas Schäfer, Managing Director of Stromnetz Berlin, emphasizes the importance of this joint pilot project for climate protection: "The switchgear is a visible and positive sign that industrial partners can together make a major contribution to climate protection. Along with Siemens, we have driven the development and construction of the installation, and today we are distinctly closer to our goal of SF6-free switchgear technology. We are helping Berlin achieve its climate protection goals as defined in the Energy Transition Act."

"We are very pleased that Stromnetz Berlin, as a long-term partner, has entrusted us with the implementation of this innovative technology in their grid. Our collective experience from grid operation will show that blue GIS plant equipment offers our customers an opportunity to achieve their climate protection goals without sacrificing the advantages of compact switchgear," says Michael Bohnefeld, Sales Manager Medium Voltage Germany at Siemens.

The global warming potential (GWP) value of the switchgear insulating gas is nearly zero. The GWP value of a substance is a measure of its relative global warming potential compared to CO₂, which is also referred to as "CO₂ equivalent". It describes the global warming effect over a specific time span. The lower the GWP value, the more climate friendly the installation.