The Brainy Bunch: Your Chance to Pick the Brains of Local ABB Experts about the World's Next Power Grid


Cary, NC – The North American electrical grid is the world’s largest machine, so upgrading it is obviously a complex task. This grid – or more accurately, multiple grids – includes more than 200,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines serving all of the contiguous United States, most of Canada and part of Mexico. Portions of the grid are more than 100 years old, with many components such as transformers, switches and connectors that have been in place since the 1960's. Naturally, this yields questions surrounding reliability, efficiency and environmental efficacy. In today’s world, the evolution of the grid is a major necessity and focus of today’s power industry leaders.



In the pursuit of the power grid’s evolution, industry researchers are hard at work developing and implementing new “smart grid” innovations to solve today’s greatest power challenges. Dr. Mietek Glinkowski , Director of Technology for ABB North America, oversees numerous strategic initiatives for cutting-edge technologies related to wind power, data centers, and the smart grid.



“There is strong demand for finding better ways to manage unprecedented massive levels of data consumption – “big data” – to build a transmission and distribution system that is consistently reliable, efficient and secure, and to integrate renewables – all at the same time!” exclaimed Glinkowski. “But, that requires the development of a new type of grid, a ‘smarter grid.’ Instead of using power from a single-source direction flow, the grid needs to integrate sources from many different directions. To do so, new technologies are required.”



The convergence of hardware and software is driving new technologies that represent the first steps in the whole chain of developments necessary to achieving the smart grid. One such example is ABB’s GridSync™. This monitoring system measures activity within a distribution line and delivers data to a monitoring system, so that utilities know when they lose a line.



ABB’s recent HVDC breaker achievement – a 100 year breakthrough creating the world’s first high voltage DC-powered breaker that Glinkowski and some the RD personnel involved have called “Edison’s Revenge” – also presents vast new opportunities to integrate renewables, realize efficiency and generate direct benefits for industry customers and end users. This HVDC breaker enables the delivery of remote renewable energy to cities and industries from thousands of miles away.



Speak with Mietek Glinkowski, Gary Rackliffe and other experts



Dr. Glinkowski will share his unique insights, passions and the latest innovations impacting the nation’s power grid on Monday morning, March 25 at 11:30 a.m. EDT, during the ABB Automation & Power World (APW) expo in Orlando next week (March 25-28). Glinkowski will join 7 other ABB subject matter experts as part of ABB’s Brainy Bunch – a live webcast forum where these experts will discuss emerging power and automation issues.



Trade media editors, APW attendees and the general public can all participate in the discussion by registering at brainybunchabb.webs.com to offer questions, feedback and interact in real-time.



The Brainy Bunch ‘gurus’ participating include (see website above for the day/time for each discussion):



• Gary Rackliffe – Defining the “New” Smart Grid

•ƒnDr. Glinkowski – The Society-Changing Impact of the High Voltage DC Breaker

• Cal Lankton – Electric Vehicle Demand Today

• Dennis McKinley – Wind Power Today

• Bob Stojanovic – Solar Power Today

• Nick Hunt – Year of the Robot (Robotics Today)

• Brian Robinson – IT Integration with OT

• Steve Weingarth – The impact of Variable Speed Drives

• David Huffman – Oil and Gas Safety Systems

• Luis Duran – Safety in Automation



About ABB Automation & Power World (APW)

ABB Automation & Power World (March 25 – 28, 2013) is an annual, four-day program for more than 5,000 attendees that consists of educational workshops, technical training, customer case studies, application workshops and panel discussions. This year’s event will be held in the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. This year, ABB will present a panel of global thought leaders, dubbed "The Brainy Bunch," who will participate in real-time discussions on the latest issues and emerging trends across the power and automation spectrum. APW, introducing the latest products, solutions, and cutting-edge technologies in power and automation, encompasses over 130,000 square feet of state-of-the-art equipment in the Technology & Solution Center exhibit hall, more than 400 educational training courses, and access to ABB and industry experts. Show attendees and the general public can learn more about participating in this year’s Brainy Bunch programs by visiting http://brainybunchabb.webs.com.



About ABB



ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 147,000 people. The company's North American operations, headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, employ about 30,000 people in multiple manufacturing, service, engineering and other major facilities.



For more information, please contact:

Chris Shigas

French West Vaughan

919-308-1816 – mobile

cshigas@fwv-us.com



-or-



Bill Rose

ABB Media Relations

919-807-5743 – office

919-244-4879 – mobile

bill.rose@us.abb.com



Bill Rose

ABB Inc. Manager,

Media Relations

Power Products & Power Systems, North America

940 Main Campus Drive Raleigh, North Carolina,

27606 USA

Phone: 1 919 807 5743

Mobile: 1 919 244 4879

email: bill.rose@us.abb.com  

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