GE Keeping Rail Operation On The Right Track For Reliable And Efficient Power Supply

Nov 05, 2015

0 comments

• GE is chosen to provide the Static Frequency Converter (SFC) solution for two of DB Energie GmbH’s converter stations, Bützow and Schwerin

• Maximized system reliability, reduced failure time and maintenance over the entire system lifecycle makes GE a perfect partner for this project

• GE enables rail operators to connect different power grids and optimize rail system operations

Berlin, November 5, 2015 – GE (NYSE: GE) and Deutsche Bahn Energie GmbH (DB Energie) announce they are partnering to optimize Deutsche Bahn’s rail network’s power supply.  Working with DB Energie, GE Energy Management will bring the technology and expertise that will couple energy fed from the utility grid to the rail grid ensuring a more efficient and constant power supply. The solution ensures efficient power conversion and high power quality, optimizing rail system operations.

Scheduled for delivery between 2017 and 2018, the converter station built by GE will convert power from the public utility grid, operating at a frequency of 110kV/50Hz, to feed into the de-central rail network 15kV/16.7Hz. This solution aims to maximize efficiency through reducing the power consumption in the railway system on the two sites in Bützow and Schwerin in northern Germany. GE Power Conversion’s static frequency converter (SFC) solution ensures a reliable electrical conversion at a high efficiency rate.

GE’s power quality solutions are not only applicable for 16,7 Hz railway systems. These solutions can enable 50 Hz rail operators worldwide to avoid unbalanced utility grid loads and the resulting costs from it, as well as reduce complexity in the system by bringing down the number of feeder stations required and by eliminating the “dead zone” in overhead catenary lines. It helps optimize rail system operation and the solution will ultimately reduce failure time and maintenance needed.

“With our power quality solution, we offer flexibility to connect rail grid to power grids at different locations or from different providers. The continuous partnership with DB Energie shows GE’s solution stands the test of time and the reliable solution for rail operators.” says John Chatwin, Power & Industry Segment Leader, GE Power Conversion.

Huschke Diekmann, GE Key Account Director Deutsche Bahn said, “GE is committed to providing top quality power conversion technology to DB Energie who is our valued customer. After the success of the Lohsa substation, we are confident that this project would be another positive chapter in our relationship with DB Energie.”

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.

In Germany, GE has a presence at more than 50 locations and a headcount of over 7,000 employees, focusing on renewable energy, healthcare technology, research and development and financial services. GE is one of Germany's most attractive employers, having been awarded "Top Employer Engineers 2014." The company’s ecomagination initiative has been recognized by the jury of the German Sustainability Award as one of the three most sustainable business strategies in Germany.

About GE Power Conversion

GE Energy Management provides customers with electrical solutions that enable local utilities and energy-intensive industries to more efficiently manage electricity from the point of generation to consumption. GE’s Power Conversion business, a business unit of GE Energy Management, applies the science and systems of power conversion to help drive the electrification of the world’s energy infrastructure by designing and delivering advanced motor, drive and control technologies that evolve today’s industrial processes for a cleaner, more productive future. Serving specialized sectors such as energy, marine, oil and gas, renewables and industry, through customized solutions and advanced technologies, GE Power Conversion partners with customers to maximize efficiency. For more information, please visit www.gepowerconversion.com.

Follow GE’s Power Conversion business on Twitter and Linkedin.

- See more at: http://www.gepowerconversion.com/press-releases/ge-keeping-rail-operation-right-track-reliable-and-efficient-power-supply#sthash.mxcM8ZnU.dpuf