For more than 40 years, Mitsubishi Electric has been a leader in the development, design and production of high performance power electronics-based systems. These solutions enable delivery of reliable high-quality power. Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc. is pleased to continue that rich tradition, with a key technology to add to its history of innovation: Voltage Source Converter (VSC)-based HVDC-Diamond®.
The Mitsubishi Electric HVDC-Diamond® technology features the company's proven Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) technology and apply a Modular Multi-level Converter (MMC) topology for power conversion of high voltage AC to DC. Mitsubishi Electric HVDC solutions feature power transfer ratings in excess of 1000MW with a DC voltage level up to +/- 500kV DC.
The high reliability of Mitsubishi Electric's IGBT devices, protection & control, cooling systems, bypass systems and transformers has made them the components of choice for numerous utilities that build power transmission and distribution infrastructure.
HVDC Applications in Electric Power Transmission
The emergence of renewable energy sources to meet society's energy demands while being more environmentally sustainable has created new challenges for utilities. It is becoming more common that electricity is generated from renewable energy sources located far away from load centers and as such, requires advanced transmission technologies to deliver the power efficiently and reliably. HVDC is perfectly suited for these situations of integrating bulk-power renewable energy over long distances.
HVDC-Diamond® systems offer additional performance benefits such as the ability to interconnect asynchronous AC systems, improve reliability and controllability of power flow, as well as replace aging back-to-back HVDC installations.
Aside from facilitating delivery of power, HVDC-Diamond® systems can help regulate system voltage by simultaneously supplying reactive power independent the amount of active power being transmitted. Specifically, HVDC-Diamond®; systems can supply capacitive and inductive reactive power, often eliminating the need for a mechanically-switched capacitor, reactor banks, and harmonic filters that were commonly applied to HVDC systems.