Power Transmission
Energy on the Fast Track:
The Return of DC
Like high-speed trains, modern power lines can
cover great distances at a time. Karlheinz Springer,
CEO of the Siemens Energy Power Transmission
­Division, explains how power transmission puts
electricity in the fast lane.
Text: Onno Groß Photos: Jann Averwerser
K
arlheinz Springer, as Head
of the Power Transmission
Division, you work in close
proximity to the dynamic ­energy
market. How is the grid architecture affected by the ­changes in
power generation?
Karlheinz Springer: We will see a
drastic shift in the global energy mix
by 2030. While fossil fuels will remain
dominant, renewables will account
for one third of future power genera­
tion capacity. Two global trends are
evident: first, the spatial decoupling
of energy production and energy
­consumption. We have more and more
remote energy sources like hydro­
power or large offshore and onshore
wind farms. And governments are
planning to install the power plants
close to the energy sources. Thus,
huge amounts of energy have to be
transported over long distances to
the megacities and load centers. At
the same time, distributed energy
with its intermittent infeed and
72 Living Energy · No. 10 | May 2014
r­ everse load flows presents new
challenges for the distribution grid,
requiring new smart grid solutions.
Because power transmission is
needed, tens of billions of euros
have to be spent now and in the
­future. Where are the key investments to be expected?
K. Springer: Investments in new grid
infrastructure must meet three key
requirements: Obviously, capacity ad­
ditions should increase the availability
of the network. It is equally important
that they represent a viable business
case for investors. In addition, the lo­
cal population needs to be involved in
the planning to ensure public accep­
tance of the line extensions.
If we look at the overall global devel­
opment, there is a growing market
for high-voltage DC systems as well
as for the modernization of existing
AC grids. More and more, this requires
HVDC technology, where transmission
losses of lines are typically reduced
by 30 to 50 percent in comparison
with AC transmission. It paves the way
for a very efficient and stable delivery
of power.
High-voltage power transmission
involves interconnector and longdistance lines. What is planned
here in the future?
K. Springer: Siemens has been engaged in the DC field for a long time.
This includes high-power transmission
systems such as those linking Spain
and France across the ­Pyrenees, or
England and Scotland. There is the
general trend for power transmission
over long distances and here HVDC is
the key instrument. In Europe, we
do see an increased number of country
interconnections and a continuous
growth of wind power generation, es­
pecially in the North Sea and around
the UK. In China and India, however,
the growing energy demand of the
megacities requires even stronger
transmission capacities. In China, u
“We offer comprehensive solutions to ensure the
highest stability of a grid.”
Karlheinz Springer, CEO, Power Transmission Division
Living Energy · No. 10 | May 2014 73
Power Transmission
Power Transmission
onshore wind energy and hydropower
in the north and the west will need
bulk power transmission over long
distances to the coastal cities. In ab­
solute terms, these investments are
certainly always higher than in other
countries. We are participating well
in this market and are the number-one
provider of HVDC in China. Since we
built the first 800-kilovolt lines, we
have worked closely with the State Grid
and Southern Grid Corporations of
China. At present, we are close to build­
ing a 1,100-kilovolt HVDC that will
transport the incredible amount of
11,000 megawatts – via a single bipo­
lar system!
The late 19th century saw the “War
of Currents” between AC and DC.
Will we have to rethink the electricity network, and how will this
develop?
K. Springer: That historic contest be­
tween Nikola Tesla and George West­
inghouse [promoting AC] and Thomas
Edison [pushing for DC current] was
won by the AC advocates because at that
time, the usefulness of DC technology
over long distances was limited. How­
ever, we have long been observing a
development from AC to DC transmis­
sion. It all began with the first DC pointto-point connections, which Siemens
installed in Germany in 1945, and later
Karlheinz Springer
“Multiterminal grids will
be a complete change
from what we have known
for the last 50 years.”
Karlheinz Springer
Background
Karlheinz Springer, born in Mannheim,
Germany, in 1959, graduated with a
Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Mannheim.
Professional Experience
and Education
After completing his university studies,
Springer joined Siemens in 1985. His career involved increasing responsibilities
74 Living Energy · No. 10 | May 2014
across a broad range of functional areas
including international project management, engineering and execution, sales
and marketing, and commercial management. In May 2012, he was appointed
CEO of the Siemens Energy Power Transmission Division. When he isn’t working
from his desk in Erlangen, Germany, his
work on DC power transmission often
takes him far afield to the USA, Russia, or
China. International issues are constantly
on his mind: “Being local is in the DNA
of Siemens,” Springer says. “Our motto is:
‘In China for China, and from China to
the world.’ This mind-set applies to all our
country departments. And I think it is the
right strategy in this more and more globalized world.”
around the world. For instance, Siemens
connected the power supply networks
of New Jersey and New York with a
660-megawatt back-to-back HVDC sys­
tem; we also linked the island of Mal­
lorca with mainland Spain. Right now,
we are constructing the world’s first
600-kilovolt DC submarine cable trans­
mission in the Irish Sea. So the num­
ber of long-distance DC transmission
systems is constantly increasing.
With the Siemens portfolio of highvoltage DC solutions, we are perfectly
matched to these requirements and
have a leading position. We offer the
state of the art in technology and will
maintain that edge.
How will these new developments
affect the future grid architecture?
K. Springer: What we will see is a
combination of AC/DC energy highways, or a “supergrid,” as some call it.
This will be very different from what
we have known in the last 50 years. It
means a mixture of AC and DC sys­
tems, which will enable load flow and
voltage. This is where our product
development is headed. Our HVDC
PLUS “full bridge” technology, for
example, can handle short circuits on
the DC transmission effectively. We
are the leader in that technology,
which is required for the DC connec­
tions in Germany’s grid. We are also
developing compact new high-voltage
products such as gas-insulated DC
switchgear for up to 500 kilovolts, DC
breakers, and gas-insulated DC trans­
mission lines. We are seeing a lot of
innovations right now.
Another example of DC grid transmission is the connection of offshore wind parks in the North Sea.
In this respect, the past year has
been an eventful one.
K. Springer: We have a long record
in delivering offshore projects, from
the world’s first offshore wind farm
more than 20 years ago to the largest
offshore wind power plant in opera­
tion today, the London Array. With
the current construction of several
huge wind parks in the German
North Sea, this market is very active.
The challenge for the installation
of converter platforms at sea was a
“Being local is in the DNA
of Siemens.”
Karlheinz Springer
tough one, but now, the technical
success of the p
­ rojects is becoming
evident. Beginning in the second half
of this year, the first platform, HelWin1,
will transmit up to 576 megawatts pro­
duced in the wind power plants via
submarine cable to the German main­
land 85 kilometers away. On the other
hand, installation under offshore con­
ditions includes very complex issues
that we underestimated and which
resulted in delays. However, we have
always followed our commitments
and worked hard for them by introduc­
ing a cost-reduction program. We
have learned our lessons and will de­
liver to our customers the next plat­
forms – even under the harsh offshore
conditions in deep water.
These sound like huge technical
challenges. How will they affect the
price of energy?
K. Springer: HVDC offshore technolo­
gy is still in its early stages of develop­
ment, so there is still a large potential
for cost reduction. With continuous
research, we will see more and more
technical improvements as well as
innovations to satisfy the market. Our
experience with the converter off­
shore platform will certainly pay off
in the future. Space, for example, is
an important factor in offshore con­
struction. Our new gas-insulated
DC switchyard technology gives us a
90 percent reduction in space com­
pared to air insulation, which we used
before. This is a real advantage in
platform building and very cost-effec­
tive. As always, we are committed to
listening to the customer and offering
solutions for cost reduction.
Another field is the modernization
of existing AC grids. Can you point
out some current developments?
K. Springer: In established econo­
mies like the USA and Europe, but
also especially in Russia, most of the
AC grids are more than 30 years old,
and many components need to be
replaced. We expect that one third of
all grid investment will be spent on
the modernization of obsolete grids
in order to prevent blackouts. In
many countries, we have fully local­
ized portfolios, where we produce
transformers, high-voltage products,
and other components. In Russia,
Siemens has a factory in Voronezh and
is regarded as a local manufacturer
and a national brand. Together with
the utilities and the know-how of the
regulators, we are developing solu­
tions to modernize the grid and ensure
the stability.
Capacities of transmission lines
will increase further in the future.
How do you expect global marketdemand to develop?
K. Springer: There is no doubt that
new technologies, such as FACTS
(flexible AC transmission systems)
and GIL (gas-insulated transmission
lines), are emerging. They increase
the transmission capacity of AC sys­
tems very effectively. Siemens is
watching their long-term trajectory.
We are also, for example, working
on a different application for trans­
formers based on new ­electrical
equipment. Together with our central
R&D department at Siemens, we are
analyzing the demands of the market.
And we discuss openly with our cus­
tomers the technological needs in the
globalized world as well as ways of
coping with the challenges they are
confronted with. Our commitment is
to understand our customers, to care
for their needs, and to drive their
business success. p
Onno Groß is a veteran correspondent for various German media based in Hamburg. His focus
is on business, science, and the environment.
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