MTU advances energy transition and power engineering expertise with digital substation
Munster Technological University in collaboration with H&MV Engineering and ABB, has launched a digital substation in the Power Academy Lab of its Bishopstown campus. The facility is part of an investment of more than €200,000 and will be used to develop the training and research capacity of Ireland’s grid infrastructure.
The introduction of digital substations as part of the state’s grid infrastructure upgrade is essential for the state to meet its energy transition goals, which targets becoming carbon neutral by mid-century with an interim target of 51% reduction in emissions by 2030 through the Climate Action Plan 2023.
Ireland’s power system has achieved 75% integration of renewable energy sources and plans to increase this to 95% by 2030, highlighting the importance of state-of-the-art grid technologies.
Electricity demand is also increasing rapidly with increased population, industry and data centre consumption and the transition to electric heating and transport. Total demand is projected to rise from 33 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2022 to 56 TWh by 2030 and 80TWh in 2050. To support this growth the electricity grid requires significant upgrades with a growing need for skilled professionals in designing, developing, and operating modern grid systems.
The digital substation at MTU is part of a joint ABB/H&MV investment to upskill industry professionals from all sectors of the power engineering sector, including generation, distribution, transmission, and consumption to design, develop, commission, and operate the grid infrastructure required for the country’s future development.
Commenting on the investment Dr Martin Hill, head of the Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering at MTU, said the industry support came at a critical time, as the digital technologies in modern substation design required engineers to span both electronic, communication and electrical engineering domains at a level not previously supported in university programmes. This equipment allows students to work in an industry standard environment with the current and future generations of smart grid protection equipment.
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