Drakenstein Municipality, situated in Paarl in the Western Cape, is one of the first distribution utilities globally to implement Schneider Electric’s green, SF6-free RM AirSeT switchgear with pure air technology and native digital connectivity.
The RM AirSeT switchgear project, installed in February 2023 at the Dalwes substation, was unveiled at an official launch event, held yesterday (14 September 2023) at the Lemoenkloof Conference Centre, and attended by Mayoral Committee Members of Drakenstein Municipality, Dalwes substation executives, Schneider Electric, electrical consultants, electrical panel builders and other esteemed industry experts.
The project sees Drakenstein Municipality taking proactive steps towards alleviating the harmful greenhouse gas emission (GHG) produced by SF6 gas (Sulphur hexafluoride) found in traditional gas-insulated switchgear which is 23,500 times more potent than CO2.
The RM AirSeT pure air switchgear installation, enabled by its native connectivity, also forms part Drakenstein Municipality’s upgrade of its 25-year-old SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system to ETAP, a model-driven electrical SCADA software solution. The project, currently underway, is rolled out in in partnership with Schneider Electric and system integrator partner, Altek.
“We are extremely proud and excited to embark on this journey with Schneider Electric,” says Alderman Conrad Poole, Executive Mayor of Drakenstein Municipality. “Sustainability is in the DNA of our organisation and our community, and this project is a perfect fit for our sustainability vision and best practices. It underscores our ongoing commitment to excellent service delivery, while ensuring a sustainable future and protected environment for the coming generations. Being an early adopter of this pioneering technology will enable us to share lessons learnt with our peers. As the largest Western Cape municipality (outside Cape Town), and one of the most financially sound, well-governed and stable municipalities in South Africa, we are honoured to now also be setting the pace in this regard.”
“Drakenstein Municipality is undoubtedly leading the way in establishing a modern, digitised infrastructure that enables it to remotely monitor equipment like the RM AirSeT switchgear which in turn allows for expanded network visibility, as well as preventative and proactive maintenance and problem solving,” explains Vladimir Milovanovic, Vice President, Power Systems for Schneider Electric Anglophone Africa.
“Furthermore, by implementing green technology such as our SF6-free switchgear, the municipality is undoubtedly showing its commitment to mitigating its environmental footprint whilst benefiting from improved operational performance and efficiency.”
The RM AirSeT
The rollout of RM AirSeT is a part of Schneider’s ‘Grids of the Future’ programme and a milestone in in its progress towards producing a complete portfolio of SF6-free switchgear by 2025.
The average lifespan of switchgear is between 30-40 years, utilities therefore have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take action to avoid the risk of additional GHG emissions. By eliminating SF6 gas’ use in switchgear, the environmental footprint of electrical networks will be significantly reduced.
The RM AirSeT features include:
- Protection against harsh environments - it is completely sealed from the external environment, which provides extra protection against the harsh conditions of grid such as humidity or saltwater. This design makes it suitable for utilities and some industrial settings.
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- Its compact footprint also enables it to be used for deployment in space-sensitive applications.
- Natively digital - it offers condition-based maintenance features, feeding data from its sensors to both local field tools/apps and sophisticated analytics tools, which can be either hosted in the cloud (using best of breed cybersecurity practices), or on premise, depending on customer requirements.
- Management of more complex networks: equipped with Easergy T300 Feeder Remote Terminal Unit, a modular, IoT-connected device for modern grid automation.
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- It offers a single solution for 24/7 app-based condition monitoring and controls to check the quality of power connections, identify and isolate faults in seconds, and self-healing capabilities for reduced downtime.
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- Built to last - the advanced Schneider Electric-patented CompoDrive operating mechanism is reinforced to handle the increased switching requirements of a modern, decentralised grid. With ten times the mechanical endurance of conventional mechanisms, RM AirSeT has a lifespan of 40 years and 10,000 operations.
- Complete and flexible range of functions - functions such as switch, switch-fuse, circuit breaker, and metering, and freedom to combine it.
- Peace of mind for regulatory compliance - SF6 gas is a regulated fluorinated gas, which currently has a special exemption for use in electrical distribution across many geographies. However, as alternatives become more readily available, various countries and territories are considering measures to restrict its use. Pure air offers ultimate transparency.
