What is a solid-state circuit breaker (ABB)?

A technological breakthrough by ABB – a solid-state circuit breaker – will enhance performance of renewable energy solutions, industrial battery storage solutions and so-called edge grids.

Why is a solid-state circuit breaker important?

Energy efficiency is a crucial aspect for all electrical installations, including those operating on islanded grids such as vessels with an onboard DC grid. Compared to other semiconductor technologies, ABB’s solid-state circuit breaker guarantees 70% less power losses during the conduction phase.

What is a solid-state breaker?

The solid-state breaker concept replaces the traditional moving parts of an electromechanical circuit breaker with semiconductors and advanced software algorithms that control the power and can interrupt extreme currents faster than ever before.

Can a solid-state circuit breaker save you money?

For example, in the event of an electrical fault in a 4MW utility-scale battery system, the new solid-state circuit breaker can prevent losses of up to $100,000 per plant from missed energy remuneration and system recovery costs.

What is the difference between a mechanical and solid-state circuit breaker?

Solid-state technology guarantees an extremely fast interruption and clears a fault in a few microseconds. In comparison, a mechanical circuit breaker with the same frame size takes a few milliseconds. ABB’s solid-state circuit breaker can detect and respond to a short circuit fault 100 times faster than a mechanical circuit breaker.

Should a solid-state circuit breaker be used to protect a substation?

Using the solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB) on the low-voltage side to protect the substation is favourable compared to implementing the protection on the medium voltage side as the SSCBs do not have to be rated for high overvoltages.