ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, today announced it has provided new, state-of-the-art substation automation products to the Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management Systems Center – the FREEDM Systems Center – at North Carolina State University.

This donation of Relion Family protection and control devices, MicroSCADA Pro substation automation control and small SCADA systems and remote terminal units, as well as support and training of various power hardware and software for FREEDM researchers, will allow engineering students and researchers at the FREEDM Systems Center to step up testing and feasibility of new, “smart grid” compliant solutions based on the IEC 61850 communication standards, and to integrate new functionality into existing power grid equipment.

“We are grateful to ABB for their generous donation of substation relays and power electronics equipment,” said Dr. Alex Huang, Director, FREEDM Systems Center. “This equipment will allow our students and our researchers to take our Green Energy Hub research and technology demonstration laboratory to a higher level as we continue to help shape America’s power grid for the needs of the 21st century.”

The donation, valued at around $130,000, strengthens what is already a solid, long-term partnership between ABB and NC State University. ABB’s Power Products and Power Systems division North American headquarters, along with the ABB US Corporate Research Center and the new ABB Smart Grid Center of Excellence, are all located on NC State’s Centennial Campus. ABB was the original anchor tenant on Centennial Campus, going back to 1990.

Additionally, ABB last year made a gift creating $1.2 million in initiatives that helped create a new Endowed Professorship with NC State’s College of Engineering, as well as an ABB Power Engineering Scholarship program, offering five awards annually to students taking power engineering classes.

“We are pleased to provide the advanced substation automation solutions to NC State’s FREEDM Center as they continue their world-class research initiatives in modernizing the power grid,” said Steven Kunsman, Vice President and General Manager for ABB’s Substation Automation Products in North America. “Today’s substation automation products supporting high speed standardized communication architectures will allow research of advanced automation schemes supporting the FREEDM Center’s Smart Grid and MicroGrid development of new innovations related to renewable energy sources, electric vehicles and other forward-thinking 21st century technologies.”

ABB is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 135,000 people. The company’s North American operations, headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, employ about 20,000 people in multiple manufacturing, service and other major facilities.

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