Show it again, InGRID
ABB’s smart grid online demonstration system, InGRID, allows remote grid management and shares a few features with her more famous actress namesake
The romantic drama Casablanca (1942) consistently ranks near the top of the ‘greatest films of all time’ lists. I remember watching this Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman classic as a young girl and hoping that one day Ingrid and I could become friends. Sadly our paths never crossed, but today I have another InGRID in my life and I think we have the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
The InGRID I have now come to know is an online demonstration system which showcases ABB’s solutions for more efficient grid management. Such management can take place remotely from anywhere in the world, as InGRID includes high-definition web cameras that provide a visual overview of the detailed interaction between primary equipment and different intelligent control cabinets. This is possible via wireless communication between the components in the distribution grid network and the MicroSCADA Pro control system. Using an iPad or laptop, you can remotely control a smart compact secondary substation and its ring main unit and the outdoor apparatuses. For more details, watch this video.
From dusk till dawn, you can enjoy a light show with InGRID. The demonstration system contains LEDs that light up in different colors, which help visualize the presence of voltage on the power lines as you control the equipment. The lights are off when the overhead lines are not powered, and light up in green when they are. The lights will turn on and off depending on the position of the breakers and disconnectors in accordance with the simulated power flows. If red LEDs light up, you have a fault situation at hand.
InGRID on the road
ABB’s grid automation solutions can handle harsh environments. Ingrid, as in the actress, was born in Sweden and my friend, InGRID, comes from Finland – in other words, both grew up in a climate typically characterized by cold winters and snow. There is a heater inside the control cabinet which removes excess moisture and, interestingly enough, this is also one of the reasons these solutions work in climates at the other extreme – in the desert.
One of Ingrid Bergman’s most famous lines in Casablanca – although it is actually a misquote of the real line in the film – is “Play it, Sam. Play it again”. If you want to follow in these words and say, “Show it, InGRID, show it again”, then you can meet InGRID as she tours major global trade fairs this year. Her next stop is at European Utility Week 2014 in Amsterdam on November 4-6.
Related link:
– InGRID web page