The following are the most significant new trends in the industry:
1. Core Trend: Intelligence and Digitalization
This is currently the most significant trend, marking the transition of equipment from "functional" to "intelligent."
2.New Trend: Real-time monitoring of key equipment parameters (such as mechanical properties, partial discharges, temperature, and arcing) through built-in sensors.
Combining big data and AI algorithms, intelligent diagnosis of equipment health and fault prediction are performed, enabling maintenance to be scheduled before problems occur, transforming "scheduled maintenance" into "on-demand maintenance" and significantly improving power supply reliability.
3. Digital Twin
Create a high-fidelity virtual model of physical equipment. By simulating operation, analyzing, and predicting events in a virtual space, the design, operation, and maintenance strategies of the physical equipment can be optimized.
4. Green & Safe Trends
Sustainable development concepts are profoundly influencing the technical approach of equipment.
1) Environmentally Friendly Insulation Dielectrics Replacing SF₆
Background: Traditional SF₆ (sulfur hexafluoride) gas is being gradually restricted and phased out due to its strong greenhouse effect (23,500 times that of CO₂).
Solution:
Vacuum arc extinguishing technology: This has become the absolute mainstream in the medium-voltage field and eliminates the need for SF₆.
"Green Gases": Environmentally friendly gases such as dry air, nitrogen (N₂), and emerging fluoronitrile (FN) and fluoroketone (FK) are being used in gas-filled switchgear (C-GIS) to replace SF₆.
5. Functional & Application Trends Applications
Changing grid demands are driving continuous innovation in equipment functionality.
1) The Rise of DC Power Distribution
DC systems are favored in data centers, ships, rail transit, and urban power distribution due to their higher efficiency and lower losses. Medium-voltage DC circuit breakers and other equipment have become a new technological advantage and R&D hotspot.
2) Miniaturization and Modular Design
Demand: Urban land resources are limited, requiring substations to be located deeper into load centers (such as basements).
Trend: Through technological optimization (such as solid insulation and composite insulation), equipment size continues to shrink while energy density increases. Modular design facilitates rapid installation, expansion, and maintenance.
6. Industry Ecosystem and Business Model Trends
1) Industry Chain Collaboration and Standardization
To achieve plug-and-play and interoperability of equipment, the industry is promoting the standardization of interfaces and communication protocols (such as the adoption of the IEC 61850 standard) to reduce system integration complexity.
Medium-voltage electrical equipment is transforming from traditional "dumb devices" into intelligent nodes in the power grid, becoming a key cornerstone for building a new power system and achieving the "dual carbon" goals. For industry practitioners, keeping pace with the research and development and application of intelligent solutions and environmentally friendly technologies will be a core competitive advantage in the future.
