Over 90% Carbon Emission Reduction Over Full Lifecycle: Vacuum Circuit Breaker Green Transformation Leads The New Track For Power Equipment - News

With the deepening of the "dual carbon" goals, full life-cycle carbon emission management of power equipment has become a focal point in the industry.

Vacuum circuit breakers, because their arc‑extinguishing chambers naturally use vacuum as the medium and do not employ greenhouse gases, are regarded as a preferred alternative to SF₆‑insulated switches.

According to carbon footprint verification results from domestic testing institutions for mainstream eco-friendly pole‑type vacuum circuit breakers, compared with traditional SF₆‑insulated circuit breakers, the carbon emission reduction over the full life-cycle-from raw material acquisition, manufacturing, operation and maintenance, to scrapping and recycling-can reach over 90%. Taking a 12 KV eco-friendly product as an example, the full life-cycle can equivalently reduce several tons of CO₂equivalent emissions. This data provides a quantitative basis for the green selection of power equipment and has also prompted State Grid to explicitly include "environmentally friendly insulation" in the technical scoring system during its recent distribution network centralized procurement, demonstrating abundant momentum for green transformation.

In terms of technical pathways, current mainstream eco-friendly vacuum circuit breakers use dry air or nitrogen as the external insulation medium, combined with solid‑sealed poles and permanent magnetic actuators, completely eliminating the risk of strong greenhouse effect caused by SF₆ leakage. At the same time, the integration of digital technologies amplifies the carbon reduction benefits. Through build in sensors that monitor mechanical characteristics and circuit resistance, the equipment enables precise condition‑based maintenance, extending maintenance cycles, thereby reducing energy and material consumption during operation and maintenance.

According to industry organizations' forecasts, in the next three years, the penetration rate of eco-friendly vacuum circuit breakers in new distribution network projects will exceed 50%, and they will gradually expand to scenarios such as rail transit, wind power, and photovoltaic power stations.