Today is the annual World Environment Day, and as an important opportunity for the United Nations to raise global environmental awareness, the theme of China’s June 5th Environment Day this year is focused on “comprehensively promoting the construction of a beautiful China.”.

Technological innovation is a key force in tackling environmental issues. The research and application of new technologies can not only accelerate energy transformation, improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions, save resources, and protect ecology, but also stimulate emerging green industries and inject new vitality into sustainable economic development.

 

ABB supports customers worldwide in achieving energy efficiency doubling, electrification, and decarbonization through leading electrical and automation technologies. ABB’s sustainable development goals run through various business areas, aiming to empower a low-carbon society, protect resources, promote social progress, and achieve a future of net zero emissions.

In 2023, ABB’s sold products are expected to avoid 74 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions throughout their lifecycle;
The overall energy consumption of the company has decreased by 21% compared to 2019;
64% of energy consumption and 94% of electricity comes from renewable energy;
Meanwhile, the amount of waste landfill has decreased to 6.3%, a decrease of 40% since 2019.
ABB has 7 companies in China that have been awarded the title of “Green Factory” by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. 17 companies have passed the ISO50001 energy management system certification, and multiple companies have been awarded the title of “Net Zero Benchmark Enterprise”, “Waste Zero Landfill Gold UL Certification”, and “Green Supply Chain”. By collaborating with customers and partners to develop and promote efficient and energy-saving products and solutions, ABB actively helps users in industries such as transportation, construction, and data centers accelerate their green and low-carbon transformation.

Light storage direct flexible technology improves energy efficiency

 

As one of the main industries for energy and carbon reduction, construction is constantly exploring the application of innovative technologies to promote green and sustainable development. The innovation of “light storage direct flexible” technology is very suitable for the application of green and low-carbon buildings, achieving dynamic balance between source and load through energy storage, maximizing local consumption of photovoltaics, and promoting green and low-carbon transformation. By utilizing the optimization technology of microgrids, we can achieve flexible regulation of building loads and build a microgrid system that is adaptive to urban power grids.

The upgrade and renovation project of Shenzhen Shekou Building, in which ABB participates, innovatively applies DC power distribution technology and energy optimization technology. Through the application of optical storage direct flexible technology, the safety of power distribution is improved, energy efficiency is improved, and the cost of electricity is reduced. The photovoltaic annual power generation of the renovated Shekou Building is 261800 kilowatt hours, with a comprehensive energy-saving rate of 61.16%; And it has been awarded the national level evaluation label for near zero energy consumption building design. It is the first batch of carbon peak and carbon neutrality pilot projects in Guangdong Province and the second batch of near zero emission building pilot projects in Shenzhen City.

OmniCore? Controller

Make automated production more sustainable

 

ABB’s Next Generation OmniCore ™ The controller not only significantly improves the efficiency and flexibility of automated production, but also has excellent sustainable performance from design to the entire lifecycle.

Thanks to multiple intelligent technologies, the OmniCore? Controller can achieve 20% energy savings compared to ABB’s previous controllers. Advanced cooling technology can reduce refrigeration energy consumption; The LAN wake-up function supports sleep mode, significantly reducing power consumption; By using RobotStudio for automatic path planning, it can save up to 30% of energy compared to manual programming; ABB’s remanufacturing, replacement, and repurchase services can also maximize the lifespan of robots, improve reliability, and help reduce resource waste.

Permanent magnet synchronous motor

Supporting semiconductor enterprises to break through energy consumption bottlenecks

 

Semiconductor manufacturing, as an energy intensive industry, has a huge demand for electricity in its production facilities. A large semiconductor manufacturing factory can consume up to 100 megawatt hours of electricity in a single hour, which is equivalent to the electricity consumption of over 80000 ordinary households. With the surge in semiconductor production and the increasing complexity of manufacturing processes, power consumption in factories will continue to grow.

A leading semiconductor industry enterprise in Tianjin has become more urgent in terms of energy conservation after expansion. The M2BJX permanent magnet synchronous motor provided by ABB not only meets the energy-saving goals set by the company, but also achieves an average system energy saving of 16% under operating conditions, far exceeding its expected goals. It can reduce approximately 500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

Online energy-saving calculator

Assist enterprises in planning energy-saving and efficiency enhancing routes

 

Improving energy efficiency is one of the faster and more cost-effective methods for industrial organizations to reduce their impact on the environment and lower operating costs. However, many companies lack the data information needed for action. To help enterprises take the first step towards energy conservation and efficiency improvement, ABB has recently launched an online energy-saving calculator, allowing enterprises to easily obtain relevant data information based on the energy efficiency of motor drive systems.

Customers only need to input basic information such as the number of motors, operating hours, and average operating power to estimate the energy-saving and emission reduction effects and investment return period. By using this calculator, companies can preliminarily estimate the potential energy-saving and cost reducing benefits of upgrading pump and fan systems that were originally driven by power frequency operating (DOL) motors to be driven by variable frequency drives (VSD). This calculator is mainly suitable for low-voltage motors with energy efficiency levels of IE3 and below. It can estimate the energy-saving effects that can be achieved by upgrading to the latest motor and transmission technology (IE5 synchronous reluctance motor+frequency converter packaging scheme) to optimize energy efficiency.

Water isotope tritium monitoring solution

 

Tritium (³ H) is a rare radioactive isotope of hydrogen that plays a crucial role in environmental research. H is a key tool for tracking and measuring the age of groundwater, assessing environmental pollution, and quantifying the impact of nuclear power plant waste. In addition to commonly used methods such as liquid scintillation counting (LSC) and spiking analysis (SPM), deuterium method (DM) provides a more novel, fast, and reliable analytical method. By using a laser spectrometer to indirectly calculate the enrichment factor of deuterium (² H) by measuring its enrichment degree, it avoids the use of standard substances and improves the efficiency of laboratory work.

ABB GLA431 series water isotope analyzer utilizing OA-ICOS ™ Technology, capable of non-destructive testing of specific isotopic bodies, has the advantages of short analysis time and high accuracy. OA-ICOS technology also has multiple advantages: high cost-effectiveness, user-friendly, reliable calibration capability, and the ability to easily switch back to natural abundance water samples for routine stable isotope analysis of environmental water samples.

ABB Beizhai Road Supercharging Station put into operation

 

As of the end of the first quarter of 2024, the number of new energy vehicles in China reached 22.5 million, posing a more urgent need for the construction of public fast charging facilities. ABB Electric Transportation has established a new concept charging station called “Powered by ABB” to provide users with a stable, safe, and green charging experience. On May 24th, the ABB Beizhai Road Supercharging Station located near the Hongqiao Hub and the National Convention and Exhibition Center was officially put into use.

The demonstration station is equipped with 122 charging terminals, including 120kW fast charging terminals and 480kW liquid cooled supercharging terminals, to meet the needs of different vehicle models and users, truly achieving a charging experience of one second and one kilometer. At the same time, the station is also equipped with a large dual compartment battery swapping station of Jieneng Intelligent Power. The entire charging and swapping station can provide services for over 20000 new energy vehicles per month, greatly promoting the convenience of using new energy vehicles in the surrounding area.

Technological innovation has opened up new ideas and provided new methods for environmental protection. The urgent need for environmental protection continues to drive technological innovation forward, iteratively upgrading. We will continue to work together with the power of technology to create a better, green, and sustainable home on Earth.

ABB is a technology leader in the field of electrical and automation, committed to empowering a more sustainable and efficient future. ABB integrates engineering experience and software technology into a solution to optimize manufacturing, transportation, energy, and operations. With a history of over 140 years of excellence, ABB has over 105000 employees worldwide who are dedicated to promoting innovation and accelerating industrial transformation. ABB has comprehensive business activities in China, including research and development, manufacturing, sales, and engineering services. It has about 30 local enterprises and approximately 15000 employees in nearly 130 cities, with online and offline channels covering approximately 700 cities nationwide.