Dear Readers,
The two most downloaded and read issues of our digital magazine are Bushings and Oils & Fluids, both areas that are changing more dramatically than many other areas of transformer technology. Given the very name of the magazine it is no wonder. In November, you will see a departure from our Transformer Technology focus with more of a focus on Power System Technology, but first… Bushings!
I have had the opportunity to interview some thought leaders in the transformer market at the IEEE PES T&D Conference, and more recently via Zoom, and one of the major things I came away with is how change is taking place in bushings technology. Some of that change has been driven by supply chain issues, forcing manufacturers to rethink bushing material design. Another is the desire to decarbonize, digitalize and decentralize power. While those larger objectives will be part of our PST reporting, they also impact transformer manufacturing.
We will keep some of our thoughts on natural and synthetic esters for the December issue on Oils & Fluids, but the move to esters is also important in bushings manufacturing. One President of a major bushings manufacturer shared in an interview (that you will be able to access in the coming weeks) that their effort to decarbonize has led them to make a determined decision to replace mineral oil filled bushings with esters and move away from SF6 insulation to RIF where possible, or to gases with less harmful impacts on the planet.
Some of the change taking place in bushings technology has been driven by supply chain issues, forcing manufacturers to rethink bushing material design. Another is the desire to decarbonize, digitalize and decentralize power.
In another interview with the CEO of Virginia Transformer and Georgia Transformer, Prabhat Jain, you will read about how their R&D and design teams are working with their own suppliers, internally and externally, to address issue of reliability, resilience, and reduced lead times. Bushings are part of those changes. With articles from our Technical Advisory Board members, Tony McGrail and Marco Tozzi, authors Emilio Morales and Robert Middleton, and a Perspective piece from Camden Spiller, we believe we have done another great job of representing the industry.
Now we turn our attention to November and December with Power System Technology front and center in November. What a tremendous lineup we have with interviews with several CEOs articles on battery safety and e-mobility, and a market review from Power Technology Research. While transformers are the heart of the power system, the power system is the heart of the economy, life as we know it, and part of the most dramatic shift in our lifetimes as we decarbonize, move to electric vehicles and deal with climate change.
From recorded interviews with over 30 people during the recent RE+ Conference in Anaheim, Netherlands, where 27,000 attendees gathered, it was clear that our global power system is under going dramatic and much needed change; change that will affect every one of us in ways we can only begin to imagine.
While transformers are the hearth of the power system, the power system is the hearth of the economy, life as we know it, and part of the most dramatic shift in our lifetimes as we decarbonize, move to electric vehicles and deal with climate change.
Our mission at APC Media as the Voice of the Power Industry is to bring you the best and most important news, information and thought leadership on Power System Technology. I hope you enjoy our current issue and look forward to end the year with two more great additions to the APC Technologies body of knowledge.
Alan M Ross
CRL, CMRP
Editor in Chief
APC Media
Technical Director
