SWITZERLAND -- In a career spanning almost 50 years, Hans Björklund has developed a long list of innovations, including the world's first digital control and protection system for HVDC.

Hans Björklund, Corporate Executive Engineer at Hitachi ABB Power Grids, has won the Uno Lamm High Voltage Direct Current Award "for outstanding contributions and visionary leadership in the development of advanced control and protection systems for HVDC." 

The prize is awarded annually by the Power and Energy Society (PES) of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world's largest association of technical professionals. 

"I am honored to be awarded this great prize, the finest in the HVDC world. I have worked with several of the previous winners and am proud to be included in their ranks." Björklund said

"We are delighted that Hans' immense contributions to the development of HVDC have been recognized by his peers at the IEEE," said Niklas Persson, Managing Director of Hitachi ABB Power Grids' Grid Integration business. "Hans has dedicated his professional life to HVDC. His work is greatly appreciated, not only in our company but by our customers and the wider power transmission community as well."

Björklund's career at Hitachi ABB Power Grids spans almost 50 years. He has worked on most of the world's major HVDC projects and developed many innovations that have improved the capacity, safety, reliability and stability of HVDC transmission. These include the first digital control and protection systems in 1976 and three generations of the control and protection system which safeguards the vast majority of the world's HVDC projects.

Source: Hitachi ABB Power Grids