Smart Wires Accelerates Progress towards a Clean Energy Future across North and South America

One of these grid enhancing technologies is Smart Wires’ SmartValve™, a Modular FACTS device that moves power from heavily loaded lines to others with spare capacity. By optimizing the existing infrastructure this technology lowers costs for consumers, reduces the impact of infrastructure on urban and natural areas, and ensures timely connection of new renewable energy resources.

Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM) supplies water, electricity and gas to more than 4 million people in the Metropolitan area of the Department of Antioquia (Colombia) and has adopted SmartValve technology to optimize power flows in its network. EPM plans to expand the utilization of this technology to optimize the existing network as part of the Aburrá Valley expansion plan. After an initial installation of the technology earlier this year, EPM will install more SmartValve devices in 2022 as a timely and cost-effective solution to release more capacity on the grid with minimal disruption to local communities and the environment in urban areas.

SmartValve is widely recognised in Colombia as a key technology for cost-effectively connecting lower cost generation and increasing reliability – improving the quality of life of local communities and contributing to the energy transition. This is reflected by the adoption of modular power flow control technology as part of the approved solutions for the country’s 2020-2034 Transmission Expansion Plan, published by the national planning agency (Unidad de Planeacion Minero Energetica, UPME). As part of this plan further SmartValve projects will be delivered in 2022 by other transmission owners in Colombia, providing additional capacity for the increasing level of renewable connections across the region.

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is the largest municipal utility in the US, operating nearly 8 GW of power generation facilities and serving 4 million residents with a peak load of 6.5 GW. LADWP has significant construction planned over the next decade to meet the Los Angeles 100% renewable energy goal by 2035, and is therefore exploring flexible and innovative solutions to reliable outage management.