This approach means stored energy can be continuously fed back into the system and, if there is a power outage, the system can be shut down safely. As a result, spikes in the power drawn from the grid are significantly reduced. Power and Energy Solutions help increase system availability, cut energy consumption and costs, and reduce strain on the electrical power supply.
In particular, Power and Energy Solutions are used in machines and systems that often accelerate or decelerate very dynamically, thereby generating losses due to braking energy and causing high energy spikes in startup scenarios due to the loads involved. The new power and energy management system compensates for such peaks by temporarily storing the braking energy generated by the machine or system and making it available again as required. The result for the grid supply is that the energy flow becomes consistent and energy spikes are reduced. Consequently, systems no longer need to be designed around power peaks and can instead be designed in line with their average power. This means a system’s electrics can be dimensioned to be more compact, lightweight, and resource-efficient, both in the control cabinet and in terms of their line connection.
If a DC grid is available on site, the DC link can be connected to external DC supply grids in a bidirectional arrangement via a DC/DC converter. That on-site grid could be a battery, for example, or a DC grid with direct infeed from regenerative sources.
In this arrangement, the energy in the storage capacitor serves as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for the system. It supplies the drives, motor brakes, and 24 V level (PLC and safety circuits). Power outages no longer lead to system malfunctions, damaged products, or tedious restarts, and – in regions that experience frequent power failures – follow-up costs are considerably reduced.
The power supply module measures performance data and provides energy meter readings that can be integrated into ISO 50001 energy management systems.
Depending on the application, there are clear cost savings to be made, and these result in a rapid return on investment for operators. Experience from customer projects has shown that energy savings, reduced grid installation, and overcoming power failures are the key arguments in favor of Power and Energy Solutions from SEW-EURODRIVE.
Power and Energy Solutions offers the following Ethernet-based networks for connecting to higher-level controllers – PROFINET, EtherNet/IPTM, and Modbus/TCP. Selection, installation, startup, and operation can all be taken care of quickly and easily thanks to engineering tools, prefabricated MOVIKIT® software modules, and advice and services from SEW- EURODRIVE.
The options for using the new Power and Energy Solutions are many and varied, ranging from production areas in automobile production and filling and packaging plants in the food and beverage industry to countless transportation and logistics applications.