ABB's first smart low-voltage network powering Thai luxury mall

ABB has installed its first smart low-voltage network in a cutting-edge shopping mall in the EmQuartier, Thailand.

The EmQuartier — a 250,000 m² luxury shopping and entertainment venue that is part of a multimillion-dollar transformation of Bangkok’s business district — is the first retail development to use ABB’s Emax 2 circuit breakers and Ekip View supervision software, which has control and connectivity features for remote management of its power grid.

The Emax 2 circuit breakers’ built-in sensors and connectivity, configured with the supervision software, enables remote monitoring, management and control (even the ability to limit power consumption) of the low-voltage network. The software connects more than 100 Emax 2 air circuit breakers with moulded case circuit breakers (MCCBs), miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) and multimeters, as well as the mall’s central monitoring system. The Emax 2’s connectivity features enable it to integrate into a wide array of automated systems so that facility managers can receive alerts and communicate remotely via a tablet.

The company said its low-voltage solution improved the project’s delivery time by 35% and reduced engineering costs by around 60% due to its integrated SCADA functionality.

The network was developed in partnership with local panel builder PMK Group.

“Building operators need solutions that make energy management easier and that help reduce total operating costs — ABB’s complete solutions simplify the whole process for everybody: panel builders and system integrators save time and money while making the end-user’s operations simpler to manage, safer, more reliable and energy efficient,” said Giampiero Frisio, managing director of ABB’s Protection and Connection business.

“By pioneering the introduction of more integrated, intuitive and connected low-voltage solutions, ABB is taking power and productivity to the next level.”

With each node in the electrical distribution network connected, everything from energy consumption to trend analysis and testing can be controlled remotely. The air circuit breakers’ touchscreen user interface supports 10 different languages, including Thai, making the network simpler to manage.

ABB said it is partnering with panel builders and system integrators worldwide to support the introduction of smarter low-voltage power grids that make site management more effective and cost-efficient.

These systems can be deployed at a single site or multiple sites and supervised at a central location. By collecting detailed data from each device at a site, operators can compare different time windows, or similar time windows at different plants.

The company said by monitoring the status of assets for issues such as contact wear, life expectancy, alarms or circuit breaker position, with notifications sent to mobile devices, this can ensure more timely interventions.

Image captions: (Top) The EmQuartier now boasts a smart low-voltage network. (Bottom) Emax 2 air circuit breaker. Photos: ABB.