ABB Partners with Conestoga College on Grid Modernization Lab

December 18, 2015

The state-of-the-art smart grid laboratory will provide students at Conestoga College’s Cambridge, ON campus with hands-on learning and training opportunities as they develop a clear understanding of the challenges associated with building the future of power infrastructure in Canada.

This collaboration is designed to develop the existing knowledge base in Canada and increase the capacity to respond to technology and economic challenges. Canada’s power distribution infrastructure is aging, and in need of significant upgrades as power generation moves towards a more geographically distributed model more reliant on various renewable energy sources.

Widely varying plant capacities, along with the varying nature of consumption, will have great impact on power quality, such as variations in voltage and current wave shapes, and the supply frequency. This complex generation scenario requires an upgraded power grid known as “grid modernization” or “smart grids.” Grid modernization requires advanced, coordinated protection and control equipment that will bring uninterrupted power to customers.

The new lab is the result of ABB’s collaboration with Conestoga and community partners from across the supply chain. It will bring together ABB equipment and expertise, as well as contributions by partners such as Archex Display Ltd., Communica Design, Vitesse Transport, Proax Technologies, Global Kustom Control & Automation, Advanced Business Interiors, Staples and others.