AMNYTT amnytt.no 7/2020 | Page 138

General overview of the Remptendorf transformer station – the 110 kV level on the left , the extra-high voltage areas on the right

Our location is Remptendorf in one of the most beautiful corners of Thuringia , deep in the south of the state . We are visiting a transformer station which , in terms of its dimensions , is more like a sports stadium . “ This is where electricity lines of all three voltage levels , that is to say 110 kilovolts ( kV ), 220 kV , and 380 kV , come together . And not just energetically , but also topographically arranged ,” says Mahsum Kar , describing the plant and pointing to the various terraces in which the transformer station is located .

The 31-year-old electrical engineering graduate gives us another tip . “ You can also see the differences on the masts . One insulator is used for 110 kV , two for the 220 kV grid , and three on the 380 kV line .” Kar is a native Thuringian who has previously worked as a project manager for remote control technology in the field of renewable energies and medium-voltage grids .
He is therefore not just at home here in Remptendorf , but also in the Phoenix Contact
Energy Automation team . He is here because the experts from our Gera subsidiary are active on site here to install a new generation of station control technology . Thomas Ehrhardt , team and project manager , explains .“ Remptendorf is a plant steeped in history , and was already one of the hubs of the all-German power supply system back in the days of the “ Reichssammelschiene ” grid , which spread across the nation at the end of the 1930s .
Over the decades , the plant has been repeatedly adapted to the requirements , because even if the electricity has not changed , new demands on the technology for transport and security of supply have continually been introduced and expanded .” For example , it was not until 1991 that a 380 kV line was connected in Remptendorf , thereby putting another “ electricity highway ” into operation .
In an increasingly electrified world , the transport of electricity from the energy supplier is becoming increasingly more important . There are four voltage levels . Low voltage is that which is
34
UPDATE 6 / 20 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine