We are officially in a digital age, there is no escaping that, but have you ever wondered how digitalisation will affect different sectors? Well Engineering Specifier editor Anna Flockett spoke to Adrian Timbus, Technology and Solutions Manager in Smart Grid and Renewables at ABB to find out more about what digitalisation holds for the energy sector, and to learn more about virtual power plants.

ABB will showcase its configurable building control sensor at this year’s Light + Building trade fair in Frankfurt from 18th-23rd March. The new ABB-tacteo KNX sensor is an individually configurable control element for intelligent building control of luxury hotels, public buildings and high class residential buildings.

We’ve seen robots pick fruit, walk your dog and even protect you from the rain, but now they’re really taking centre stage. YuMi, ABB’s collaborative dual-arm robot, made its conducting debut in Italy on 12th September. Not one to shy away from the spotlight, YuMi directed none other than world famous tenor, Andrea Bocelli (pictured left). At a charity concert for the gala of the First International Festival of Robotic...

People dream about making machines 15% smaller and 10% faster all the time, and now ABB have the answer. The IRB 1200 allows you to make that exact change. Specifically, it addresses the needs of the Material Handling and Machine Tending industries for flexibility, ease-of-use, compactness and short cycle times while still maintaining large working envelopes. 

Denmark-based sustainable energy group, DONG Energy, is set to take delivery of a two megawatt (MW) Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) from ABB to support the integration and transmission of power from the Burbo Bank offshore wind farm near Liverpool.

An advanced microgrid will be provided by ABB to WEB Aruba N.V., the main power utility serving the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba. ABB’s software, automation and control technologies will help WEB Aruba integrate solar and wind energy, forecast and plan better and optimise operations in real-time, while meeting Aruba’s growing demand for electricity. The island is 32km long and 10km across its widest point. It has a land area o...

Supporting more than 100 control room operators and 6,000 field crews to keep the lights on, ABB’s Network Manager SCADA and distribution management system at Eskom is based on a large scale. Being the seventh largest utility in the world, Eskom generates around 95% of the electricity used in South Africa and imports and exports power to countries in the SADC (Southern Africa Development Community) region.

After seeing a gap in the market, former ABB colleagues Eitan Frankental and Magnus Lindström, started GridZupport with ABB veteran Carl-Johan Linér. The company develops digital solutions that coordinate information for power stations. This gives the customer a better overall picture, safer operation and increased productivity – all which contribute to a sustainable environment.

ABB has energised a major substation that will help evacuate power from the Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (MBR) Solar Park, a key element of the vision to generate 7% of Dubai’s power from clean energy sources by 2020; 25% by 2030, and 75% by 2050. The 400/132 kV gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) substation has been built for Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA), the UAE’s leading power utility, to connect t...

A DALi compliant lighting system, the first in the UK to be capable of automatically detecting DALI lighting ballasts during lighting installation and commissioning has been launched by ABB Elkay. The product, which is called easyDALi, is a response to demand from electrical installers for a simplified and dimmable DALI lighting system, which can help installers and end users comply with Part L of the Building Regulations.

This week’s Light + Building 2016 show in Frankfurt will see PointGrab demonstrate its CogniPoint edge analytic sensors for the first time. PointGrab’s CogniPoint, an embedded analytics sensor for the home and building automation markets, is based on deep learning technology and provides users with real time actionable insights and data to maintain space efficiency.

Combining patented thermal disconnection technology with a new integrated safety back-up system, ABB’s next generation QuickSafe surge protection device (SPD) ensures electrical equipment - including mission critical installations for data centres, hospitals, and banks - is continuously protected from damage, otherwise caused by surges in the power supply.

Targeted specifically for UK SMEs, ABB Robotics will host a combined seminar and workshop event at its Milton Keynes offices on Wednesday 5th November. The seminar and workshop will provide attendees with the know-how to assess the potential of robotic automation, a simple step-by-step guide to introducing robot automation to the factory floor and shows how a switch to robots can help transform profitability.

  Expanding the company's portfolio of small robots, ABB has introduced the IRB 1200. This compact robot is designed for materials handling and machine tending applications which require flexibility, ease of use, compactness and short cycle times while maintaining large working envelopes.

Cost of ownership and lack of experience in robot implementation is preventing  many companies from investing in robotic automation, a recent survey has found. The survey of UK manufacturers, carried out on behalf of ABB Robotics, received responses from 221 companies of all sizes, including SMEs.

ABB said today that following its strategic review of the Power Systems division it is repositioning the business to secure higher and more consistent profitability. The review, which was communicated following ABB's Q3 results, was triggered by performance that has been volatile and below management expectations, despite significant investments made during the past three years.

Novel energy harvesting technology from ABB is enabling Robinson Brothers to make remote temperature measurements without the need for a power supply to the transmitter. Combined with WirelessHART communications technology, this eliminates the need for any cabling to the instrument.

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, and Fincantieri, the Italian merchant and naval shipbuilder, have signed an agreement to collaborate on the construction, marketing and supply of high-voltage shore connection (HVSC) systems to provide electricity to vessels in port. Harbor facilities around the world are taking a close look at shore-to-ship connections as a way of reducing emissions from ships in port and improve air quali...

ABB reported third-quarter net income of $1 billion, including a $380-million net gain for various previously-announced provision adjustments, and earnings before interest and taxes of $1.4 billion.

ABB has won an order worth $120 million from Kraftwerke Linth-Limmern AG (KLL) related to the construction of a new hydropower plant and energy-storage facility in eastern Switzerland. The order was booked in the third quarter.