Shanghai, May 12, 2010 – When the world turned its attention to the opening ceremony of Shanghai World Expo on April 30, people from ABB, the global leading power and automation technology group, were watching the event with as much pride as any Shanghai people, because of the fact that ABB was able to contribute to this successful green event in 53 power/transportation and pavilion construction projects with smart technologies and energy efficiency.
On the eve of official opening of World Expo 2010, the center stage of the Expo Culture Center hosted a 90-minute ceremony featuring performers from all over the world. To seamlessly blend the individual performances, the stage controls relied on ABB drives to coordinate the highly choreographed production.
A control center sent pre-programmed signals to the ABB drives, which are connected to the motors that actually moved the stage. The ABB drives had to receive and recognize the commands and correctly implement them; one mistake could have ruined the entire show. Thanks to their high intelligence and reliability, the ABB drives adroitly completed each and every command, ensuring the smooth execution of the showcase performance without a hitch.
The fountain dance, with the rhythm of Blue Danube and the Chinese Butterfly Lovers’ Violin Concerto perfectly matched to the beautiful screen show, required the same behind the scenes technical precision. ABB drives received orders from the central control system and promptly directed the motors, assuring the exact amount of water at the precise time in the proper direction.
The opening ceremony used the Huangpu River as the location for the fountain dancing, fireworks, and large LED screen show. The river was illuminated by lights from Nanpu Bridge and the river bank. ABB provided all 22 transformers installed under Nanpu Bridge in order to fully safeguard the power supply to the lights.
ABB’s role is not limited to the opening ceremony. As a global leader in energy efficiency and power reliability, ABB has provided its full support to ensure the success of Shanghai World Expo. For example, water from Huangpu River is being used for the cooling system in the Expo Energy Center. ABB drives, famous for their top class energy efficiency, are controlling all the motors in the center. Similar application can save an average of 30% energy.
As part of a “Green” World Expo, 120 electric buses are responsible for shuttling visitors throughout the park. A total of 5 transformers, all from ABB, power the bus charging station located beside the China Pavilion.
ABB’s i-bus® systems have been chosen for lighting many of the public areas in the Expo Park and the Joint Pavilion for Private Enterprises. i-bus®, an intelligent electricity control system, meets the highest requirements for applications in modern building control. With the system, the buildings are easier to manage and control, resulting in increased flexibility, security, economic efficiency and convenience.
Claudio Facchin, Chairman and president of ABB China said, “Like the successful Olympics in Beijing, the Shanghai World Expo also provides an opportunity for us to contribute to a green event, and to a low carbon environment through smart technologies and energy efficiency.”
In addition to the above projects, a wide range of other ABB products, systems and solutions have been deployed at Shanghai Expo due to their competitive advantages. An ABB GIS has been installed in the Jing’an 500 kV transformer substation, the world’s and China’s largest 500kV underground transformer substation. Located in the city center, the substation not only saves space but protects the city’s landscape in the best way.
ABB’s highly reliable products also played an important role in Shanghai’s subway construction. GIS, transformers, and drives are helping ensure reliable performance in a number of stations and lines servicing the Shanghai Expo area.
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 117,000 people. ABB has a full range of business activities in China, including research and development, manufacturing, sales and services, with 15,300 employees, 30 joint ventures and wholly owned companies, and an extensive sales and service network across 60 cities.