Adjunct Professor Henrik Hillborg (Hitachi ABB Power Grids)
Projects and Interests
Polymer dielectrics for the sustainable and smart power transmission grid
The challenges within the materials used for the future power transmission grid are to ensure the manufacturing of reliable, safe, compact and efficient components for substations or HVDC converter stations while implementing the circular economy concepts, such as the use/reuse of sustainable materials with a minimized carbon dioxide footprint. Innovation is required to achieve this in combination with desirable functional properties: operating at higher electric fields, higher temperatures and more frequent switching operations. However, this is also an excellent opportunity for the development and application of such materials, for example, using natural resources as cellulose/paper and biobased insulating liquids, as well as novel materials such as Graphene. Smart, sensing materials may well be an integrated part of the future insulation systems, as a part of a fully digitalized and intelligent power system.