USA, Michigan, Romulus: IONATE will deploy its hybrid intelligent transformer (HIT) technology at General Motors’ Romulus manufacturing plant in Michigan, marking the company’s entry into the US market.
The technology will be installed at GM’s 83,600 m2 (900,000 ft²) Romulus facility, which is scaling production of 10-speed transmissions following a recent $300 M investment.
IONATE said the HIT system is designed to provide real-time visibility and control of power quality and consumption at sub-millisecond resolution. The system can detect, analyse and respond to power disturbances before they affect plant operations or the surrounding grid.
The deployment positions GM among the first industrial users in the US to apply this type of smart transformer technology within manufacturing infrastructure.
Delivered in the form of a transformer, HIT is installed at the connection point between the grid and on-site energy use. According to IONATE, the technology can integrate into existing substations and facilities, reducing the need for major infrastructure changes or extended downtime.
The system operates at more than 99 % efficiency and is coordinated through IONATE’s Aurora software platform, allowing each transformer to function as a real-time control node.
IONATE said average deployments could help grids accommodate 33% more distributed energy resources, carry 25 % more power without upgrading poles and wires, and reduce wasted power by 6%.
Engineering teams from IONATE and GM are preparing US-standard 3 MVA IEEE units for build and testing ahead of the rollout, with potential for further deployments across GM’s manufacturing system.
Source: Business Wire
