▲Schneider Electric held a media conference on the 12th with the theme of ‘Innovative SF6-Free Switchgear for a Sustainable Future.’

SF6-Free Eco-Friendly Switchgear… Efforts for Sustainable Management
Pure air insulation, compact size, reprocessing and cost savings

▲Schneider GM AirSeT Demo

Next, Manager Shin Hyeong-ho explained about Schneider's high-voltage switchgear development company and the new SM·RM·GM AirSeT product line.

Schneider GM AirSeT is a digital switchgear that uses air instead of SF6 (sulfur hexafluoride) gas by applying air-insulated shunt vacuum interruption (SVI) technology.

The new manager introduced the advantages of Schneider AirSeT solution as follows: △Reducing SF6 (sulfur hexafluoride) reprocessing costs by injecting only pure air; △Reducing equipment maintenance and replacement costs; △Connectivity of digital equipment that complies with communication and cybersecurity standards; △Optimization of IoT-integrated network access and simple operation and maintenance and remote control; △Gas-friendly design without regulatory precautions; △Compact size and easy and fast installation.

The new manager said that AirSeT's compact size makes it ideal for data centers.He said that it is attracting attention in factories, especially secondary battery factories, which are greatly affected by size, such as hospitals, buildings, etc.

GM AirSeT has reportedly delivered more than 1,300 units, mainly to China and Germany, in 2022, and SM AirSeT is being used by E.ON, GreenAlp, and EEC Engie.

“We believe that the Schneider AirSeT product family will bring many benefits to the environment and society as a whole,” said the new manager. “The best insulator is air, and this will make the world an eco-friendly place.”

Meanwhile, Schneider plans to replace AirSeT products by 2025 as a market-leading strategy, and announced that Korea will first introduce SM AirSeT, which is suitable for Korea, in the Korean power grid.

He added that they are reaching out to consultants and end users to promote the product, targeting both new and existing customers during the old sales and panel replacement periods.

Manager Shin Hyeon-ho said, “Although research on alternative air has continued, customer mindsets toward eco-friendly switchboards in the future will be important in determining the product marketability,” and “I believe that there will be purchases of products related to this as the global trend is to limit carbon-using products such as SF6.”