On October 21, GE Vernova announced it would acquire a 50% stake in transformer manufacturer Prolec GE, which it does not already own, for $5.28 billion. The company stated that this decision is primarily driven by the significant increase in demand for grid equipment, fueled by the artificial intelligence boom.   The shares targeted in this acquisition are currently held by joint venture partner Xignux. The transaction will be financed through an equal mix of cash and debt. Subject to regulatory approval, the deal is expected to close by mid-2026. Prolec GE was initially established in 1995 as a joint venture between Xignux and General Electric.   As a leading global manufacturer of dielectric liquid-immersed transformers, Prolec GE’s core business includes the design, manufacturing, and sales of transformers and high- and low-voltage components. The company produces products with multiple power ratings and voltage levels and offers complementary solutions such as load tap changer (LTC) training and oil filtration systems. With a 20% market share, it ranks second in the U.S. power transformer market, trailing only Hitachi.   As a major global grid equipment supplier, Prolec GE operates seven production facilities worldwide, five of which are located in the United States, and employs approximately 10,000 people globally. Notably, earlier this year, the company announced a $140 million capacity investment plan, which is expected to create 330 new jobs in Goldsboro, North Carolina, over the next three years. This initiative is part of a broader capacity expansion plan totaling over $300 million in the United States and Mexico. Following the acquisition news, GE Vernova’s stock price saw a slight increase in after-hours trading.   The company also plans to release its third-quarter financial results on October 22. Currently, as major tech companies and Silicon Valley startups race to expand AI services like ChatGPT, electricity demand in the U.S. is experiencing explosive growth. The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts that, driven by continued growth in cryptocurrency mining and electricity demand from households and businesses, U.S. power consumption will reach record highs between 2025 and 2026.   Commenting on the acquisition, GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik stated, “This acquisition aligns with our strategic and financial objectives while creating value for customers by strengthening our market presence in North America, where demand for grid equipment is rapidly expanding.” This move further solidifies the company’s position as a leading player serving the growing global grid market. With the rapid rise in demand for grid technologies in North America, the transaction will accelerate the growth of GE Vernova’s fastest-growing "electrification segment" by expanding its operational footprint and service support in the region.

Before selecting a PLC, we must first determine the system solution. Once that is established, we then choose the manufacturer and model. But do you know how to make these selections?   I. Determining the PLC Manufacturer When selecting a PLC manufacturer, the primary considerations should be the end-user's requirements, the designer's familiarity with and design preferences for different manufacturers' PLCs, compatibility with supporting products, and technical service capabilities. Regarding the reliability of the PLC itself, in principle, products from major international companies should not present reliability issues. Generally, for controlling standalone equipment or relatively simple control systems, Japanese PLC products offer a certain cost-performance advantage. For larger-scale systems requiring high network communication capabilities, open distributed control systems, or remote I/O systems, PLCs manufactured in Europe (Siemens) and America demonstrate superior network communication functionality.   II. Input/Output (I/O) Point Count The number of input/output points constitutes one of the fundamental parameters of a PLC. Determining the I/O count should be based on the total sum of all I/O points required for the controlled equipment. Under normal circumstances, the PLC's I/O points should incorporate an appropriate margin. Typically, the estimated I/O count is calculated by adding a 10% to 20% expansion margin to the statistically determined input/output point count. When placing an actual order, adjustments to the I/O point count should also be made according to the specific characteristics of the manufacturer's PLC product.   III. Memory Capacity Memory capacity refers to the size of the hardware storage units provided by the programmable logic controller itself. Program capacity denotes the size of storage units utilised by the user application within the memory; consequently, program capacity is smaller than memory capacity. During the design phase, as the user application programme has not yet been developed, the programme capacity remains unknown and can only be determined after programme debugging. To enable a preliminary estimation of programme capacity during design and selection, the memory capacity is typically used as a substitute. Estimating PLC memory capacity lacks a fixed formula. Numerous literature sources propose different approaches, generally suggesting multiplying the digital I/O point count by 10 to 15, adding 100 times the analogue I/O point count, and using this sum as the total number of words (16 bits per word). An additional 25% margin is then factored in.   Naturally, the above three steps constitute only the foundational selection process. We must further understand how to select control functions, which will be revealed in the next article. We encourage you to follow, like, and save this content for easy retrieval and future reference. Thank you.

On August 29, 2025, ABB India announced that it had secured an order worth INR 1.7355 billion from Siemens Renewable Energy to supply wind turbine converters and electrical cabinets.     A regulatory filing revealed that the monthly deliveries for this order are scheduled to commence in January 2026 and continue through December 2026. The company stated: "ABB India Limited accepted an order on August 28, 2025, at 7:00 PM Indian Standard Time from Siemens Renewable Energy Private Limited for the supply of wind turbine converters and electrical cabinets." The total value of the order is INR 1.7355 billion.     In its filing with the stock exchange, the company described the order as a "supply order," requiring the production and delivery of 3.X wind turbine converters and electrical cabinets based on a build-to-print model. The work will be carried out at ABB India’s facility in Nelamangala.     Following the announcement, ABB’s stock price rose more than 1% in early trading but ultimately closed largely flat. Market caution was largely attributed to the company’s recent pressured financial performance. Earlier this month, ABB India reported its second-quarter results for the 2025 calendar year. The company posted a net profit of INR 3.517 billion, down 20.5% year-on-year from INR 4.435 billion in the same period last year. Its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) for the April–June quarter also saw a significant decline, falling 27% year-on-year to INR 4.41 billion. The EBITDA margin dropped to 13% from 19.2% in the same quarter last year.     However, the company’s revenue for the second quarter of the 2025 calendar year increased by 12.2% to INR 31.754 billion, compared to INR 28.31 billion in the same period of the previous fiscal year. Commenting on the performance, a Director of ABB India said: "Despite the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations and one-time events on profitability this quarter, we achieved a double-digit net profit margin for the 11th consecutive quarter."     From an industry perspective, this order not only demonstrates ABB’s capabilities in electrification and automation but also represents a strategic move in the wind power sector. For ABB, this could serve as key leverage to alleviate profit pressures and stabilize market confidence. For Siemens’ wind energy business, this in-depth collaboration with ABB signifies stronger supply chain support in the global wind energy market competition.   In short, the substantial order value and clear delivery timeline have sent a positive signal to the market. However, whether ABB can truly emerge from the shadow of declining profits will depend on its execution capabilities in the coming quarters and the overall industry conditions.

On 21 August 2025, Schneider Electric, a leader in energy management automation, announced the acquisition of US residential energy software company WattBuy. WattBuy specialises in delivering highly personalised energy insights and electrification solutions for household consumers. Its Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, Naman Trivedi, along with the existing management team, will continue to oversee the company's operations following the acquisition. This move significantly enhances Schneider Electric's capacity to drive the energy transition for American households, particularly addressing its previous limitations in end-user insights and personalised services.   WattBuy's core technological strength lies in its proprietary data modelling capabilities. Unlike generic energy recommendation tools, the platform precisely evaluates the economic viability and suitability of diverse energy solutions for consumers. This assessment is based on multiple dimensions including the user's exact residential address (matching local electricity pricing policies and sunlight conditions) and historical electricity consumption behaviour (such as monthly usage and peak/off-peak consumption patterns). It covers scenarios including electricity tariff plan optimisation, rooftop solar panel installation, and energy storage system configuration, delivering truly personalised decision support.   Within the commercial ecosystem, WattBuy has adopted an ‘API-first’ strategy to embed itself within numerous major US platforms, including property giant Redfin, resale home transaction service provider Opendoor, and Veterans United Home Loans. This has enabled cumulative reach to over 100 million users. Schneider can leverage this established partnership network to rapidly and extensively access the US household market, bypassing the need to build user bases from scratch.   Jaser Faruq, Senior Vice President of Schneider Electric's Prosumer Business, emphasised that WattBuy's personalisation capabilities highly complement the transparent comparison marketplace of EnergySage and the installation service network of Qmerit. The integrated portfolio will provide consumers with end-to-end electrification services—from information discovery and solution comparison to installation implementation—significantly lowering the barrier for households to transition to clean energy. This acquisition not only demonstrates Schneider's strategic intent to strengthen its position in distributed energy and consumer-side digital services, but also reflects its firm commitment to accelerating deployment at the grid edge through ‘mergers and acquisitions integration’ to reduce carbon emissions.

Application scenarios of EBM D2D160-BE02-14 AC Centrifugal FAN WITH HOUSING (WITHOUT FLANGE)   EBMPAPST D2D160-BE02-14 is specifically designed for cooling industrial frequency converters and is mainly used for: Inverter cooling system: compatible with ABB ACS800 and other series inverters, used for forced air cooling to ensure stable operation of high-power electronic components. Industrial automation equipment: such as PLC control cabinets, servo drives, and other enclosed electrical cabinets that require high air flow for heat dissipation. Energy and power equipment: such as frequency converters for generator sets.   Precautions for using EBM-PAPST D2D160-BE02-14 ACAC Centrifugal FAN Electrical and installation requirements Voltage matching: The rated voltage is 230V (some models are compatible with 400V), and strict matching with the power supply is required. Overvoltage may cause burnout. The output current of the power supply should be ≥ twice the rated current of the motor (approximately ≥ 4.4A) to avoid triggering undervoltage protection due to voltage drop.   Installation Specification for EBM PAPST D2D160BE0214: Avoid artificially bending or stretching power cords or fan blades to prevent structural damage. Ensure that the air duct is unobstructed and keep the inlet/outlet unobstructed to maintain an air flow efficiency of 1290m ³/h.   Environment and Maintenance Environmental restrictions: Working temperature range: 0~55 ℃, humidity ≤ 85%. Do not use in environments with metal dust or sand dust, as impurities can cause bearing jamming or reduced airflow.   Maintenance points: Regularly clean the dust accumulation on the fan blades (during shutdown operation) to avoid noise caused by imbalanced dynamic balance. Check the condition of the sealing ring to ensure that there is no oil contamination that affects the heat dissipation efficiency.   safe operation Prohibited live plugging and unplugging: When connecting/disconnecting the power supply, the power must be cut off to prevent arc damage to the interface. Forward and reverse switching: Brake for ≥ 0.1 seconds before reversing, otherwise it is easy to damage the motor drive.

In the critical Surge Arrester protector monitoring system, real-time and accurate capture of internal temperature changes is the core link in preventing catastrophic thermal collapse failure. This is precisely the core logic of the Siemens 6ES7331-7PF01-0AB0 analog input module that we strongly recommend. This module is designed specifically for harsh industrial environments and plays an indispensable role as a high reliability temperature monitoring terminal in the lightning arrester overheating risk perception system. Its core value is reflected in the following key dimensions:   Accurate risk perception: Industrial grade RTD measurement capability: Aging or continuous overvoltage of the internal valve plate of the lightning arrester can cause resistance degradation and abnormal temperature rise. The core advantage of the 6ES7331-7PF01-0AB0 module lies in its excellent industrial grade RTD (Platinum Resistance Temperature Detector) measurement capability. It can accurately capture the millivolt level small signal changes output by RTD sensors connected to lightning arrester hotspots and convert them into digital quantities with high precision. This keen ability to capture subtle temperature anomalies is a key technical guarantee for identifying warning signs of lightning arrester overheating, achieving predictive maintenance, and avoiding sudden failures (such as thermal collapse) during operation. Resist extreme environments: Electrical isolation and anti-interference design: When lightning arresters perform their duties (discharge lightning current or operate overvoltage), the surrounding environment will be instantly filled with extremely strong electromagnetic fields and ground potential rise. The 6ES7331-7PF01-0AB0 module is equipped with powerful electrical isolation function and optimized anti-interference design (such as high-level EMC protection and filtering circuit). This design enables it to effectively resist strong electromagnetic interference (EMI) and transient overvoltage caused by lightning strikes or switch operations, ensuring that temperature monitoring signals remain clear, stable, and undistorted under extreme disturbance conditions, guaranteeing the continuity and reliability of monitoring data.   Seamless integration into the security chain: Trusted data sources and security integration: Modern power systems often require high safety integrity levels (such as SIL) for security protection. The 6ES7331-7PF01-0AB0 module, as a key component of the signal acquisition layer, ensures high precision and anti-interference characteristics to provide highly reliable, low-noise, and low drift temperature data sources for higher-level safety control systems (such as Siemens S7-400FH or S7-1500F/FH series controllers that comply with SIL3 standards). These reliable data are the basis for the safety controller to make logical judgments (such as over temperature alarms and trips), and are an indispensable and reliable input...

The 1769-IF8 module can adapt to the HMI monitoring system of GEHO pumps, with its signal conversion capability, open protocol support, and integration with PLC/HMI platforms being its core. The following are the key reasons:   Core function: Analog signal acquisition and conversion The key operating parameters of GEHO pumps (especially in the fields of petrochemicals, mining, etc.), such as pressure, flow rate, temperature, and vibration, are usually measured by on-site sensors (transmitters) and output standard 4-20mA current signals.   1769-IF8 is an 8-channel analog input module for the Rockwell Automation (Allen Bradley) CompactLogix/CompactGuardLogix PLC system, specifically designed to receive and accurately convert these 4-20mA signals.   Function: It serves as a bridge between the physical world (pump sensor signals) and the digital control system (PLC/HMI), digitizing the real-time operating signals of the pump.   Protocol compatibility and system integration 1769-IF8, as Rockwell's CompactLogix I/O module, seamlessly integrates into the ControlLogix/CompactLogix PLC platform through a backplane or communication adapter (such as 1769-ECR, 1769-SDN).   The PLC program reads the digital data converted by the module, performs logical processing, alarm judgment, historical recording, etc. HMI (Human Machine Interface) Connection: HMI software (such as Rockwell's FactoryTalk View or other OPC supported HMIs) accesses PLC databases through EtherNet/IP (Rockwell's standard industrial Ethernet protocol) or OPC UA/DA servers (Tags). The PLC database contains data representing the operating status of GEHO pumps read from the 1769-IF8 module.   Therefore, HMI is not directly connected to 1769-IF8, but indirectly, efficiently, and standardizedly obtains data from GEHO pumps through PLC.

In refineries, the Allen-Bradley 1769-OF8C module is used as a key component in the CompactLogix control system for high-precision process control and actuation drives for the following applications:   1. Control valves and flow regulation Driving control valves (e.g. feed valves, pressure relief valves), accurately controlling valve openings by outputting 4-20mA current signals, regulating oil flow, pressure and temperature. For example, to control the flow of heating medium in the fractional distillation column to ensure that the temperature is stabilised at the process set value.   2. Variable frequency drive (VFD) control VFDs connecting pumps and fans dynamically adjust motor speeds through analogue signals to achieve energy optimisation (e.g. reduce energy consumption of crude oil transfer pumps).   3. Safety interlock and protection Integrated in the PID control loop, it responds in real time to sensor data (e.g. level, temperature). If overpressure or overheating is detected, the actuator is immediately adjusted to prevent safety accidents. The module's over-current/short-circuit protection function (output impedance >1Ω) guarantees the reliability of the equipment in the harsh electrical environment of the refinery. 4. System Integration Advantages Compatible with CompactLogix local/expansion I/O racks, supports multi-channel synchronous outputs (8-channel independent configuration), to meet the needs of multi-point control of complex units (such as catalytic cracking unit). Fast response (step response <2.9ms) ensures real-time performance and avoids production fluctuations.