In adhering to its ethos of developing technologies and solutions that contribute to a more efficient and sustainable world, electric engineering, power and automation developer WEG has onboarded new products to its South African portfolio to cater to new safety and efficiency standards, as well as innovative power system applications.

WEG Africa director Pervin Gurie tells Engineering News the company has recently invested in new machinery and equipment, including laser cutting and bending machines, at its automation manufacturing facility in Robertsham, Johannesburg.

This has helped the facility to onboard more products from WEG, in Brazil, for local manufacturing.

Gurie confirms that WEG’s local transformer division is also undergoing upgrades and expansions, particularly to produce transformers with up to 80 MVA capacity, compared with the current 45 MVA capacity transformers being manufactured.

Some of WEG Africa’s recently onboarded products include medium-voltage switchgear and soft starters, but a big focus for the company is to onboard and locally manufacture more products related to hybrid power systems. 

WEG Africa solar and battery business specialist Oscar Harbs says WEG is committed to environmental, social and governance principles, including in its hybrid solutions, which not only enhance efficiency for users but also contribute to a sustainable business model.

WEG’s one-stop-shop approach to hybrid solutions offers all controls and equipment needed, including gensets, variable speed drives, motors, solar panels and inverters, controls and chargers. WEG also offers containerised hybrid power systems and substations for remote power requirements.

These whole-system efficiencies are particularly prudent given that motor systems account for up to 40% of all electricity consumed globally.

While WEG has long migrated to the IE3 types of motors before it became standard for the local industry in 2024, it has prototyped a 99% efficient IE9 motor that will be further developed as demand for increasingly efficient motors grows.

Moreover, with the world’s electricity networks undergoing fundamental change as renewable energies are increasingly onboarded onto grids, there is a growing need for networks to be supported by decentralised solutions that ensure grid stability and resilience.

To this end, WEG Africa medium-voltage motors sales supervisor Amanda Maher explains that WEG is developing synchronous condenser technology that helps to regulate voltage and control frequency, as well as detect and clear faults.

She adds that as the use of new energy sources increases, the stabilising effect of rotating mass fades and inverter-based systems can generate power but not stabilise the grid.

Maher says synchronous condensers can play a vital role in strengthening weak networks. The condenser comprises a rotating electrical machine that, once connected and synchronised to the grid, can provide reactive power, inertia and short circuit power. 

These condensers contribute high short circuit power where needed, supporting relay operation, and putting inertia back onto the network to lower the rate of change of frequency during transient events.

The synchronous condensers also provide excellent low-voltage ride through and are capable of high short- and long-duration overloads. The reactive power, in turn, provides low harmonic voltage support.

Maher confirms that synchronous condensers can be used on solar and offshore wind farms, on transmission and distribution grids, as well as at steel plants, transport hubs and mines, for grid stability.

The condensers cater for all network quality issues, including voltage sags, voltage fluctuations, transients and over voltage. WEG has installed various synchronous condensers globally, including in Brazil, Portugal and the US.