Project aims to find a sustainable substitute for the pollutant SF6 in the UK 

Why we write about this topic:

This initiative aims to find a more sustainable solution to retrofill the SF6 gas use in the UK, considering that this gas has a great impact on global warming compared to CO2. 

The University of Manchester, in partnership with the National Grid, is developing a full-scale demonstrator to find an alternative for the high-pollutant SF6 gas in the United Kingdom. As revealed in a press release, this project aims to avoid impacts on the environment besides reducing the costs of equipment replacement.

The SF6 is a gas commonly utilized to provide electrical insulation and arc interruption in the power industry. Despite its daily use, the SF6 has a global warming potential of 25.200 times more elevated than CO₂, which influenced this cooperation to reach an environmental-friendly solution. 

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The retrofill of the SF6 gas consists of establishing a backup option that does not severely affect the environment. The retrofill demonstrator will take place at the National Grid’s test facility Deeside Centre for Innovation. 

This partnership is not the first one between the National Grid and The University of Manchester. Both institutions have already teamed up to explore alternatives for the SF6 and now continue to work together to decrease SF6 emissions by 50 percent by 2030. This most current project is anticipated to give insights into the retrofillment of larger quantities of SF6 across the transmission network, setting the ground for actual long-term implementation.