Electrical energy has become an indispensable part of modern society. Having a reliable, continuous supply of energy is becoming more and more important every day. From the point of view of energy companies and industry, this means that the distribution network has to meet ever more stringent demands. It goes without saying that safety and operational reliability play a major role. As a result of the liberalisation of the energy market and the effect that this is having on the market, electricity is becoming an increasingly commercial product, with all that that entails. So when a distribution network is set up,  far more attention is paid to the total costs over the life span of the network than before.

Sustainability and environmental friendliness are becoming more and more important in the choice of switch materials. Eaton Holec has developed its Xiria Ring Main Unit design based on vacuum technology, solid insulation and electrical field control. With this new design it is combining compactness with safety and functionality without the use of SF6, a potent greenhouse gas. Xiria is fully suitable for application in smart grids and also available with fully integrated current and voltage metering functions.

Furthermore Eaton Holec is very successful with its Magnefix design, the world’s most compact Ring Main Unit. This range is available for single pole and three pole switching. It recently extended the range with a new circuit breaker design under the name MagnefixPLUS, based on vacuum interrupters and an electro magnetic linear actuator as well as integrated metering. With this design Magnefix is suitable or the next generation of automated transformer substations.