Following a year in which power at the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park (
According to Taipower, a solution to the park's woes caused by power outages lies in upgrading the transmission and distribution system and working with 584 companies in the park to make their equipment less susceptible to variations in voltage.
Currently, one of the major reasons for power outages in the park's newest Phase 3 development area is the radial-style distribution network, according to Chen Yung-tien, (陳永田) director of Taipower's system planning department.
"A radial network supplies power to all users via only one route, so if a problem occurs anywhere along the line other users will invariably be affected," Chen said.
This was the case in the blackout on Christmas evening last year when an isolation switch failed to open after manufacturing equipment short-circuited, tripping power at the Lungsong substation and power to 10 other semiconductor companies.
"To offset the snowballing effect of tripped power at individual wafer fabs, Taipower is currently installing an underground loop network which can provide a more stable supply of electricity," Chen said.
In a loop system power can be provided from both ends of the circuit. Along the circuit there are multiple breakers on the branches that feed individual companies.
"If a problem occurs at one factory, an isolator switch cuts power along only one of the branches," Chen said.
"Reduced levels of power, however, can still flow to the plant via the other circuits and will continue to flow to other plants via the looped network of cables ... A looped system is highly reliable," he said.
Hsu Chia-li, (
But Hsu scolded the state-run utility for buying locally made transformers -- the quality of which he said was not suitable for use in substations at the park.
"The transformer quality at Longsong substation is not very good," Hsu said. "We have advised Taipower to consider buying imported transformers instead of locally-made transformers," he said.
Chen admitted that the tran-sformers at Lungsong substation (龍松), which is the main power feeder to the park's Phase 3 area, were problematic. "Transformers at Lungsong have caught fire in the past, and Taipower is seeking compensation from the company that made them," said Chen.
Declining to name the transformer companies, Chen defended Taipower's choice to buy domestically, saying competition in the market had forced down prices, and subsequently quality all around the world.
"Regardless of where they are made, transformers break down every minute of every day all around the world," Chen said.
Aiming to reduce the chances of disrupted supply from the Lungsong substation, Taipower is currently building a 161 kilovolt, dual-loop network (
Development of the Phase 3 area began in 1992. It covers 225 hectares alongside the other two areas and houses semiconductor giants like United Microelectrionics Corp (UMC,
Another boon to stability will be the burying of the 161 kilovolt cable that links the Phase 3 area's Lungsong substation and power stations in Hsinchu by the end of this year.
The burying of the cable will make it less susceptible to damage from the natural elements and human interference from things such as balloons and kites, Chen said.
The distribution systems in the other two areas of the park are already operating along underground loop networks, and will receive a boost to stability from the installation by year end of two additional 60 kilovolt transformers at the Lungming (
But according to Chen the issue of providing a stable power supply doesn't solely rest on the shoulders of Taipower.
Chen says that as long as Hsinchu's power network is hooked up to the national grid, whose thousands of kilometers of lines and substations are subject to natural hazards, dips and surges in electricity are unavoidable.
"The manufacturing equipment used by semiconductor companies is extremely susceptible to voltage dips," Chen said.
To counter the damage caused by sensitive equipment, Chen said high-tech companies need to adopt a more comprehensive approach to installing dynamic uninterrupted power supply (DUPS) devices that can "smooth" out power dips effectively protecting production equipment.
Chen said that although most wafer fabs in the park have UPS systems installed, the systems don't comprehensively cover all the sensitive manufacturing equipment, and there is a dearth of monitoring devices to report information on trouble areas during blackouts.
Chen also said high-tech companies should work with those companies that supply them with their manufacturing equipment to lessen the sensitivity of the machinery to voltage dips.
"The older manufacturing equipment doesn't have very good rise-through capabilities [ability to handle power dips or surges]. The manufacturers of this equipment need to improve this factor," Chen said.
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