The invention of the world’s most powerful “lightning-proof” transformer is shaking the global clean energy industry

Who is the creator of this “giant machine”?

China has successfully manufactured the world’s most powerful smart transformer, boasting a massive capacity of 750 MVA (megavolt-amperes). The transformer will transmit 36 billion kWh of clean electricity each year along China’s longest high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line, IE reported on December 28.

China unveils the world’s most powerful smart DC transformer, capable of significantly reducing the risk of power outages for renewable energy. Photo: SCMP

A key highlight is its “smart” technology: the transformer uses optical sensors to monitor internal temperature in real time and optimally manage magnetic fields to reduce energy losses.

Notably, the transformer has passed rigorous tests, including lightning strikes and rapid AC–DC switching. Test results confirmed that the system remains stable even beyond its designed operational limits.

This record-breaking transformer helps address an urgent need following a near-total power outage in August 2024, when low-frequency oscillations caused by the inefficient integration of wind power systems in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region threatened to destabilize the national power grid.

Changzhou Xidian Transformer, a subsidiary of China XD Group based in Jiangsu Province in eastern China, stated that its transformer has “set a world record for the highest capacity of a single converter transformer in the field of flexible DC power transmission.”

Designed to handle power grids with abundant wind and solar energy, the transformer could reshape how power systems worldwide manage renewable energy.

This intelligent device converts alternating current (AC) from power plants and local grids into direct current (DC), which flows steadily in one direction. This makes long-distance power transmission more efficient and allows operators to adjust current rapidly, helping manage frequency fluctuations such as those experienced in 2024.

According to reports from Chinese media, this innovation “can effectively address the instability of power generation from renewable energy sources with a high penetration rate at the generation stage.”