If you’ve ever tuned in to a TV talent show, you’ll be familiar with the plate spinning act. Plates balanced on poles must be kept spinning at an optimum speed and constantly adjusted so that they don’t wobble and tumble.
There is an analogy here with Great Britain’s electricity grid, albeit with a dash more technology involved! We need to monitor the stability of the grid to keep system frequency within strict limits. It’s a constant balancing act between supply and demand.
Real-time data – Bernie Dolan, Business Change Manager.
Project SIM takes our ability to monitor the grid to the next level. Until now, system inertia – which is a measure of how stable the grid is at any moment – could only be estimated at specific points in time. These estimates gave us a snapshot but not the full picture.
Now, for the first time, a new GridMetrix system pioneered by Reactive Technologies, can provide data 24/7, based on actual, continuous inertia measurements. This is important on two levels. Firstly, it will give us clearer insight into how inertia changes on the GB system and we’ll be able to respond more quickly.
Secondly, we currently spend £50 million a year on managing the effects of inertia. From a consumer point of view, better data means we will potentially be able to develop more cost-effective ways of managing the system.
Behind the Story
Project SIM has its roots in an earlier innovation project called SAMUEL. We also worked together with Reactive Technologies on this piece of work. Both projects are funded via Ofgem’s Network Innovation Allowance (NIA). The allowance is a way of encouraging advances in state-of-the-art technology that benefit customers.
The SAMUEL project focused on demonstrating a new way of broadcasting signals across the network. It uses existing infrastructure and deploys Reactive Technologies’ Grid Data Measurement System (GDMS). Instead of using the Internet, GDMS harnessed system frequency as a communication channel to send instructions to electrical equipment.
During the project, Reactive Technologies built a series of five load banks around the country. These are devices that allow us to generate a small deviation of system frequency in a controllable way.
Sensors detect these tiny changes in frequency. Encoded messages can be sent to control demand side response services. It’s a new and hi-tech way of helping us to balance the system and keep it stable. For Project SIM (SAMUEL Inertia Measurement), the same assets were used but applied in a different way – this time to analyse inertia around the clock.
Why inertia matters
Britain’s energy system is undergoing a transformation, with more renewable sources of energy such as solar connecting to the network. Historically, our power was supplied by large power stations that provided higher levels of inertia because they use large rotating masses in the form of turbines.
Inertia is important to the grid because it acts as a buffer to fluctuations in frequency, helping to smooth their effect.
In contrast renewable sources, such as wind farms, do not detect changes in frequency and so do not provide inertia. Solar panels don’t have any moving parts, so when the sun stops shining, they stop generating power straight away. This acts to reduce inertia on the system.
As the amount of intermittent energy such as wind and solar on the network increases, the importance of managing inertia grows too. A sudden drop in frequency causes stability problems. For example, embedded generation, connected directly to the distribution network, can disconnect from the system as a precautionary measure.
Benefits and looking ahead
Project SIM is important because it will help us understand and deal with inertia better. The benefits of Reactive Technologies’ GridMetrix tool and its unique ability to accurately measure grid inertia are wide-reaching.
Our control rooms will be able to make better-informed decisions thanks to access to real-time data. We will also look to build models based on this information so that we can predict inertia issues before they affect the stability of the grid. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce the overall cost of managing the system, which in turn benefits consumers.
Project SIM is just one of the innovation-led projects we’ve undertaken in 2016/17. In total, we’re investing the £6.7 million innovation allowance in a variety of studies. They range from better solar forecasting through to a reduction in our use of greenhouse gases. You can read more about the NIA projects here.
There’s also more work ahead to realise the full benefits of Project SIM. The technology has proven its ability to monitor inertia changes in real time. The next step is how to channel that data into making actual load adjustments to help balance the system. It’s not the whole solution, but it will help us keep those plates spinning successfully!
New technologies and models of power generation and distribution promise great benefits for consumers and society. As GB’s electricity system operator (ESO), National Grid is keen to hear from customers and bill-payers about the best way to make sure that we deliver on our commitments.
Audrey Ramsay, Future Operability and Incentives Manager, Commercial, Electricity.
Ofgem is the regulator for the ESO and sets us incentives that mimic the forces of a competitive market. This helps to make us more efficient and innovative, resulting in better standards of service for customers and ultimately bill payers.
We’re due a new regulatory and incentives framework from April 2018 that will run to 2021.
Last July, Ofgem set out its thoughts on this new framework and asked for feedback. We held three ‘rapid development’ workshops with subject matter experts (SMEs) from around National Grid to frame our proposals to Ofgem for its consultation.
We’ve published these proposals as 12 outline work packages, with associated incentives. Our purpose in doing this is to show how we could meet the requirements of our enhanced System Operator role by carrying out extra incentivised activities alongside our core functions as ESO.
We’re keen to hear what our customers and bill-payers think of them. What they tell us will inform our submission to Ofgem during its statutory consultation period this autumn. Ofgem will then publish its proposed changes to the ESO licence by the end of 2017.
As Ofgem set out in its working paper, the 2018-21 period could be a time to try new, innovative approaches to regulation that could potentially form part of a more enduring regime after 2021.
A team of four people recently received the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize) from Princess Anne – the third time the prize has been awarded since 2013. Between them, the team has embarked on a remarkable voyage of discovery, innovation and engineering. This journey has led to almost every one of us having a high quality camera in our pocket, in the form of a mobile phone.
Did you know the first digital image was taken way back in 1973? The ‘camera’ was about the size of a projector. The team of four that created it had invented the first working digital image sensor.
Huge steps forward
Over subsequent years they worked on improving and reducing the size of the image sensors. It is a technology that has revolutionised modern digital photography, transformed medical treatments, enhanced personal communication and expanded our knowledge of the universe.
So, who were the lucky winners of the £1 million QEPrize? The team was made up of Eric Fossum, George Smith, Nobukazu Teranishi and Michael Tompsett; representing a truly global effort, covering the UK, USA and Japan. Diversity of thought and experience was a vital part of developing this technology.
Proud of engineering
David Wright, Director, Electricity Transmission Owner (ETO) and Chief Electricity Engineer, who attended the QEPrize awards on behalf of National Grid, said: “Awards for achievements like this make me really proud to be an engineer. Engineering done well is about changing people’s lives and making the solutions they may not even know they need possible.
“In London we are currently commissioning 32km of power tunnels up to 60 metres below the surface and big enough to drive a van through. This new infrastructure will support the electricity needs of the capital and help support economic growth in the region. This is a £1 billion project, which is coming in on time and on budget.
“In the US, we recently completed the $110 million sea2shore project, connecting the nation’s first offshore wind farm to the grid. This new interconnector is a great example of the future energy solutions we’re putting in place; delivering clean, renewable energy to our customers in Rhode Island.”
National Grid is one of the 12 founding members of the QEPrize, which is the ‘Nobel Prize’ for engineering. Awarded once every two years it celebrates ground-breaking innovation in engineering. The prize rewards an individual or team whose work has had a major impact on humanity.
This week is #iwill week, seven days of events up and down the country that celebrate the benefits of youth social action – and encourage more youngsters to get involved.
“I felt that the Scouts had given me so much over the years that it was time for me to give something back to my local community” – Sam Smith, Network Operations Technician, National Grid.
It also marks the third anniversary of the #iwill campaign, a UK-wide movement that aims to make involvement in social action, such as fund-raising, volunteering and campaigning, a normal part of life for 10-20 year olds by 2020.
National Grid is a founding partner of Step Up To Serve, the charity that co-ordinates the campaign. And the business recognises the enormous benefits that youth social action brings, such as strengthening communities and developing the character and skill of the young people who take part.
Reaching their potential
Graham Frankland, National Grid’s Corporate Responsibility and Citizenship manager, said: “We support #iwill because we want to see young people reach their full potential and they can do this by gaining vital life skills through volunteering, fundraising and campaigning.
“The skills they learn are highly valued in the world of work. And through their social action, the communities where they live also benefit.
“We encourage all our employees to support young people and help them get involved in social action. Many of our employees are involved with organisations such as the Scouts and Guides, which have a great heritage of getting young people involved in their communities and learning new skills.”
Sharing is caring – Sam Smith, Network Operations Technician, National Grid.
Network Operations Technician Sam Smith is one of the employees with first-hand experience of the benefits of youth social action. He volunteered as a Scout leader so he could share the skills he’d learned during 13 years as a Scout – such as map reading, hiking, first aid and cooking – with a new generation of youngsters.
“I felt that the Scouts had given me so much over the years that it was time for me to give something back to my local community,” said Sam.
“I started to help out at my local troop as a young leader and after two years I became an adult leader. I wanted to share everything that I’d been taught over the years, from the basics of first aid right through to organising a camp with young Scouts.”
On the right path
As well as sharing his skills, Sam gained valuable new ones, including team working and networking, planning and organisation, fundraising and management. All of which provided a fantastic foundation for his future career path.
He said: “I gained so much from volunteering with the Scouts. Skills that will stay with me for life. I’ve learnt how to be patient and understanding with young people, how to be a role model to them, and how to act professionally.”
The Scout Association aims to support young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, so they can play constructive roles in society
National Grid Gas Transmission (NGGT) has launched its call for ideas for the 2018 Network Innovation Competition (NIC)
Here in NGGT, we’re looking for potential partners to help us find our next flagship low carbon innovation project. We’re asking innovators across the industry to share their ideas with us on how we can operate and maintain the gas transmission network faster, cheaper, greener and more flexibly than ever before.
After internal review, we’ll choose the best idea or ideas to take forward for the 2018 Network Innovation Competition (NIC) process. The competition is operated by the regulator, Ofgem, and it makes up to £20m of funding available to inspire large-scale and industry innovations across the gas industry.
Successful projects are awarded the funding they need to research, develop and demonstrate the smartest new ideas and technologies of tomorrow.
The efficiency challenge
There’s always room to improve – and our customers expect us to do so. How can we deliver the same work, but much cheaper, faster or more flexibly – without ever compromising safety? Can we find and prove new methods to isolate, modify, repair, divert or decommission our assets better than before?
Challenges:
Cheaper, faster valve remediation, for example, solutions that require no excavation, less excavation, keyhole robotics and automation
Cheaper, faster decommissioning
Cheaper, faster diversions
Cheaper, faster network change and modifications
Flexible isolations, for example no-dig, less dig, inline, mobile, faster or cheaper, and inline isolations
Future of the National Transmission System (NTS)
While it’s difficult to predict the future for gas, we do expect it will require a more flexible and responsive network. What do we need to investigate and develop now in order to operate a more widely distributed gas system? How can we welcome non-traditional gas sources and be ready to meet future gas transmission network demands? And how can we get the gas and electricity infrastructure working more closely?
Challenges:
Operating a more distributed gas system
Designing for a future gas transmission network
Opening up opportunities for emerging or non-traditional gas sources, and developing new methods of interaction between the gas and electricity networks
