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National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) has signed an agreement with Reactive Technologies to use its pioneering GridMetrix inertia measurement service on a commercial basis.
The tool will help the ESO achieve its stated goal of making the power grid ready for zero-carbon operation by 2025.
Inertia refers to the resistance of the power grid to changes in frequency. It is provided by synchronous forms of generation that store energy in large rotating masses spinning in harmony with the frequency of the network, for example, steam or gas turbines.
Wind and solar generation is typically asynchronous and so cannot provide system inertia. The growth of renewable generation and the accompanying decline in conventional generation means the electricity system is gradually becoming more volatile over time.
Reactive Technologies’ measurement tool will help the ESO to overcome this challenge by allowing it to identify areas where inertia management actions are needed.
The service emerged from a joint innovation project with the ESO, in which Reactive Technologies transmitted data through the power grid by altering a load on the system and then monitoring the effect on frequency. The team realised this technique, which had already been deployed in the telecoms sector, could also be used to measure inertia.
This idea was taken forward in a subsequent innovation project known as Project SIM that eventually resulted in the development of the GridMetrix tool.
The ESO has now agreed to procure the service on a commercial basis under a six-year agreement. The first year covers the construction and delivery of the required hardware and software, including the installation of the one of the world’s largest ultracapacitors, which will be used to rapidly inject power into the grid.
Marc Borrett, chief executive and co-founder of Reactive Technologies, said: “Our previous collaboration with National Grid ESO successfully demonstrated the technological advantage of our GridMetrix platform and we are now excited to deliver it as a full commercial service.
“This agreement will lead to the commercial deployment of an accurate inertia measurement on a nationwide scale, supporting National Grid ESO’s and the UK’s overall decarbonisation ambitions.”
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