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Reactive Technologies has signed a contract with the Spanish company Ingeteam to design and build what it claims will be world’s largest grid-scale supercapacitor at the Wilton International industrial park in Teesside.
The 5MW device will send pulses of energy through the power grid, which will then be used to gauge system inertia by measuring the effect on frequency.
Inertia refers to the resistance of the electricity system to sudden changes in frequency. As synchronous fossil fuel power stations, containing large turbines spinning in harmony with the frequency of the power grid, are replaced with asynchronous renewable generation, the inertia of the electricity system is declining.
Reactive Technologies said its GridMetrix service represents a “step change in accuracy and granularity” when compared to the estimation models currently in use by National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO). The technology, which the company described as the equivalent of “sonar”, is an offshoot from efforts to send communications through the transmission network.
In providing the ESO with an accurate real-time view of inertia, Reactive Technologies said the service will be “crucial” to the ESO’s efforts to make the power grid ready for zero-carbon operation by 2025, allowing more renewables to be safely absorbed onto the system, whilst reducing the cost of balancing and curtailment actions.
The ESO first trialled the service back in 2017 and in August last year signed a contract with Reactive Technologies to provide it on a commercial basis.
Rob Rome, head of national control at the ESO, said: “The electricity grid in Great Britain is changing rapidly, with increasing levels of renewable, decentralized power.
“This pioneering measurement tool is part of a range of new world-first approaches to grid management and will boost our visibility of inertia across the system, helping to bring more renewable generation online. It’s exciting to see another significant step forward towards being able to operate a zero-carbon electricity grid by 2025.”
Marc Borrett, chief executive for Reactive Technologies, said: “We are delighted to have passed another milestone in the delivery of this world-class project which will make a significant contribution in supporting NGESO’s and the UK’s overall decarbonisation ambitions.
“The adoption of our GridMetrix service by innovative system operators such as National Grid is a validation of the hard work of our team and highlights how grid operators globally are realising the value in using real-time measurements to make operational procurement and strategic planning decisions as the energy transition gathers pace”.
The supercapacitor is expected to delivered to the site in spring 2021 to enable the service to commence over the following summer.
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