UKPN battery scheme gets go-ahead amid power quality warnings

Europe’s largest generation-scale battery power storage trial was unveiled in the UK in the same week that grid operators warned that growth in intermittent renewable generation was impairing UK power quality.

In its latest ten-year outlook report a pan-European Union grid operators’ group said: “Massive development of [renewables] is the main driver behind larger, more volatile power flows, across Europe.”

Power storage is seen as a promising technology in addressing the challenges raised by intermittency on the grid. Energy regulator Ofgem has backed a 10MWh power battery storage project launched in Bedfordshire last week by distribution operator UK Power Networks. The £18 million project has funding from Ofgem’s Low Carbon Network Fund.

According to the European Network Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) the duration and number of frequency problems has increased steeply in European countries where wind power and other intermittent renewables have proliferated. Reuters this week reported a warning from ENTSO-E that Britain could face “a severe risk for the system to collapse” were a major generation outage to coincide with low wind speeds.

National Grid has backed efforts to develop storage technology as a means to stabilize power supplies. “Energy storage technology could play a significant role in the operation of the transmission networks by improving the utilisation of renewable generation.”

As the proportion of intermittent power generation like wind turbines and solar increases the grid operator’s role in keeping the frequency stable become more complicated. That requires flexible plant that can swiftly be made available.

The last frequency event in theUKwas in 2008 following a 1.7GW unscheduled outage, according to the National Grid.