Facing up to our energy challenge

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has published its latest Energy Review consultation document entitled ‘Our Energy Challenge – securing clean, affordable energy for the long-term’. An important element of the review is to evaluate how far electricity and gas grids might contribute to, or act as a constraint on, the UK meeting its broader energy goals.

This review identified that delivery networks had not been given sufficient consideration in the previous Energy Review in 2003, and has highlighted a number of important elements for deeper consultation, including:

• investing in the necessary replacement of the ageing network infrastructure
• upgrading and extending capacity for new gas import facilities and accommodating a wave of new and varied generating capacity
• How transmission and distribution grids may enable new technology to be adopted to provide flexible, reliable and economically efficient optimization of network design and operation.

Drawing on our close connections with major utility customers, leading research institutions and government, ABB is well placed to respond to the review with a broad outline of how innovative technologies and processes could meet the challenges ahead. ABB has developed a substantial portfolio of key enabling technologies that are available now to help the gas and power industries to respond to these challenges. For example, the performance and reliability of transmission grids can be enhanced by proven technologies to increase capacity, with significantly lower environmental impact compared with conventional methods of upgrading the grid. Such technologies include:

• HVDC transmission: high-voltage direct current power systems allow electricity to flow across regions, delivering it from the point of generation to the point of need without adding to the burden of existing AC (alternating current) grids, or increasing congestion.
• HVDC Light: this unique ABB technology offers a number of technical features for broader applications than conventional HVDC, including enhanced voltage control and black start capability. It can help utilities restart their systems more quickly following a total black-out. It is cost-effective at lower power ratings than traditional HVDC systems, while the capability to use underground or underwater transmission cables adds further flexibility and environmental benefits.
• FACTS devices: Flexible AC Transmission devices, such as Static VAR Compensators and Series Capacitors, enable more power to flow through existing power lines while improving voltage stability. They make the system more resilient to ‘system swings’ and disturbances.
• Gas-insulated substations (GIS): gas-insulated substations can enhance the capacity and reliability of an urban network in around one fifth of the space required for a conventional air insulated (AIS) substation. They can be placed indoors or even underground.
• Life extension: modern materials and design analysis, together with preventive maintenance programmes, allow ABB to upgrade the capacity of existing equipment economically, improving its reliability and increasing its useful life.

POWER GENERATION

In addition to supplying inverter technology for around 60 per cent of the world’s wind power units, ABB is leading the way in grid connection technology for renewable and distributed generation schemes to provide the essential stability and reliability to meet grid code conditions. For conventional power generation, ABB offers a broad portfolio of instrumentation, protection and advanced control and monitoring platforms such as the highly acclaimed 800xA Distributed Control System that is providing increased levels of integration of information to deliver improved efficiency.

SMARTGRIDS

Both transmission and distribution networks will need to adapt to the new challenges future generation and demand profiles. ABB has developed technologies that can provide detailed insights into grid performance, increase grid capacity and mitigate or prevent widespread power outages.

In order to gain greater visibility of transmission networks, WAMS (wide area monitoring and control) provides an ‘overview technology’ and, coupled with SCADA systems, can oversee the complete grid operation. ABB is also building intelligence into local installations, such as major substations and remote transformers. These devices can monitor themselves, while global systems take care of the whole.

ABB is providing an important contribution to support various distribution network research, design and development projects under the regulator’s Innovation Funding Initiative (IFI) and Registered Power Zone (RPZ) activities. ABB is keen to work with collaborative partners to find innovative resolutions to some of the major challenges ahead.

ABB is also contributing to the European technology platform SmartGrids - Electricity Networks of the Future, which presents a vision for the development of secure and sustainable electricity networks for Europe. The aim is to make the best possible use of both large centralised generators and smaller distributed power sources to provide consumers with a highly reliable cost-effective power supply. ABB is also involved in a similar initiative in the US - the Electric Power Research Institute’s ‘IntelliGrid’ consortium.