ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has commissioned its first DynaPeaQ® energy storage installation for UK Power Networks at a site north of Hemsby in Norfolk, England.
DynaPeaQ® was recently launched by ABB and is part of its family of FACTS (flexible alternating current transmission systems). It is an innovative combination of SVC Light® (static var compensator) technology with a highly scalable lithium-ion battery storage capability.
As part of the solution, renewable wind-generated energy from a local village will be fed into the power network. Some of this energy will be kept in reserve to support power supplies in the event of a fault, or to regulate the power flow to compensate for the intermittence of wind power. The ABB system includes eight stacks of 13 lithium-ion battery modules housed in a 25 sq. meter building. The modules will be continually charged and discharged, and can store up to 200 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electrical energy.
“DynaPeaQ® is an innovative technology that advances the integration of renewable power generation, especially in weak electrical networks," said Martin Gross, head of ABB’s Grid Systems business, part of the company’s Power Systems division. “It can play a useful role in the development of more flexible, reliable and smarter grids.”
Energy storage is becoming increasingly important as electricity networks evolve into smarter systems to stabilize the integration of power generated from intermittent renewable sources, such as wind and solar.
SVC Light®provides fast-acting reactive power compensation in high-voltage electricity networks, levelling out voltage and current fluctuations so that more active power can flow through the network. The technology also maintains safety margins and improves network stability.
DynaPeaQ® technology enables dynamic control of power in the transmission system, improving grid voltage and stability, and levelling out power fluctuations in the case of renewable energies. The rated power and storage capacity is typically about 20 megawatt (MW) for approximately 15-45 minutes, but DynaPeaQ® technology can be scaled up to 50 MW of power for 60 minutes and more.
“The installation's effectiveness will be carefully monitored in collaboration with the University of Durham, and this solution could potentially be replicated across many coastal parts of the UK where wind farms connect to the electricity network,” said Peter Lang from UK Power Networks’ Future Networks team.
UK Power Networks is a leading utility that provides power to a quarter of the UK’s population through its electricity distribution networks, delivering a safe, secure and sustainable power supply to eight million homes and businesses across London, the South East and East of England.