UK Power Networks has unveiled plans for what it claims is the world’s most advanced electricity network control system.
The power company is investing £15 million in an active network management (ANM) system, including a new intelligent software platform from Smarter Grid Solutions that will be integrated into the heart of its control system.
The new automated control system will enable over 500MW of distributed energy resources (DER), mostly renewable energy like wind and solar, to connect to the network cheaper and faster.
The ANM system will also process vast amounts of data to be able to run the South East of England’s increasingly dynamic network, which is now host to more than 165,000 electricity producers.
By having the most complete view possible of everything that is happening on the network at any given moment, the system will autonomously make complex decisions to optimise the flow of available power.
UK Power Networks’head of smart grid development, Sotiris Georgiopoulos said it is creating a “platform for the network of the future”and “we’re taking it further and faster than anyone in the world has done before”.
“Having ANM integrated into our entire network control system is going to open the door to an almost limitless range of smart grid applications,”said Georgiopoulos.
“It’s going to function a bit like your smart phone and apps. Once we have the core platform ready, we’ll be able to add a vast number of smart applications to it without having to build and maintain individual platforms for individual projects. The fact it acts as a platform, as opposed to a solution to a specific problem, means it will be able to take advantage of emerging technologies around big data, machine learning and artificial intelligence.”
Bob Currie, chief technology officer at Smarter Grid Solutions added: “This is a watershed moment for the management of distribution networks and distributed energy resources. We are delighted to work with UK Power Networks to deliver flexibility services markets and innovative control schemes across their license areas to enable clean and distributed energy resources to connect to the grid and realise their full value.”