Enabling the Transition to a Greener Energy Mix Through Inertia Measurement
(Room Lehar 3)
19 Jun 18
2:00 PM
-
3:30 PM
Tracks:
Track 3: Big Data, Big Opportunity.
With the increasing integration of non-synchronous renewable generation and the drop in synchronous conventional power generation, power grid inertia is declining making energy systems more volatile. Inertia is currently estimated by grid operators by monitoring which generators are running at any time and combining that data with their understanding of the system's dynamic performance. However, as the proportion of green generation increases, the need for accurate, real-time inertia data will also increase as grid operators will be required to take actions to quickly counteract a destabilization event which would propagate faster on a low inertia grid than on a high inertia grid. If inertia estimates continue to be used, a decline in system inertia would lead to growing costs of procuring energy reserve services and investing in grid reinforcement and could ultimately lead to trips or outages. For this reason, Reactive Technologies and National Grid UK collaborated on a high-profile innovation project (Project SIM) that sought to demonstrate that Reactive's measurement and visualisation tool GridMetrix was able to accurately measure system inertia. The project was funded by the UK regulator and built on another grid innovation project in which Reactive and National Grid UK used the former’s innovative telecoms technology Grid Data Measurement System (GDMS) to successfully transmit data through the entire National Grid network. Project SIM resulted in a world first – it conclusively proved that GridMetrix is able to continuously measure inertia across the entire GB network, which has major implications for grid operators globally. For grid operators, learnings gained from Project SIM will be vital to better enabling them to manage the transition to a greener energy mix. By providing their control room operators with continuous inertia measurements, grid operators ensure the most efficient and cost-effective actions are taken to re-balance the system.