SSEN Transmission awarded £7.1 million funding from Ofgem to advance two pioneering innovation projects
Two SSEN Transmission electricity projects which focus on innovation in the transmission sector have been awarded funding to progress into the first ‘Beta’ phase of Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF).
The Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) is an Ofgem programme managed in partnership with UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) and is designed to drive the innovation needed to transform gas and electricity networks for a low-carbon future. SSEN Transmission’s projects which receive the award are funded by network users and consumers under the SIF programme.
The two projects – Network DC Circuit Breakers and Incentive – will now progress into the third and final phase of development, known as ‘Beta’.
The fund is structured into three distinct phases: Discovery, Alpha, and Beta. While the initial two phases are dedicated to mitigating technical uncertainties and establishing proof-of-concept projects, the third and final phase aims to propel the development of full-scale demonstrator projects to advance the solutions further up the technology readiness level (TRL) and pave the way for implementation.
Brant Wilson, SSEN Transmission Innovation Portfolio Manager, said:
“We’re thrilled to have been successful in securing funding for the first SIF Beta phase. This funding will advance two ambitious projects focused on our infrastructure and connecting renewable energy generation.
“Not only will these projects help support the energy system transition to net zero, but they will also provide us with valuable insights into how we can tackle some of the most significant challenges facing the UK’s transmission networks.
“These projects are amongst the first across the gas and electricity networks to reach the Beta phase and their focus on preparing our network for net zero is a significant step forward in helping us to meet our net zero targets. Our pioneering projects hold the potential to provide significant future cost savings and environmental benefits for our customers and stakeholders.”
Scotland’s transmission network has a critical role to play in supporting the delivery of the UK’s net zero targets. By 2050, the north of Scotland will require around 50GW of renewable energy capacity to support net zero delivery. Currently, around 8GW of renewable generation is connected in the north of Scotland, and innovation projects such as these are vital to ensuring the network is modernised for this transition.
Learn about SSEN Transmission’s latest projects:
Network-DC Circuit Breakers
Usually, electricity is transmitted as an alternating current. However, we now need to connect large amounts of wind power from remote locations over long distances. To do this, we need to make use of high-power direct current (DC), rather than alternating current (AC). Using Direct Current is a new development for the transmission network to meet the UK’s net-zero energy targets. Our Network DC project was awarded £6 million to enable the use of DC Circuit Breakers (DCCBs) in onshore HVDC hubs.
DCCBs could help combine HVDC links that join two points in the network and an export cable from a wind farm in one hub, without needing to build additional stations to change the electricity current from DC to AC and back. This will reduce the amount of infrastructure required to deliver net-zero, reducing environmental impact and delivering a more flexible and cost-effective network.
This project will help to de-risk the implementation of DCCBs by further developing industry knowledge and understanding of the opportunities, challenges and timelines to deliver DCCBs from a technical, regulatory and commercial perspective. The completion of this Beta phase project will provide a pathway to making DCCBs a viable option for implementation in HVDC network development projects in the UK.
SSEN Transmission is carrying out this project alongside the University of Edinburgh, Carbon Trust, National Grid ESO, SuperGrid Institute, National HVDC Centre and Mott MacDonald. This project will run from September 2023 – December 2026.
Watch more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8btMzN89o4
Incentive
With the increasing capacity of offshore wind, innovative solutions are required to facilitate the rapid roll-out of this intermittent generation to support grid balancing and address stability challenges. Without this, the GB grid will become weaker which will lead to issues in system operation including increasing the likelihood of blackouts and maintaining reliance on fossil fuel generators.
This project was awarded £1.1 million to investigate new solutions to address this by demonstrating the use of innovative voltage, current and frequency control technologies coupled with energy storage at the point of onshore connection of offshore wind farms.
SSEN Transmission’s Incentive project is being carried out alongside the University of Strathclyde, Carbon Trust, and National Grid ESO. This project will run from September 2023 to September 2024.
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6PEPGrGxzY
All learnings from the SIF programme will be shared to support innovative projects with the potential to accelerate the transition to net zero. Find out more about the SIF mechanism on Ofgem’s website and learn about SSEN Transmission’s current innovation portfolio here.