The dynamics of balancing electricity supply and demand on the grid have been deeply affected by the coronavirus pandemic, but it’s certainly not the only reason why the UK’s electricity system operator is introducing a new service called Dynamic Containment. What is it and why is the UK already replacing its firm frequency response (FFR) and other ancillary services?
The Energy Superhub Oxford in England is a sophisticated project to create a decarbonised urban environment using a mix of advanced technologies. Jorn Reniers, Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Oxford’s Department of Engineering Science gives us insights into his role, which is to make a digital twin of the Superhub, including its 50MW hybrid battery storage system.
The largest battery storage project to be owned by a local government authority in the UK, the 30MW Fideoak project, required a novel software solution to ensure that the best return and maximum impact could be made with public money invested, as Thomas Jennings of Kiwi Power explains.
Within the US, different jurisdictions are at different points of DER adoption and interconnection: Ravi Subramaniam at IEEE asks commissioners from across the country about the different drivers and dynamics they see.
Algorithms for the control and optimisation of assets including batteries can be an energy trader’s best friend – nearly all of the time. Aaron Lally, managing partner at UK-based clean tech trading house, VEST Energy, explains why it’s good to know when to switch from automation to human-controlled trading.
A newly released standard creates nationally applicable guidance for DER manufacturers on how grid support functions in their products will be tested. Brian Lydic, chief regulatory engineer at the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), talks about what this means for enabling the grid modernisation that will be needed to support high levels of renewable energy and energy storage.
While we do acknowledge the challenges faced as a result of COVID-19, we cannot afford to lose sight of the opportunity renewable energy and energy storage solutions, such as the Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRFB) present, argues Paul Vollant, Director of Sales and Trading at vanadium supplier Largo Resources.
Taking the UK’s transmission system and the circumstances which led to a dramatic blackout as a direct example, Javier Cavada and Gary Preece of liquid air energy storage (LAES) systems company Highview Power look at how such events could be avoided, cost-effectively and with lesser environmental consequences.
Despite the fundamental drivers remaining unchanged, Covid-19 will certainly leave its mark on the post-pandemic energy storage world. Florian Mayr at cleantech advisory and consultancy group Apricum examines how the energy storage industry can best adapt to the “next normal”.
