Customer-Led Network Revolution (CLNR) has deployed six energy storage devices across live electricity networks in North East England and Yorkshire.
The lithium-ion batteries, manufactured by A123 Systems, have capacities of 5MWh, 200kWh and 100kWh. The energy storage systems are integrated with other network technologies such as voltage control, real time thermal rating and customer solutions of demand response.
The CLNR aims to improve network efficiency defer the need for network reinforcement and help distribution network operators (DNO) to achieve low emission targets.
Electricity will be stored during low times of demand and released during peak times. “Power stations still need a specific period of time to actually start up. What you can do with electrical energy storage and especially batteries, is that you can discharge them very quickly,” said Ian Lloyd, network technology manager Northern Power Grid. According to Lloyd, storage devices enable to limit the amount of current being passed through the transformer by supporting it firmly.
The CLNR chose rural and urban network locations for the smart grid project. “Collectively these offer a representative sample equivalent to 80% of the UK’s whole electricity distribution network and means the real-world trial results and knowledge could be adopted and applied by other UK distribution network operators (DNOs),” added Lloyd.
The CLNR is part-funded by Ofgem’s Low Carbon Networks Fund.
The project group has produced a video that documents the 24-month process.
