Transmission & Distribution Technology
Smart technologies at heart of transmission and distribution developments
Demand-side initiatives in New Zealand, Turkey’s link to the European grid and improvements to network reliability in the US all rely on the latest smart technologies. Sean Ottewell reports.
Las iniciativas provenientes de la demanda en Nueva Zelanda, el enlace de Turquía con la red europea y las mejoras en la fiabilidad de la red en Estados Unidos, confían en las más recientes tecnologías inteligentes. Informa Sean Ottewell.
Verbrauchsorientierte Initiativen in Neuseeland, Einbindung der Türkei in das europäische Netz und Verbesserungen der Netzzuverlässigkeit in den USA basieren auf die neuesten intelligenten Technologien. Bericht von Sean Ottewell.
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Fig. 1. Investments in smart grid technology are already helping to lower the number and duration of outages. Customers are seeing fewer disruptions.
ew Zealand company Transpower has begun discussions with interested parties on a multi- million dollar demand-side initiative in the Upper North
Island to help defer investment in new assets. Te project, to which approximately NZ$10m (€5.6m) initial funding has been allocated, is part of the $110 million (€62) upper North Island Reactive Support programme of work approved by the country’s Electricity Commission in August to bring greater reliability in the region. At a recent meeting, Transpower set out its expectations for the initiative. “Tis is a smart investment. We are looking for interruptible load we can reduce temporarily under severe conditions: particularly during very hot summer days in the region,” said Transpower chief executive Patrick Strange. “Businesses will be paid to participate, and agree that their non-essential electricity usage can be reduced automatically under certain conditions.” Initially Transpower would be looking to target and secure industrial and large commercial load that can be switched off for a few hours at a time without affecting normal business operations. Examples include refrigeration plants and some industrial processes. Ultimately, says the company, there may be scope for a more mass consumer product, but this needs much more investigation which it intends undertake over the next couple of years.
Te benefits to the grid are significant, and
allow Transpower to defer investment in new assets. Te initiative will also provide valuable headroom to meet demand during construction of existing infrastructure upgrades. Te project will provide funding for some of the intelligence the grid will progressively need to meet New Zealanders’ electricity requirements in the future, leading to an environment where consumers will have greater control over domestic consumption. “We had a limited trial of similar technology recently in the South Island, and it was very
successful,” said Strange. “Te upper North Island project is a more
advanced initiative; businesses which choose to participate can have their supply adjusted remotely, under agreed conditions. Te key investment that we’re seeking to encourage through our funding is in the technology needed to undertake that remote control. It is not unlike remote hot water ripple control – but much smarter and involving much more load.” In addition to the demand-side project, the $110m (€62m) upper North Island Reactive Support programme will include the installation of two static var compensators (STATCOMs), one each in Auckland and Northland. STATCOMs are electronics-based equipment that absorb (when transmission voltage is too high), or provide reactive support on a
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