| Transmission & distribution
Smart Wires: using power electronics to unlock grid capacity
National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) in the UK is expanding its use of Smart Wires’ modular power flow control technology. Called SmartValve™, it is an evolution of FACTS (flexible alternating current transmission systems) technology, enabling system operators to control power flows in the network by adjusting transmission line reactance in real time. The new project builds on NGET’s experience with the world’s first large scale installation of the technology, completed earlier this year
National Grid Electricity Transmission, owner of the high voltage transmission system in England and Wales, is deploying SmartValves to get more out of its existing network, avoiding the need to build new infrastructure.
More renewables connecting to the network, the phasing out of fossil fuel generation and electrification of transport are changing the way power flows across the UK, as elsewhere. This means that circuits become unequally loaded, causing overloads of some circuits that limit the capacity of the entire network.
By using SmartValves, an advanced, modular FACTS technology, developed by US-based company Smart Wires, NGET plans to remove bottlenecks and unlock unused capacity on the existing network.
NGET has already installed 48 SmartValves across five circuits at three of its substations in the north of England, creating 1.5 GW of extra capacity.
With the increasing volume of renewable generation seeking to connect to the network, NGET sees a pressing need for even more capacity in the area in 2022. By scaling up the initial SmartValve deployments near Harker and Penwortham, NGET can increase capacity on the existing circuits, and ultimately “transfer more renewable power to its customers in a timely and cost- effective way.”
The modular nature of the technology means that new SmartValves can be added to existing projects, and installed SmartValves can be moved between sites depending on the capability required on each circuit at any point in time. The technology caters for scaling up or down of the project size, meaning that expansion of a SmartValve installation is possible within an existing site footprint. This enables faster installation and minimises additional site works.
Smart Wires’ project partner for these NGET projects is Omexom (part of Vinci). The projects leverage “the true flexibility, redeployability and scalability of our technology”, said Michael Walsh, chief commercial officer at Smart Wires.
Above: SmartValves at Penwortham, UK
The NGET expansion projects are scheduled for completion in 2022.
Meanwhile, another recent development reported by Smart Wires is successful commissioning of a SmartValve installation in Greece on the 150 kV Nea Santa – Iasmos line, the second deployment by IPTO (Independent Power Transmission Operator). “By intelligently controlling the flows of power across the network, this technology can unlock available cross border interconnection capacity between Greece and Bulgaria”, says Smart Wires.
The Greek installation is part of the FARCROSS Horizon 2020 project, which aims to increase cross border electricity flows across south- eastern Europe and improve market coupling by leveraging innovative solutions. FARCROSS builds on a previous H2020 project, Flexitranstore, which utilises smart grid technologies to address the challenges of large-scale renewable energy integration and increasing grid flexibility. In this project, Smart Wires’ mobile power flow technology was initially installed in collaboration with IPTO in Greece and has recently been redeployed to Bulgaria for use by that country’s electricity system operator to
explore further use cases for the technology and “to address some of the region’s most critical needs.”
Some other significant recent projects employing SmartValve include an application by EPM (Colombia), paving the way for its use across Latin America, and its deployment in Australia as part of the Victoria-NSW Interconnector (VNI) upgrade, increasing transfer capacity between states by 170 MW at times of high demand. The use of SmartValve avoided the need to upgrade more than 100 km of transmission lines through the Snowy Mountains, Smart Wires says. The SmartValve technology works by pushing power off overloaded lines and pulling power on to underutilised lines; balancing power flows across multiple lines and relieving internal constraints that limit cross-border flows. Smart Wires describes SmartValve as “the next logical step in the progression of FACTS.” Prior SSSC (Static Synchronous Series Compensator) installations have entailed custom designs, series injection transformers and considerable substation space, says Smart Wires. SmartValve “offers a move away from custom engineering towards a modular, standard offering that eliminates these disadvantages.”
www.modernpowersystems.com | October 2021 | 13
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