ADAPT-DC

Completed

Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electricity transmission and distribution)

Applied Research and Development

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Project Contact
SPEN - SP Distribution Plc

Network Innovation Allowance

Ofgem

01 September 2021

30 September 2023

ENA months

£241,250

Power

Scotland

Network Innovation Allowance

Project Contact, SPEN - SP Distribution Plc

Project Contact, ScottishPower Manweb plc

Project Contact, SP Energy Networks

Package 1: Rectifier Procurement & Trial Site Selection(3 months)• With the novel nature of this installation SPEN must first find the most competitive market solution to the LVAC to LVDC network rectification problem. A high level RFI has already been completed with some “off the shelf” ready solutions available from power network equipment manufactures. The first 3 months of the project will be spent procuring the substation rectifier via SPENs robust tender exercises.• In tandem with the procurement exercise the final trial site for the project will be selected. Engagement with land owners at a high level has already taken place with support received.  Package 2: Trial Site Design & Build (6 months)• Having procured the site and equipment required for the solution, the following 6 months will be spent designing and building the DC Rapid Charging hub at the preferred trial site. • This will involve the completion of any construction required at the substation and at the site for the landing of the DC Rapid Charging Hub itself.  Package 3: Operation, Monitoring, Maintenance and Dissemination of Trial Site Findings (12 months)• Having constructed the trial site the following 12 months will be spent operating it to measure its effectiveness compared to the standard traditional LVAC means. • Monitoring of the site will involve measuring security of supply, any voltage fluctuations, utilisation of charging infrastructure and power transfer, amongst others• Any faults or maintenance issues will be addressed in this time and noted in the final report. • Dissemination activities following sufficient operation time will also take place in this period. Including workshops/ seminars and demonstrations.  Following on from the learning garnered from SPENs NIA project “A Transition to LVDC Networks – Phase 2” SPEN are looking to investigate and demonstrate a viable alternative to traditional LVAC EV connections. At present the best means of facilitating Rapid EV Hubs (500kW+) is to provide a connection to the existing mains (where there is sufficient capacity) or to build a purpose-built secondary substation and connect the EV charging hub to the network via a dedicated LV Mains feed. This can be costly and in particular very disruptive to the local environment as substantial roadworks/ digging is required to facilitate this. Coupled with this is the requirement for an AC to DC conversion either within the charger of on the EV itself, this is costly and a complexity that can be removed with an LVDC solution. ADAPT-DC approaches this problem differently by switching the network from LVAC to LVDC unlocking much greater power transfer capability meaning the Rapid EV Charging hub of 500kW+ can be met with the infrastructure that is already in the ground. In many examples the cost of the two solutions is comparable however with APADT-DC the requirement for digging (and as such disruption to the local area) is all but removed. ADAPT-DC will be an important piece of the puzzle in reaching Net-Zero and a great addition to the suite of options available to network designers. Thus the scope of the project is to demonstrate this in practice. Build, operate and demonstrate a viable commercial alternative to traditional LVAC EV connections Implement safe working practises for LVDC Networks Expand the capability of our existing assets particularly the LV Mains cable infrastructure as well as secondary substations

ADAPD-DC will convert areas of the LV AC network into LV DC in order to facilitate an increase in capacity.

19/10/22