go to top scroll for more

Projects


Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number EP/M015025/1
Title System Architecture Challenges: Supergen+ for HubNet
Status Completed
Energy Categories Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electricity transmission and distribution) 100%;
Research Types Basic and strategic applied research 50%;
Applied Research and Development 50%;
Science and Technology Fields PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Computer Science and Informatics) 20%;
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) 80%;
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation Not Cross-cutting 80%;
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Consumer attitudes and behaviour) 20%;
Principal Investigator Professor T Green
No email address given
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Imperial College London
Award Type Standard
Funding Source EPSRC
Start Date 01 January 2015
End Date 31 December 2016
Duration 24 months
Total Grant Value £763,980
Industrial Sectors Energy
Region London
Programme Energy : Energy
 
Investigators Principal Investigator Professor T Green , Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London (99.988%)
  Other Investigator Dr S McArthur , Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde (0.001%)
Dr GM Burt , Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde (0.001%)
Dr S (Stuart ) Galloway , Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde (0.001%)
Dr I Kockar , Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde (0.001%)
Prof R (Rob ) Gross , Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London (0.001%)
Professor J Milanovic , Electrical & Electronic Engineering, University of Manchester (0.001%)
Dr SM Rowland , Electrical & Electronic Engineering, University of Manchester (0.001%)
Dr R Preece , Electrical & Electronic Engineering, University of Manchester (0.001%)
Dr J Wu , Engineering, Cardiff University (0.001%)
Dr C E Ugalde Loo , Engineering, Cardiff University (0.001%)
Professor G (Goran ) Strbac , Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London (0.001%)
Dr J Barria , Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London (0.001%)
Web Site
Objectives
Abstract HubNet is a multi-university collaborative project which is three years into a five-year programme of exploring the future form of energy networks. In particular we are exploring the use of smart grid technologies and HVDC to integrate high penetrations of renewable energy into the electricity system and investigating how to manage changes in energy supply to private vehicles and building heating. It does this through its own programme of core research and through drawing together the research of the Grand Challenges projects in this area and other Research Council activities. This proposal is for an extension to the HubNet's core research in order to address challenges not identified in the original proposal.Two themes appear in any discussion of the smart grid: (1) the opportunities for consumers to be become more active so that they benefit from trading their energy needs and production, and (2) the creation of an ICT system that generates very large volume of power flow and voltage data that can be harnessed to run the system more efficiently. Despite being a well known topic and the subject of research projects on specific aspects, there is still a lack of consensus over precisely how customers can play their role (in terms of choices they can make, technology to assist and markets that deliver value to all participants). There also remains a lack of clarity over what exactly is the challenge in power system operation to which "big data" technology is the answer. We seek to gain further understanding in these areas through stakeholder engagement activities.We propose to explore further the opportunities of "big data" through a case study of data used in condition monitoring of transformers and cables to predict accurately lifetime and incipient failure.A key feature of the electricity system is the low rate power cuts and the high dependence placed on electricity by modern society. Moving from a system where control is exercised primarily by actions in power stations to a system where consumers are encouraged to modify their behaviour and become part of the control and where some power sources (wind and PV for example) are not readily controlled radically changes the risk profile of the system. We propose to develop new analytical techniques to model this and plan future systems. A specific control problem that will be analysed in depth is the gradual removal from the system of the inertia provided by the spinning masses of conventional power station generators. This inertia helps keep the system frequency at 50 Hz. Already Ireland limits the production by wind turbines so that sufficient inertia is retained. We will explore where the limit lies for Great Britain and what innovations might advance that limit. Finally to address the issues associated with increased uncertainties in system operation and mange the risk of system becoming less controllable and vulnerable to external disturbances, new methodologies will need to be developed to quantify the risk profile of a future power system and how this profile is affected by various epistemic (data shortage or model simplification) and aleatory (inherent random behaviour) uncertainties in system model and operation
Publications (none)
Final Report (none)
Added to Database 11/12/14