SPEN wins £21m in innovation funding across three projects

SP Energy Networks (SPEN) has been awarded over £21 million ($27.5 million) in funding from Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fun (SIF) to move ahead with three critical projects. The projects include; power electronics for the LV grid, how offshore wind farms can be used to restore power following a national outage, and a microgrid solution to power the railway.

According to the Iberdrola-owned Scottish network operator, the awards mark the largest allocation SPEN has received from SIF since the fund began.

The three projects include D-Suite, Blade and Flexible Railway Energy Hubs which, when combined with SPEN funding, now value a total of £25 million ($32.7 million).

Commenting in a release was Scott Mathieson, director of SPEN: “Receiving this funding from Ofgem is a game-changer for these vital projects, allowing us to continue pushing boundaries and exploring innovative ways that our transmission and distribution networks can deliver benefits for all GB customers and support a sustainable future, all whilst maintaining world-leading levels of safety, reliability and resilience of supply.

“We’re looking forward to continuing to work with the best of academia, science and technology to demonstrate the value these projects can bring to accelerate our progress to increase renewable electricity and the adoption of low carbon technologies.”

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The three projects include:

D-Suite

In partnership with UKPN, Newcastle University and Integrated Powertech, SPEN was awarded over £8 million ($10.5 million) in funding under project D-Suite to explore the feasibility of using power electronics – a way of controlling and converting voltage and current – on the low voltage distribution network.

The use of this technology will help support the growth of low-carbon technologies by increasing available capacity on the network by between 20% to 40% while deferring or mitigating the need for costly and disruptive reinforcement solutions.

A major aim of the project is to create a fully automated low voltage design tool that will allow for rapid adoption of the technology by other DNOs, reducing training and upskilling requirements, while future-proofing the network and informing network planning, design and investment decisions.

Blade

Almost £5 million ($6.5 million) was awarded to Blade – a project that will investigate and demonstrate how offshore wind farms can be used to restore the electricity network following a national power outage, ensuring the GB electricity network remains resilient and robust as the reliance on renewable energy sources increases.

The Blade project is adopting a whole systems approach, working with partners such as SSEN, National HVDC Centre, University of Strathclyde and Carbon Trust, as well as an advisory panel made up of offshore windfarm developers and original equipment manufacturers.

The aim is to influence the design of a potential commercial mechanism to be adopted industry-wide. The project also will provide key learnings for the industry and enable offshore wind farms to provide restoration services, offering an alternative source of restoration that is low in carbon, contributing to the UK’s net zero targets.

Flexible Railway Energy Hubs

Over £8 million was awarded to the project Flexible Railway Energy Hubs, which will demonstrate for the first time a new microgrid solution to help create a predictable and cost-effective use of power on the railway.

According to SPEN, these microgrids will connect to local renewable energy sources to power trains.

The project is being run in collaboration with Network Rail’s Research and Development team and project partners University of Leeds, Ricardo Energy and Environment and GE Vernova.

The project aims to also pave the way for a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the rail network and support the replacement of diesel trains – without the need for major infrastructure upgrades – to deliver a low emission railway quicker and more cost effectively.

£84 million of SIF funding

SPEN’s awards were three of 12 round two beta projects awarded £84 million of SIF funding.

According to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), who announced the awards, each of the projects will play an integral part in accelerating the delivery of net zero by 2030 and fit under the key themes of:

• Supporting a just energy transition
• Accelerating decarbonisation
• Preparing for net zero
• Improving energy system resilience

Beta projects allow for the testing of innovation at a scale that can support future commercialisation and integration into the UK energy networks. They typically follow earlier feasibility and proof-of-concept work delivered through discovery and alpha phases.

Said Marzia Zafar, deputy director of Digitalisation and Innovation at Ofgem: “As the race to hit net zero accelerates, we are empowering the ecosystem to develop bold, transformational projects that can prove their viability and offer significant benefits for the GB billpayer.

“From addressing issues of resilience and affordability for billpayers, to harnessing the potential of homegrown renewable power and flexible energy use. We are delighted to take these ideas to the next level.”