TenneT commissions Siemens Energy to premiere grid stabilisation system
German-Dutch grid operator TenneT has commissioned Siemens Energy to supply three grid stabilisation systems for the German power grid. One of the three is touted by the energy company as the world’s first reactive power compensation system with supercapacitors used for short-term storage.
One of the three solutions – the SVC PLUS (Static Var Compensator Frequency Stabiliser) – is touted by Siemens Energy as a technological premiere: the world’s first reactive power compensation system with supercapacitors used for short-term storage.
The supercapacitors are able to counteract fluctuations in grid frequency either by actively charging themselves for a short time, thereby withdrawing up to 200MW from the grid, or by feeding the stored power into the grid.
According to the German energy company, such supercapacitor technology enables the SVC PLUS FS to respond to fluctuations in the grid much more quickly than conventional battery storage solutions. It also requires a third of the space.
Siemens Energy will build the solutions in Mehrum in Lower Saxony, which – states Siemens Energy – produces the most onshore wind energy in Germany. Here, in particular, grid expansion is an important prerequisite for a reliable power supply.
Tim Holt, Siemens Energy managing board member stated on the commission: “The main strength of the European power grid is its resilience. It guarantees security of supply, which also guarantees prosperity. To ensure that this remains the case in the future, investments in grid stability are extremely important.
“Here, too, there’s no time to lose, because the energy transition isn’t just a matter of replacing fossil fuels with renewables. Ultimately, electricity also has to be reliably delivered to consumers’ outlets. That’s also the motivation behind this project.”
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Synchronous condensers for grid stabilisation
Two of the three systems are synchronous condensers, which consist of a generator and a flywheel. The generator sets the flywheel in rotation and kinetic energy is stored that can then feed active power into the grid for stabilisation when needed.
Siemens Energy will build the synchronous condenser in Großkrotzenburg (Hesse) and Würgassen (North Rhine-Westphalia).
According to Siemens Energy, these solutions are needed because conventional power plants not only generate electricity but also automatically stabilise the grid due to their physical behaviour.
As more of these conventional power plants are taken off the grid and replaced by electricity from decentralised, renewable energy sources, transmission system operators will have to find alternative solutions to transport more energy while maintaining stability.
The announcement comes in as TenneT is modernising the substation in Würgassen, followed by Großkrotzenburg to make them fit for the energy turnaround as important network hubs. Such modernisation efforts are not limited to TenneT however.
Other European TSOs, such as Netze BW and Tauron, have been announcing such initiatives as power station maintenance and modernisation are acknowledged as an important, if not vital, aspect of the energy transition.
The three systems are scheduled to be commissioned in 2025.
