Renewable energy generators in the North-east will soon find it easier to export electricity to the grid following an upgrade to the local network.
Scottish and Southern Energy has installed new technology which monitors input to the network and allows them to advise generators to reduce output when the grid is near capacity.
The energy company’s Scottish Hydro arm installed the Active Network Management (ANM) system to the grid after the local network around the Aberdeenshire and Angus border reached capacity.
The ANM system uses advanced technology to collect information from various points on the grid, and then monitors power flows to identify when the grid is reaching full capacity.
It then alerts small and medium-scale renewable energy generators to reduce their output, effectively allowing them to be connected to the network on a managed basis.
Scottish Hydro has already installed the technology in Orkney, resulting in more than 22MW of wind power being able to connect to the grid at a fraction of the cost compared to traditional reinforcement work.
The company is now commissioning further ANM projexts across its network and sharing its knowledge of the technology with other grid operators.
“We look forward to meeting groups of generators who want to work collaboratively within our ANM system in the north east so they can benefit from the opportunities available, while understanding the factors which may affect the extent of their access to the grid,” said director of distribution Stuart Hogan.
The company plans to hold a local stakeholder even before the end of the year to explain to renewables generators how the system works and how they can use it to connect to the grid.
Scottish Renewables director of policy Jenny Hogan said: “Getting more generation onto the system and keeping down costs is good news for the renewable energy sector and local projects that want to get connected.
“Upgrading grid infrastructure is one of the biggest challenges in reaching the 2020 target of generating the equivalent of 100% of our electricity needs from renewables, and it’s investment projects like these in the Aberdeenshire and Angus areas which will help us achieve this.”
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