NGESO and Reactive Technologies to roll out real-time inertia measurement across the grid

National Grid ESO is to measure grid inertia across GB for the first time, using Reactive Technologies’ GridMetrix inertia measurement and analytics service, saying it was the first system operator in the world to adopt inertia measurement. It follows a successful innovation project.

The six-year agreement has two phases. The first will see the construction and delivery of hardware and software, while the second five-year phase will entail provision of inertia measurement services. Hardware to achieve this will include one of the world’s largest ultracapacitors, which will be used to ‘inject power’ into the grid, while Reactive Technologies’ proprietary measurement units directly measure the response.

Reactive Technologies said the deal, “demonstrates the appetite from the sector to shift from reliance on estimation models to granular measurements informing control room, procurement and planning decisions.”

Renewables are unable to provide system inertia to the same extent as large-scale traditional generation, causing system stability challenges. GridMetrix accurately measures system inertia, helping to identify areas where inertia management measures are needed, helping absorb more renewable energy. 

Marc Borrett, chief executive and co-founder at Reactive Technologies said: “Our previous collaboration with National Grid ESO successfully demonstrated the technological advantage of our GridMetrix® platform and we are now excited to deliver it as a full commercial service. This agreement will lead to the commercial deployment of an accurate inertia measurement on a nationwide scale, supporting National Grid ESO’s and the UK’s overall decarbonisation ambitions.”

 

Further reading

Has National Grid put another nail in gas’s coffin?

Fossil generators’ system stability role could be fulfilled by renewables, says UKERC report

National Grid ESO sets out plan to manage grid without fossil fuels by 2025

Faraday Grid wins support for grid management technology – read New Power’s interview

Opinion: It’s time to get moving on tackling inertia

New real-time inertia measurement will cut the cost of managing the grid