Northern Powergrid is developing electric vans with on-board energy storage systems which aim to replace diesel generators during power cuts and planned works.
Silent Power is a two-year innovation trial that will restore supplies to customers – particularly the most vulnerable and those with domestic solar generation – who have a power cut.
Northern Powergrid currently deploys more than 2,500 diesel generators annually to provide temporary power restoration during planned and unplanned power cuts each year. The Silent Power trial will replace those with electric vans with on-board energy storage systems to restore power to customers who become vulnerable during a power cut or essential maintenance work. Up to three homes or a small community centre could be powered with one van for 24 hours – longer if the homes have domestic solar generation. Training was completed earlier this year and the first vehicle will be on the streets of Northern Powergrid’s operating area this month.
The new vans will address several problems: diesel generators cannot be deployed to homes that export as well as consume power. Some areas also have access issues and generators cause air and sound pollution. The electricity from the Silent Power batteries aims to be more reliable than diesel generators, which can trip out – a particular problem where customers have their own domestic generation, typically rooftop solar.
More than 20% of Northern Powergrid’s customer-base is on the Priority Services Register – a service provided by suppliers and network operators to customers who may need extra support in a power cut – and 12% of those on the register are medically dependant on electricity.
“There is considerable opportunity for Silent Power to reduce the impact of power cuts for vulnerable people across our region, while also improving the air we all breathe and reducing noise pollution,” said Patrick Erwin, Policy and Markets Director at Northern Powergrid. “This is just one way we are demonstrating our commitment to ensuring the energy transition works for all people across our society – not just those that can afford the latest technology.”
Hyperdrive, designer and manufacturer of lithium-ion battery systems, and Off-Grid Energy, a specialist developer of hybrid generator systems, collaborated with Northern Powergrid on the project. The team developed the prototype 40kVA battery inverter generator unit. The Silent Power vans are a turnkey solution, fully contained within a single vehicle.
Ross McFarlane, innovation project manager for Northern Powergrid, added, “Alongside the direct customer benefit, we are very excited by the wider positive environmental impact of this trial. Many industries need temporary power supplies, if this can be shared across other sectors, we have another way to bring more renewable sources into our energy mix.”
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