Hitachi Energy has won an order from SP Energy Networks to design and deliver a first-of-its-kind power quality solution to balance the grid and boost the flow of renewable energy across the UK. The solution will enable SP Energy Networks, the electricity network operator for Central & Southern Scotland and Merseyside, Cheshire, North & Mid-Wales and North Shropshire, to add more renewables into the grid and facilitate the phase-out of fossil fuels.

The project, located at SP Energy Networks’ substation at Eccles, consists of two sets of an SVC Light® STATCOM1 and a synchronous condenser controlled centrally by the MACH™ control system, connected at a common electrical node. This unique combination of technologies will maximize the future power system’s potential while also providing increased system resilience, thus supporting the increasing integration of renewables into the electricity grid.

Each STATCOM installation uses Hitachi Energy’s advanced power electronics and technology-leading MACH2 control and protection solution to provide system strength, instantaneous voltage control, and enable maximum power flow. This technology, which entrusts a STATCOM to control a local synchronous condenser, is market leading. It builds on an earlier collaboration between SP Energy Networks and Hitachi Energy on the network innovation competition project Phoenix supported by Ofgem, the energy regulator for the UK.

“The innovative power quality solution will increase the transfer capacity across the UK by up to 280 MW by improving the transmission network’s strength as more renewable generation is connected in Scotland,” said Billy Moore, Senior Project Manager at SP Energy Networks. “The criticality of technology such as this will become more important as we reduce the usage of fossil fuels.”

“We are delighted to have co-created this innovative solution with SP Energy Networks, which will maintain grid stability and enable more clean electricity to flow through the system in the UK,” said Marco Berardi, Head of Grid & Power Quality Solutions and Service business at Hitachi Energy. “This pioneering innovation is yet another addition to our ever-evolving portfolio of power quality solutions that help grid operators overcome the immediate and long-term challenges of the energy transition.”

With the integration of more renewable energy into the grid and the move away from conventional power plants, transmission system operators face a number of challenges. In this project, the SVC Light STATCOM and synchronous condenser with combined control generate or absorb reactive power to adjust the grid voltage and maintain system resilience.