Completed November 2024
INNOVATION: BLADE
BLADE (Black Start Demonstration from Offshore Wind) is an innovation project. The overarching aim of the BLADE project is to bring black start and electricity system restoration from offshore wind to commercial reality by building the necessary cross-industry understanding. The aim is to do so by demonstrating the potential of state-of-the-art offshore wind turbines to provide black start services.
FUNDED BY: OFGEM’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF)
Completed on September 2024
INNOVATION: INSIGHT
INSIGHT (Innovative Network Status Intelligence Gathered by Holistic use of Telemetry and Simulation) was an innovation project. INSIGHT aimed to deliver a virtual, real-time alert and control system that can monitor and mitigate different types of oscillation events experienced on the networks.
FUNDED BY: OFGEM’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF)
Completed on June 2024
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: Offshore Wind HVDC Interaction Studies:
The National HVDC Centre conducted a study to explore possible control system interaction risks between multiple HVDC converter stations. The studies used the PSCAD software to build suitable models of the network area of interest with the new HVDC converter stations and conduct a range of studies to assess interaction risks.
CLIENT: Wind Farm Developers
Completed on November 2023
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: Multi-purpose interconnectors
In this project, the Centre was commissioned to explore a range of operational and commissioning scenarios relating to multi-purpose interconnectors to identify key considerations and areas of relevant specification.
CLIENT: National Grid Ventures
Completed on September 2023
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: East Coast Interaction Study
The National HVDC Centre performed a wide interaction study in the coast of Yorkshire, where many power electronic resources (both existing and planned) are expected to arise; these include a range of offshore, potentially coordinated HVDC connections. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of different technology options for offshore wind farm connection on potential network interaction, and to determine what the nature of the types of interactions across projects in this area of the network might be.
CLIENT: Wind Farm Developer
Completed on July 2023
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: HVDC-Connected Offshore Wind Farms
This project investigated the risks associated with the integration of, and interaction of HVDC connected Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs). The project identified the key contributing factors of controller interactions and their associated risks with focus on HVDC connected OWFs power system infrastructures.
CLIENT: The Carbon Trust
Completed on February 2023
INNOVATION: Distributed ReStart
The Distributed ReStart project looked at how distributed energy resources (DERs), such as solar, wind, biomass and hydro, could be used to restore power to the transmission network in the unlikely event of a blackout
FUNDED BY: Network Innovation Competition (NIC)
Completed on January 2023
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: Eastern Link
The National HVDC Centre provided technical supporting to the Eastern link project team work going the development of the designs for connection schemes.
CLIENT: SSEN Transmission
Completed on December 2022
INNOVATION: HVDC Phasor Based Monitoring
The aim of this project was to evaluate the electricity network system strength using the Phasor Point Wide Area Monitoring System (WAMS) to potentially support the stability of the large embedded HVDC links (for example Caithness-Moray located in the north of Scotland).
FUNDED BY: Network Innovation Allowance (NIA)
Completed on August 2022
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: Coordinated Offshore Functional Designs
The aim of this project was to provide an environment to support the ESO, manufacturers, developers and transmission owners develop and test coordinated solutions for offshore wind.
CLIENT: BEIS & OFGEM
Completed on December 2020
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: Offshore Coordination
Provision of expert advice on co-ordination across multiple connectors to ensure efficiency when connecting 83-88GW network connected wind together with 27GW interconnectors.
CLIENT: National Grid ESO
Completed on December 2020
INNOVATION: PROMOTioN (WP9 lead)
PROMOTioN was a European Horizon 2020 research and innovation project, working with 33 consortia partners from across 11 countries, that sought to address the challenges of developing meshed HVDC offshore grids for cost-effective and reliable electricity supply
FUNDED BY: EU Horizon 2020
Completed on January 2020
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: North Sea Link Protection Coordination Testing:
The HVDC Centre supported the protection co-ordination testing for the new HVDC North Sea Link interconnector to ensure the security and resilience of the GB electricity network.
CLIENT: SPT
Completed on February 2020
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: ESO Stability Pathfinder
The National HVDC Centre investigated the impact of declining system strength on the stability of HVDC links
CLIENT: National Grid ESO
Completed on December 2019
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: Maximising HVDC for Black Start
The HVDC Centre technical experts, in collaboration with specialists from SHE Transmission, Scottish Power, National Grid and the Scottish Government, carried out an in-depth study on Black Start.
CLIENT: Scottish Government
Completed on October 2019
REPLICA HOSTING: Caithness–Moray HVDC Scheme during Delivery
The HVDC Centre helped address technical challenges and assure the delivery of the project using Replicas of the control panels to test the operation of the system under a range of conditions, with a detailed representation of the AC network.
CLIENT: SSEN-T
Previous innovation projects undertaken by the National HVDC Centre:
- AC Protection Solutions in Converter Rich Network
- TOTEM: Transmission Owner Tools for EMT Modelling (with SSEN Transmission)
- RTDS Model Development Project (with TransGrid Solutions)
- HVDC R&D Strategy (commissioned by BEIS)
- Protection Performance Overview: and Validation in Low Strength Areas (with Manitoba Hydro International;2020-2021)
- Adaptive Damping of Power Oscillations: using HVDC (with EPRI;2020-2021)
- Evaluation of HVDC with Synchronous Condenser: impact on AC Protection (with the University of Strathclyde;2020-2021)
- COMPOSITE Testing: of HVDC-connected Offshore Wind Farms (2020-2021)
- Stability Assessment Phase 2: and Mitigation of Converter Interactions (2020-2021)
- Coordination of AC network protection: during HVDC energisation (with EPRI; 2019-2020)
- Stability Assessment: and mitigation converter interactions (with the University of Strathclyde; 2019-2020)
- Improving Grid Code for HVDC schemes: (with Cardiff University; 2019-2020)
- Developing Open-Source Converter Models: (with the University of Strathclyde; 2018-2019)
- Stability assessment for co-located converters: (with the University of Manchester; 2016)
- Design of DC/DC Converter: (with the University of Aberdeen; 2015)
Please contact us if you would like any further information.