Founded in 2019, IONATE is a tech start-up that has developed a cutting-edge Hybrid Intelligent Transformer (HIT) to help create a futureproof grid.
As explored in our mini series Current± Explores: the grid connection conundrum, connectivity and flexibility issues caused by an outdated grid remain at the forefront of the decarbonisation conversation, as concerns that Britain is unable to take advantage of the energy and cost saving benefits presented by renewables rise.
IONATE has today (23 August) announced a new partnership with EDP, a global utility company originating in Portugal. The project will see EDP test INOATE’s Hybrid Intelligent Transformer’s (HIT) essential features ahead of live deployment in in Portugal and Spain.
To mark this exciting step for IONATE Current± sat down with Luca Mezossy-Dona, co-founder and head of strategic engagement at IONATE to discuss how real-time flow control and data can create a future smart grid.
What inspired the creation of IONATE?
At IONATE, we see real-time, data-based control as key to achieving the grid flexibility we need for a safe energy transition. Renewables, electric vehicles (EVs), even digitalisation cannot add their full value unless the grid can adapt to rapid fluctuations in power flow.
But, the control upgrades we have traditionally been using won’t take us to net zero. They are great as a quick solution to power flow issues, but relying on them to upgrade the whole system will make it far too complex, fragile and expensive.
Our founder, Matthew Williams, noticed this problem over 10 years ago, when tasked with upgrading power stations and large industrial consumers in Australia. He set out to find a way to upgrade the foundations of the system; enable the needed capabilities from within.
Transformers were the logical nodal points to achieve this from, so this is where our hard-tech innovation was focused. But what is really interesting about this, is once we have these capabilities in the system, we can coordinate these control points to achieve systemic benefits.
Getting to a system that can optimise itself – that’s the mission we’re working towards.
Can you explain what an IONATE Hybrid Intelligent Transformer is and how they can replace traditional transformers?
A HIT is an all-in-one monitoring and control device. It looks and connects like a traditional transformer, comes in the same power ratings, and has the same certifications – so it fills the position of a transformer in a substation.
The reason it is intelligent is that beyond the passive voltage step, the HIT also carries out active power flow control. It monitors the input and the output and modulates voltage, independently on each phase. The technology also removes both voltage and current harmonics, and correct power factor simultaneously, with millisecond-level precision. So, it enables real-time control in the substation, which can prevent power flow issues and inefficiencies, but can also be used in the future in higher-level network control schemes.
The hybrid part of HIT comes from its core innovation, to break with the tradition of mechanical or electronical control and bring most of the control to the magnetics. We still have electronics on the device, but they act to modulate the magnetic flux inside the core, which means they are smaller and isolated from the power flow. This is important because it ensures that our controller doesn’t introduce any failure modes to the system, whilst also resulting in a very reliable and affordable device overall.
How can IONATE transcend sectors – could you walk through some use cases?
Because the aforementioned active control can be a real catalyst for the energy transition in that it deals with urgent problems, there are many parts of the grid where it adds value.
A key example is the distribution grid. Here, HITs help manage voltage problems that come with renewables and EVs, while adding visibility a level-up from smart meters, at the distribution substation. It can also be a source of demand-side flexibility within the network itself.
For renewables, solar, wind, and batteries it helps fulfil connection requirements by ensuring high quality power feeding into the grid at a competitive price point, which can help with those notorious interconnection queues. HIT can also protect the generator’s own equipment from power-quality related degradations.
Can you talk us through some exciting projects IONATE has been working on?
We are very excited to share our first big collaboration coming up, which is a global project with EDP that sees our HITs going into the networks of E-REDES in Portugal and Spain, and EDP in Brazil. This has been in the works for a long time, but the project officially kicked off earlier this summer with a design study.
As part of the project HITs will be deployed specifically to resolve power flow issues relating to the energy transition in the in the live grid, under different network topologies and scenarios. The goal is to show the business case together and move to scaling afterwards.
What does the future hold for IONATE?
Buzz is definitely building around grid infrastructure – something has changed in the last year or so. The sector is embracing innovation in areas where it was traditionally conservative and even the public is keen to delve deeper into understanding the potentials of a smart grid.
We think we got the timing just right to be a key technology enabler of the next phase of the energy transition: we have a fundamental solution to resolve urgent problems for many players across the grid. Moreover, as our HITs resolve these problems, they will fundamentally help upgrade our networks at its foundation.
And this is what really excites me most about IONATE’s future – once we have HITs in the network, how do we use them to make the most out of our energy future? We will have the tech in place for a truly smart grid, so we can use this real-time data and control from HITs to do things that the grid couldn’t do before. Make the system inherently flexible and efficient, able to respond to power fluctuations to allow more renewables, and ultimately, to be this multi-highway platform for plug and play innovation.