National Grid ESO has signed an agreement with energy tech firm Reactive Technologies for measuring system inertia in real-time.
Reactive’s GridMetrix inertia measurement and analytics service is to provide the system operator with a real-time view of grid stability.
As more renewables come onto the grid, the need to accurately measure inertia becomes greater, Reactive said. As renewables are unable to provide system inertia to the same extent as large-scale fossil fuel generation, issues surrounding system stability arise.
GridMetrix will allow system operators to overcome system stability challenges associated with a high uptake of renewables, identifying areas where inertia management measures are needed. This then allows the greater adoption of renewables, Reactive said, supporting National Grid ESO’s ambitions of being able to operate a zero carbon power system by 2025.
The first phase of the six-year agreement will see the construction and delivery of hardware and software. Hardware is set to include one of the world’s largest ultracapacitors, Reactive claims, which will ‘inject power’ into the grid. The response will then be measured.
The second phase will then see the provision of inertia measurement services.
National Grid ESO and Reactive have previously partnered for the measurement of inertia but this new agreement will see the commercial deployment of GridMetrix nationwide.
Marc Borrett, CEO of Reactive Technologies, said the firm is “excited” to deliver GridMetrix as a full commercial service to support National Grid ESO’s decarbonisation ambitions.
“System Operators globally are starting to see value in basing their operational procurement and strategic planning decisions on real-time measurements, to drive material operational benefits and better management of system risk, as the adoption of GridMetrix has proven.”
