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Research at the University of Strathclyde between 2003 and 2008 directly produced the following impacts from 2008 onwards: 10 wind farms (17 MW aggregate capacity) connected to the Orkney power network from 2009 to 2013 with accompanying economic and environmental benefits; Orkney power network reinforcement deferral saving of £30M from 2009 with repeat deployments of Active Network Management (ANM) technology in other UK power networks; spin-out company formed in September 2008 with total revenues to date of £6.1M, equity investment totalling £3.5M and 35 FTE jobs created; provision of new power system options for long term network plans impacting the 2013 investment decisions in distribution network companies; contribution to the emerging Smart Grid business sector in the UK and overseas from 2008.
The power systems laboratory at the University of Aberdeen has developed new converter topologies that have applications in connecting MW size DC power sources with DC transmission/distribution grids. These converters resolve very challenging questions of fault isolation on high-power DC networks. Scottish Enterprise funded a proof of concept project which developed a prototype, and confirmed the feasibility for various applications with interconnecting renewable power sources. Impact from the research is ongoing. Initial impact has been on public policy and services, where policy debate has been informed by our research evidence; and where decisions, regulations or guidelines have been informed by our research. Impact has also been generated for practitioners and professional services, where both a professional body and a company have used research findings in the conduct of their work, their practices have changed, and new or improved processes have been adopted as a direct result of research findings.
The technology has attracted the attention of George Adamowitsch, European Coordinator for the working group for offshore and onshore grid development. He has described the Aberdeen research in his annual report to EU parliament in 2010, and the lead academic, Professor Dragan Jovcic, now sits on the Working Group for onshore/offshore grid development, developing plans for the European DC supergrid. In addition, this research has contributed to Working Group B4.52 of the International Council on Large Electric Systems (CIGRE), and their major technical brochure "HVDC Grid Feasibility study". Finally, the research has been analysed by the French power company RTE (Réseau de Transport d'Electricité). As a result of the research findings the company has adapted their approach to the planning of major offshore wind farm developments, resulting in a re-definition of the company research and development strategy.
Research at Bath has developed a new network charging methodology, known as "Long Run Incremental Cost (LRIC) pricing for electricity distribution systems". The methodology enables the calculation of location-specific annual network charges for electricity generators and suppliers. It has replaced the flat-rate charging approach used by the industry for the previous 25 years. Bath's work on LRIC has led to: 1) major impact on government policy, because in 2008 the UK regulator Ofgem required Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) to adopt LRIC as an industry standard, using the evidence provided by Bath that LRIC's uptake can lead to efficiency savings over the next 20 years of about £200 million for DNOs, and 2) major impact on industrial practice, because the subsequent industrial adoption of LRIC over 80% of the UK distribution area has enabled the DNOs to promote efficient use of the existing infrastructure. Further, LRIC's adoption in the UK has triggered a wide review of transmission and distribution pricing in countries including Brazil, Ireland, India and China. It also led to the establishment of the IEEE International Working Group on Network Charging, chaired by Li (Bath). Many of LRIC's key researchers at Bath have subsequently taken key roles in network planning and pricing in UK and international industry.
Financial engineering and optimisation provide both power companies and consumers with better decision support in deregulated energy sectors. UCL research has delivered the following benefits to decision makers: (i) a clearer understanding of the role of statistical analysis in imputing missing data on wind speeds and (ii) reduction in energy costs by optimised scheduling of energy technologies. Other benefits have been (i) investment in follow-up research projects by industrial companies and (ii) knowledge transfer via workshops.
The University of Southampton's research into micro-wind turbines — small-scale devices for generating electricity at the point of use — has been instrumental in the shift away from turbines mounted on buildings in urban areas to more productive pole-mounted devices in the countryside. It has informed public understanding of the potential and limitations of micro-wind power, and helped inject a new realism into the process of micro-wind power generation, forcing manufacturers to retreat from claims that could not be met. The research has been used to help set government subsidy levels for micro-wind power, and as a basis for modelling projections of future energy.
The supply of electrical energy to centres of demand is an increasingly important issue as our power generation sources decarbonise. Without innovation in our use of high voltage cables, security of supply to our major cities cannot be guaranteed. Our research has:
Research by the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering (DoEng) on high-reliability micro-inverters for use in solar power systems was commercialised by DoEng spin-out company Enecsys Limited. Since 2008, Enecsys has attracted GBP34M in private investment, increased its number of employees from 7 to 75 people across three offices in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific, and shipped more than 150,000 micro-inverter units. Its revenue in financial year 2012/13 was USD11.7M. Solar power installers have confirmed that Enecsys' products, in comparison with traditional string inverters, are: easier, cheaper and safer to install; more reliable; and able to extract more energy from an array of solar panels. Enecsys products are also changing the market for solar power with simple plug-in solutions that home owners buy from retailers and install themselves.
Prof Irving and Prof Sterling of the Institute of Power Systems at Brunel University collaborated with National Grid (NG) to develop and deploy a Sparse Dual Revised Simplex (SDRS), optimisation engine for real-time power allocation of all generators that were controlled by the NG. Since 2005-6 NG has been using the algorithms to aid in operation of their Balancing Mechanism, which provides a means of adjusting the level of production or consumption of individual generators or demands in the British Electricity Trading and Transmission Arrangements (BETTA). The algorithms enable the Balancing Mechanism (BM) to efficiently adjust outputs of generators in real time in order to balance the demand for electricity at minimum cost. Therefore, providing economic balancing of the transmission system at a scale of 2-3% of the £5bn annual electricity market (approximately £100M-200M per annum), hence about £800 million has been optimally traded in total in the BM since 2008. It is also important to acknowledge the reliability of the algorithms and SDRS optimisation engine from 2006 to present day, as periods of software outage carry high operational costs. The algorithms developed at Brunel continue to have very significant real world impact in terms of financial volume and its reach, such that every transmission scale power generator in the UK participates in the balancing mechanism and by implication every electricity-user benefits.
Researchers at Queen Mary have applied mathematical modelling techniques to understand how and when problems may arise in complex man-made infrastructure networks including electricity, gas, global shipping and haulage networks. Many of these networks have points of vulnerability where a local issue such as an earthquake, a terrorist attack or even a simple engineering problem can bring down widespread areas of the network. Our research and the associated modelling techniques have impacted on organisations including the UK Treasury Office and the European Commission's Joint Research Centres at both Petten and Ispra, where it has been used to inform UK and European policy guidelines and legislation for infrastructure projects.
Dr David Toke's research at the University of Birmingham has contributed to policy made by governments in the UK and EU, and the work and policy of environmentally concerned NGOs. Renewable Energy is a crucial aspect of EU and UK sustainable energy strategies and feed-in tariffs have now become the preferred method of incentivising renewable energy in the UK. Toke made a major contribution to generating this change through his proactive dissemination of research on feed-in tariffs and the publication of a key public policy report, at a time when little was known about this type of policy instrument.
His research has stimulated debate among industry professionals and events organised by him have provided a forum where the industry and NGOs can develop an evidence-based dialogue. Through using popular media to disseminate his research findings, Toke has provided a source for greater public understanding of the related issues, and in particular has challenged the decisions of government. In a broader sense, his research has contributed to improving governmental and financial support for renewable energies in the UK and thus environmental sustainability.