Project Summary
INSIGHT aims to deliver a real-time alert and control system that monitors and mitigates different types of power network oscillation events. The Project will combine learnings from past events with new modelling and simulation techniques to better understand the nature of these new oscillations and how to predict and address them in network design and operation for future events.
INSIGHT will improve our ability to manage weaker networks, enhancing stability and reliability and avoiding alternative operations that would reduce the levels of renewable generation able to run on the network.
Innovation Justification
Challenge theme
INSIGHT addresses the SIF Innovation Challenge 2 Theme 2, focused on exploring novel ways to reliably support low-stability systems by developing innovations in technology and standards that help deliver the power system required for Net Zero by 2035. The Project seeks to understand, classify, predict, and define actions to manage potential new forms of instability (e.g., oscillations in voltage, power, and/or frequency) on a system dominated by power electronic sources (such as wind generation, HVDC converters, STATCOMs.).
Innovation
Unlike projects elsewhere in the world where post-analysis has been done, INSIGHT aims to develop proactive identification and classification of oscillation risk and recommendations to inform planning, operation, and mitigation strategies. Instability risks related to new phenomena are not underpinned by normal practices/analysis, therefore there is insufficient understanding within the networks about how to predict or mitigate them. Proactive identification and classification, combined with new standards and codes to support the management of these oscillations, represent new areas of analysis, tools, systems, and processes not yet available to GB nor developed comparably elsewhere.
Stakeholders
Stakeholder engagement was instrumental in Discovery helping confirm the industry-wide extent of the problem. This included issuing an open questionnaire and inviting comments on the Project. During discovery, meetings of the two GB ESO-TO working groups with the greatest interest in the Project have been attended: the Scottish System Performance Working Group (SSPWG)and the ESO-TO Forum on System Events.
The review of the State-of-the-art identified the targeted area of innovation, a significant technological advancement in real-time oscillation monitoring, rapid analysis, and automated response.
Knowledge gaps
INSIGHT will build on learnings and outputs from other stability-related projects (e.g., VISOR, MIGRATE, EFCC, DOME) and extra system visibility/data provided by the existing (RIIO-T2 or otherwise) deployed schemes of Phasor Measurement Units across the network. INSIGHT will use system modelling and data collection to understand causes and inform actions. The SSPWG is also undertaking related work focused on reviewing specific issues from past events. INSIGHT focuses on developing knowledge and understanding and modelling techniques to produce a meaningful test environment and platform that allows the design, development, testing, and implementation of proactive system actions to mitigate oscillations within GB’s network.
There have been significant amounts of work previously across the industry looking at technology/processes to identify and mitigate oscillations driven by classic synchronous generation. These are lower frequency and more predictable via classical modelling and screening techniques – allowing mitigation during the system planning and design phase. The more unpredictable and less understood nature of IBR-driven oscillation requires innovative techniques to manage and cannot be designed out or mitigated in planning timescales due to the uncertain nature and pace of network development.
The Discovery Phase has allowed us to fully investigate and define the problem, with reference to assessing experience globally and how it can be utilised and understood to provide solutions. Stakeholder engagement and review of academic and global practical experience have shaped the vision of the Project, ensuring alignment with international best practices.
SIF funding need
There is a significant level of uncertainty and technical risk with the practicality of a technical solution becoming usable as a real operational tool, well beyond the levels of a normal RIIO-funded project. The project requires extensive collaboration across GB industry, including TOs, ESO, delivery providers, and academic partners. This would be very difficult to achieve with a standard project. Shared learnings and a possible successful solution will deliver value to the GB consumer if the solution is well-documented and applicable to all GB/other network operators.
Impacts and Benefits
Financial - future reductions in the cost of operating the network
The current process of managing oscillations on the system is to restrict the output of generation (which is suspected to be the source of the oscillations) or to operate TO devices in a way that prevents them from interacting with the oscillations.
The cost of these options is two-fold:
1. There is a need to buy off generation in the balancing mechanism.
2. Restrict the capability of the system and therefore introduce constraints that require costly intervention to manage flows within the imposed limit.
These mitigations need to be in place for an unspecified time, until investigations have concluded the source of the oscillations and put mitigations in place.
A CBA has been developed to demonstrate the improvements to the network’s system operability because of the INSIGHT solution. The annual balancing mechanism cost for the UK network is £2.406 billion (2022/23). Implementing the INSIGHT technology could deliver an annual cost saving of over £20 million (based on an assumption of a 1% cost saving).
One example of balancing costs incurred previously is the actions taken after significant oscillations, most evident in northern Scotland, in August 2021. The response included paying hydro generators to switch on, constraining wind off, and adjusting outage plans. These types of events are expected to become more frequent unless projects like INSIGHT can identify appropriate mitigation.
The benefit of INSIGHT will ultimately be measured through a reduction in balancing costs incurred by the Electricity System Operator due to the occurrence, or the perceived risk, of oscillatory instability. Short of the financial metric, the benefit could be measured by the number of actions taken to address oscillatory instability, which may include instructions to TOs that do not incur balancing costs.
Environmental - carbon reduction - indirect CO2 savings per annum
Currently, the balancing actions taken to manage oscillations on the system have the potential to increase CO2 emissions, as low-carbon sources of generation are replaced with carbon-based sources of generation as they can be turned on/off and up or down as needed to balance the system.
INSIGHT will help reduce the CO2 emissions that occur when trying to manage oscillations on the network by providing the technology to predict or mitigate them ahead of time.
New to market - services
As described above, oscillations on the system are currently managed in a way such that the source(s) of the oscillations are located, and mitigations put in place. There is work underway to implement a stability market, though this doesn’t address oscillations directly as it aims to address exacerbating factors (a gradual “weakening” of the transmission system), to prevent oscillations from happening.
A future outcome of INSIGHT is that users may be contracted to modify their operating point, adjust settings, or activate different control functionality to mitigate oscillatory stability risks. The development of a market for these new types of services is dependent on the learning expected from the project.
Impacts and benefits
Financial - future reductions in the cost of operating the network
The current process of managing oscillations on the system is to restrict the output of generation (which is suspected to be one of the sources of the oscillations) or to operate TO devices to prevent them from interacting with the oscillations.
The cost of these options is two-fold:
• There is a need to buy off generation in the balancing mechanism.
• Restrict the capability of the system and therefore introduce constraints that require costly intervention to manage flows within the imposed limit.
These mitigations need to be in place for an unspecified time until investigations have concluded the source of the oscillations and put mitigations in place.
A CBA has been developed to demonstrate the improvements to the network’s system operability because of the INSIGHT solution. The annual balancing mechanism cost for the UK network is £2.61 billion (2022/23). Implementing the INSIGHT technology could deliver an annual cost saving of approximately £25.5 million (based on an assumption of a 1% cost saving). In addition, there is a reduced risk of whole or localised network blackouts leading to a combined estimated saving of £17.7 million. Thus, the total estimated benefits could reach £43.2 million per annum.
One example of balancing costs incurred previously is the actions taken after significant oscillations, most evident in northern Scotland, in August 2021. The response included paying hydro generators to switch on, constraining wind off, and adjusting outage plans. These types of events are expected to become more frequent unless projects like INSIGHT can identify appropriate mitigation.
The benefit of INSIGHT will ultimately be measured through a reduction in balancing costs incurred by the Electricity System Operator due to the occurrence, or the perceived risk, of oscillatory instability. Short of the financial metric, the benefit could be measured by the number of actions taken to address oscillatory instability, which may include instructions to TOs that do not incur balancing costs.
Environmental - carbon reduction - indirect CO2 savings per annum
Currently, the balancing actions taken to manage oscillations on the system have the potential to increase CO2 emissions, as low-carbon sources of generation are replaced with carbon-based sources of generation as they can be turned on/off and up or down as needed to balance the system.
INSIGHT will help reduce the CO2 emissions that occur when trying to manage oscillations on the network by providing the technology to predict or mitigate them ahead of time.
New to market - services
As described above, oscillations on the system are currently managed in a way such that the source(s) of the oscillations are located, and mitigations put in place. There is work underway to implement a stability market, though this does not address oscillations directly as it aims to address exacerbating factors (a gradual “weakening” of the transmission system), to prevent oscillations from happening.
A future outcome of INSIGHT is that users may be contracted to modify their operating point, adjust settings, or activate different control functionality to mitigate oscillatory stability risks. The development of a market for these new types of services is dependent on the learning expected from the project.