The Energy Bridge Ireland – UK Rationale and Technical challenges

- Joe Corbett, Head of Technology- London, 27 February 2014

2

Chile (onshore wind & solar)

Pipeline:1,200MW

South Africa (onshore wind & solar)

Pipeline: 4,854MW

USA (onshore)Pipeline: 1,265MW

Germany (offshore wind)Horizont: 1,200MW

Scotland (offshore wind)Neart na Gaoithe: 450MW

UK (offshore wind)Hornsea: 6,000MW

Canada (onshore wind & solar)

Pipeline:995MW

Ireland (onshore wind)Pipeline: 1200 MW

In Construction/In Operation In Development

Ireland (onshore wind)Knockaneden – 9 MWCarrickeeney – 8 MW

Old Man wind farm - 46MW

Jeffreys Bay wind farm – 138MWDe Aar solar park – 50MW

Droogfontein solar park – 50MW

Negrete wind farm – 33MW

Coal26%

Nu-clear25%

Gas24%

Hy-dro15%

Wind3%

Oil3%

Biomass2%

Waste1%

Solar PVGeothermal

•Energy Security

•Sustainability

•Economic Development

•GHG Reduction

Source: IEA

Drivers for Change – Europe’s Electricity Fuel Mix (2008)

Debate?

S. & Cent. America1%

Azerbaijan1% Kazakhstan

2%

Russian Federation

33%

Turk-menistan

2%Uzbek-istan2%

Africa15%

Middle East8%

Western Europe

35%

•Remove Coal•Nuclear Debate•Increase Renewables•Secure Supplies•Invest in Transmission

Constraints•Regulation•Public Opposition

•Onshore Wind•Overhead Lines

Europe Gas Sources 2010Source: BP

• Ireland 2020 targets• 4GW

• Gate 3 = 3.9GW• Only require 55%• Future of PSO Contribution for wind beyond gate 3?

• Currently 13.5GW in queue BEYOND Gate 3

•Not possible to absorb domestically•Curtailment / Constraint

• Interconnector Exports?

Beyond Gate 3 (2025) – The Queue

Ireland & UK 2020 Targets Synergy

Ireland● Electricity from Renewables by 2020 – 40%

● Equates to 4 GW installed by 2020● 2 GW already installed● 0.25 GW p.a. required to reach target● 16 GW waiting in Grid Queue!

● Only requires 12.5% of current grid queue to reach2020 target

● Irish Wind potential = 345 TWh p.a.● Equates to 19 x market size● Significant opportunity to Export

UK● Electricity from Renewables by 2020 – 30%

● Equates to 35 GW installed by 2020● Currently 8.5 GW installed● 3.3 GW p.a. required to reach target● 22 GW in Grid Queue

● UK installed 0.7 GW in 2011

● LCPD – coal decommissioning

Political Stimulus

● Concept of export first raised at British Irish council 2011

● Declarations of intent made by both ministers June 2012 to enact legislation

● UK Energy Bill Dec 2012● Provides for projects outside UK REZ to

qualify for CfD’s

● Bi-lateral MoU now signed● IGA Q1 2014

Mainstream Energy Bridge – 5,000MW Direct Export

Projects of Common Interest and SuperNode

Energy Bridge Context

Technology and Innovation

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Cables Today

● AC Application● SCFF - 500kV / 1,200 MW● XLPE - 500kV / 1,000 MW

● DC Application● Mass-Impregnated (MI)

● 500kV / 1,600 MW Installed● 600kV / 2,200 MW Awarded

● Extruded (XLPE)● 200kV / 400 MW Installed● 320kV / 900 MW Awarded

● SCFF● AC/DC● Short Lengths

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Grid Design

Friends of the Supergrid Technical Working Group

DC Breakers

•Resonance

•Power Electronics•Full Bridge Conversion

•Ballistic Breaker

•Superconductor

•Hybrid

•Plasma

Ballistic Breaker™

Roger Faulkner :Ballistic Breaker Corporation

Long Distance Transmission

•HVDC•Overhead Lines

•Permitting/Consent

•Cables (>100 Years Old)•MI = 800kV •XLPE = 500kV•No. Joints•Drilling / Tunnelling

•GIL•Elpipes•Research

Roger Faulkner: LONG DISTANCE UNDERGROUND HVDC TRANSMISSION VIA ELPIPES (ICHVE 2010)

Baker Hughes

Technology Development (Friends of the Supergrid – Technical Working Group)

● Increased power ratings for VSC (1,000 MW at 320 kV DC)

● Demonstrators for DC side fault clearing (e.g. DC Circuit Breakers)

● DC 320 kV cables with extruded insulation in operation at different onshore and offshore projects (500 MW per cable)

● DC cables with extruded insulation >320 kV developed

● MI-PPL 600kV (1.1GW per cable) developed and higher voltages in development

● MI >500 kV cable developed

● AC GIL in operation

● Standardization work for HVDC grids in CIGRÈ, CENELEC started

Today – 2015 (Supergrid Preparation Phase)

2015 – 2020 (Supergrid Phase 1)

After 2020 (Supergrid Phase 2)

● DC cables with extruded insulation >320 kV in operation

● MI-PPL 600kV cable in operation

● MI >500kV in operation

● Development of new extruded insulation compounds for HVDC cables

● System for fast selective fault detection in HVDC networks

● DC side selective fault clearing and system reconfiguration

● Hierarchical control architecture for integrated AC and DC Grid in Europe

● Demonstrators for DC/DC Converter

● Further Development of MI and MI-PPL Cables

● HVDC cables with new extruded insulation compounds in operation

● Superconducting cables

● DC GIL

● DC/DC converter

Control and InformationCo

mm

unica

tions

/SCA

DA SuperNode Control

AC Control & Protection

Smart Meter

Source: Sustainable Energy Horizon Panel report

Mainstream Initiatives

Friends of the Supergrid

SuperNode• Low Voltage Model• Medium Power Pilot (H2020)• TEN-E-Funding• SuperNode Concept Design and Scale

Model

PowerTube

International Bodies Working Groups

Inventing the Future

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.— Albert Einstein—

There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?— Robert Kennedy —

Source: Microsoft

We are on a once-off transition to sustainability

Joe CorbettHead of Technology

joe.corbett@mainstreamrp.comwww.mainstreamrp.com

Thank You