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ukpowernetworks.co.uk

Network InnovationAllowance Annual SummaryProgress and results from 2016/17

ContentsForeword 3

Innovation Facts and Figures 5

Innovation at UK Power Networks 6

Putting it into context - Innovation Strategy 7

Whatisinnovation? 9

Ourfocus 10

Project Highlights 11

DomesticEnergyStorageandControl(DESC) 12

Overheadlinefaultproject 13

MobileAssetAssessmentVehicle(MAAV) 14

FreightElectricVehiclesinUrbanEurope(FREVUE) 15

VerticalTransitionStraightJointsInnovativeInspection 16

Powerful-CB 17

TDI2.0-TransmissionandDistributionInterface2.0(PowerPotential) 18

NIA Project Portfolio 19

UKPowerNetworksisattheforefrontoftheenergy

revolution.Ourindustryischangingatapaceandscale

neverseenbefore.Itisonlybyembracingthischangeand

findingdifferentwaysofdoingthingsthatwewillbeable

tocontinuetodeliverasustainableandefficientservice

forourcustomers.

Theelectricitysystemnowhasmorewindandsolar

generationcapacityconnectedthaneverbefore,enough

toevenexceeddemandatpeakgenerationtimesinthe

summer.Morethan90%ofallsolarenergyconnects

directlytodistributionnetworks,placingusattheveryheart

oftheenergyrevolution.

Therearecurrentlyover3,000generatorswithacapacity

of8.5GWconnectedtoourthreenetworks,representing

nearly30%oftheinstalledDGacrossGB.Weareproud

tohaveenabledthesechangeswithan86%customer

approvalrating,andatthesametimeasdeliveringastep

changeinnetworkreliabilityforourcustomersoverthe

lastfiveyears.

Thepaceandscaleofchangeinourindustryisincreasing.

Inthelastsixyears,thenumberofelectricvehiclessold

increasedtenfoldfrom8,000tomorethan80,000.The

electrificationoftransportisakeygrowtharea,with

publictransportandfleetelectrificationtobetheshort

termfocus.Thereducedcostofstoragetechnologydriven

byscaleonagloballevelisonlylikelytoincreasedemand

forelectricvehiclesintheUK.Grid-scalestoragecontinues

tobethesubjectofmajorinteresttodevelopers,

manufacturers,constructionpartners,regulatorsand

government.Overthelast15monthsUKPowerNetworks

alonehadreceivedover600applicationstoconnect

storageforatotalcapacityof13GW.

Inresponsetoourcustomers,weareactivelytriallingnew

operatingmodelsandconstraintmanagementplatforms,to

continuepreparingournetworkformorerenewableenergy

Foreword

Network Innovation Allowance Annual Summary - Progress and results from 2016/17 | 3

aswetransitionfromaDistributionNetworkOperatortoa

DistributionSystemOperator.

Insteadofactingasthepassivemanagerofanetworkof

cablesandassets,connectingcentralgeneratorstohomes

andbusinesses,weneedtobecomeanactivemanager

ofasystemthatenableslocalcommunities,renewable

generation,smallandmediumbusinesses,prosumersand

consumerstoaccesstheenergyandflexibilitymarkets,all

whilstmakingsurethelightsstayon.

Ourvisionistobethebest-performingDNOgroupbetween

2015/16and2018/19.Toachievethatwewanttobethe

mostInnovative,whichmeansfocusingonthreekeyareas:

• Future-ready–afuture-readydistributionbusiness

providingnewservices,whichmeettheneedsof

tomorrow’scustomers

• Efficient&effective–thebestDNOgroupindelivering

outputsatthelowestcost,whichinturnreducescosts

forconsumers

• Lowcarbonready–consistentlycreditedasanactive

facilitatorof,andnotanobstacleto,thelowcarbon

transition

Wearecontinuingtodemonstratehowinnovationhas

playedanimportantroleinbothdrivingstrongbusiness

performancetodayandenablingthelowcarbonlandscape

oftomorrow.Wewillcontinuetouseinnovationtomake

ourservicemoreefficient,saferandsustainable.

InthefirsttwoyearsofED1,wehavedelivered£120mofsavingstoourcustomers.

4 | Network Innovation Allowance Annual Summary - Progress and results from 2016/17

Suleman Alli

Asameasureofourinnovationperformancewemonitor

andtracksolutionswhicharetransitionedintobusinessas

usual.Wehavedeployed19innovativesolutionsintobusiness

asusualinthefirst2yearsofRIIO-ED1,11solutionswere

reportedinour2015/16E6RIGssubmissions,andafurther

8solutionsreportedinthe2016/17regulatoryyear.The

cumulativebenefitsoftheseinnovativesolutionshave

addedvastvalueanddeliveredbenefitsof£120million.

Ourinnovationportfolioconsistsof34liveprojectseach

selectedinresponsetoakeyfocusarea,andalignedtoour

InnovationStrategy.

TheNetworkInnovationAllowance(NIA)isavitalelement

toexplorehowwecontinuetoimproveourfundamentalrole

ofkeepingthelightson,managingsafety,andinvesting

efficientlyinaresilientnetwork.Thisreportgivesyouan

overviewofourinnovationprojects.Iencourageyoutoprovide

usfeedback,giveusyourideasandcontinuetoengagewithus.

TheInnovationteamareavailableat:

[email protected]

SulemanAlli

DirectorofSafety,StrategyandSupportServices

Wehaveinvested£88msince2010intoInnovation.


Innovation facts and figures

60 Employees trained on the newest and latest fault detecting equipment

TWENTY-SIXThenumberofcollaborative,industrywideNIAprojectsweareinvolvedin

342Power sensors installed benefiting customers on 48 feeders with quicker restoration times

JointsinspectedforhiddendefectsviaPDHawk

3,000

Households’worthofCO2emissionsavoidedbyrepairingfaultsfoundbytheMAAVproject864

£23.4

millionInvestment in

innovation underway

SIXTYDomestic energy storage

batteries installed in residential properties with solar PV

Prototyped a fluid additive that could self-heal over

6,500km of cables

Innovationhasacrucialroletoplayinkeepingourcustomers’

lightson.Itishelpingusprepareforalowcarbonfuturewhile

ensuringwecontinuetoimprovetheservicewegiveour

customerstoday.Inatimeofsignificantchangeinourindustry

wemustcontinuetoevolvetosatisfyourcustomers’expectations.

Wehaveacentralinnovationteamaccountableforbothhow

wecreateandauthorisenewprojects,andfordeliveringthe

benefitsexpectedfromthem.Additionally,wearespreadinga

cultureofInnovationthroughouttheorganisationbyworking

withcolleaguesfromacrossthebusinessonourportfolio

ofprojects.

Wehopethisdocumentgivesyouabriefsnapshotintothe

manybenefitswehavedeliveredforourcustomersthrough

ourinnovationportfolio.Itprovidesanoverviewofthekeyfocus

areasthatwecoverandtheoutputsachievedthroughoutthis

regulatoryyear,whichrunsfrom1April2016to31March2017.

Thisyearwehavealsoincludedinthisreportaselectionof

largerNetworkInnovationCompetition(NIC)fundedprojects

thatweareinvolvedin.Ourlandmarklink-upwithNationalGrid

ontheTDI2.0projectnowknownasPowerPotential,is

lookingtohelpconnectmorerenewableenergytothe

networkandakeyprojectcalledPowerful-CBisaimingto

helpenergy-efficientcombinedheatandpowergenerators

connecttothenetwork.

Thisreportisthereforedesignedtoallowyoutogainmore

insightintotheprogrammeofprojectsthatspantherangeof

challengesandopportunitieswhichelectricitynetworksface.

Wehopeitgivesyouaninsightintotheworkwedoandinspires

youtobringyourideasforinnovationtoUKPowerNetworks.

Weencourageyoutovisitourwebsiteforfulldetailsonall

projectswithintheinnovationportfolio.

http://innovation.ukpowernetworks.co.uk

Orpleasegetintouchviaemailat:

[email protected]

Innovation at UK Power Networks

UK Power Networks Innovation team at the 2016 LCNI conference


http://innovation.ukpowernetworks.co.uk

mailto:innovation%40ukpowernetworks.co.uk?subject=Innovation%20Portfolio


Putting it into context - Innovation Strategy

UKPowerNetworks’InnovationStrategysetsouthow

innovationfitsintotheoverallcorporatevisionandbothwhy

andhowweinnovate.Weadvisehowourcustomersbenefit,

theareasoffocusforinnovationandwhatourcustomers

andstakeholdersshouldexpectfromusduringtheRIIO-ED1

pricecontrolperiod.

TheInnovationStrategyoutlinestherangeofideasthat

weexplore:

• Projectsthatfocusoncontinuousimprovement,

torevolutionarychangeintheservicewedeliverto

customers;and

• Triallingandrollingoutnewformsofflexibilitywithin

ournetwork,toensurewebuildandoperatesmarter,

morecapable,reliablenetworksasacost-effective

alternativetotraditionaldisruptivereinforcement.

OurInnovationStrategyisinlinewithourcorporatevision,

whichunderpinsourmissionandprovidesclarityofpurpose.

Akeysuccessindicatorindeliveringourvisionistobeclassed

asthemostinnovativeDNO,assuchinnovationiscoreto

howwedobusiness.

Asuccessfulinnovationprogrammesupportsallthreeelements

ofourcorporatevision;forexample,innovationisacentral

componentofourstrategyofcontinuingtobethelowest

costelectricitydistributor.However,innovationisbroaderthan

onlycostefficiencyandwebelievethatourcommitmentto

continuousimprovementanddynamismthroughinnovation

iswhatourcustomersshouldexpectfromaDNO.

Context

noels-area-vision.indd 1 11/2/2016 1:13:42 PMnoels-area-vision.indd 1 11/2/2016 1:13:42 PM

noels-area-vision.indd 1 11/2/2016 1:13:42 PM

UK Power Networks’ vision is to be:

...and consistently the best performing DNO 2015 - 2018/19


OurvisionAtUKPowerNetworks,wehaveaclearvisiontobethebestperformingdistributionnetworkoperatorin

theUKby2018.Wewillachievethisbydemonstratingindustryleadershipinthethreeareasbelow:


Innovationcanhavemanydefinitionsandinterpretations

dependingonthecontextandtheuser.AtUKPower

Networks,wedefineinnovationas:

The development and implementation of any approach

which enables us to achieve our objectives faster, more

affordably, safer, or to a higher standard, and which uses

methods unconventional in the context of our business.

Moresimplyput,“Toinnovateistobeanarchitectand/

orpioneer”

Ourindustryisfacingrapidandextensivechangeandthus

innovationisthecriticaltoolwithwhichUKPowerNetworks

mustrespond.Wewillonlymeetourvisionofbeingthe

bestperformingDNOgroupinGreatBritainbetween

2015/16and2018/19byapplyinginnovativethinking.

Belowwesetoutsomeimportanttraitsofinnovationthat

shapeourstrategyandhowwedeliverinnovation:

•Innovationoccursthroughoutourbusinessonaday-to-

daybasis.Itiswiderthanthoseactivitiesbenefitingfrom

innovationfundingorthosedeliveredbyourcentral

innovationteam.Welookatbestpracticeandopportunities

acrossourbusiness,fromotherDNOsandacrosstheworld;

•Innovationismorethanresearchanddevelopment

(R&D),i.e.solutionsatalowtechnologyreadinesslevel;

manyinnovativeideasmaybehighlypracticalandinvolve

existingtechnology,butitistheactivityorthescaletowhich

weapplythemthatcreatesgreateropportunities;and

•Innovationinvolvestakinghigherrisksinordertoachieve

improvementsinperformance.Thisismanagedcarefully

andisaccordinglyreflectedinourrigorousapproachtothe

selection,delivery,andgovernanceofinnovationprojects.

However,thisalsomeansthatwemustrecognisethat

someinnovationwill‘fail’,i.e.notproceedintobusiness

asusual.Wefocusoncapturingthelearningfromsuch

projectsandbelievethatthegreaterfailurewouldbeto

alwaysacceptthestatusquo.

Allprojectsareunique,involvesomelevelofambiguity

andwillinvolvesomelevelofchangeforthebusinessand

stakeholders.However,innovationisnotthesameaschange,

asnotallchangeprojectsapplyunconventionaltechniques

oraccepttheriskofchallengingacceptedpracticestodeliver

value–bothofwhichcharacteriseinnovation.

AtUKPowerNetworksweincludeinourportfolioboth:

•Incrementalinnovation–continuousevaluationto

achievegradualimprovementsofourbusinessefficiency,

forexamplebyusingsmallremote-controlledhelicopters

tocarryoutoverheadlineinspections;and

•Disruptiveortransformationalinnovation–redefining

thewaywerunourbusinessornetwork,suchasoffering

entirelynew,flexibleconnectionsolutionsforour

distributedgenerationcustomers.

Ourinnovationapproachisnotrestrictedtoengineering,but

coverscustomerservice,healthandsafety,andprocurement

tonameafew.

What is innovation?

SUSTAINABLY COST EFFICIENT

EMPL

OYER

OF C

HOICE

RESPECTED CORPORATE CITIZ

EN

ARCHITECT&

PIONEER

Architect and Pioneer figure


AtUKPowerNetworks,weunderstandweneedtoprepareourbusinessforsignificantfuturechange.Thischangewillbringabout

severalchallengestoourexistingbusinessmodel.Belowweidentifythefocusareasandtheassociatedchallengesforecasted.

Our focus

Delivering high performance today through innovation and the benchmark for best practice

• Deliver good business value-by maximisingthesmartsavingswe deliveredforcustomers.

• Deliver measureable social environmental and safety benefits through our innovation projects - includingcustomerinterruptions(CI), customerminuteslost(CML),carbon emissionsandsafetyperformance.

• Facilitate a low carbon system - byimprovingnetworkaccess throughreducingtimeandcostto connectlowcarbonload,generation, andstoragetechnologies.

• Be recognised as a collaborative, thought leader in innovation.

• Demonstrate expertise in identifying and delivering the right solutions.

• Be the benchmark for innovation and best practice -byleadingtrials onDSO.

A future-ready distribution business

providing new services which meet the needs of

tomorrow’s customers

Consistently credited asan active facilitator of,

and not an obstacle to, the low carbon transition

OBJECTIVESOBJECTIVES


EFFICIENT & EFFECTIVE


FUTURE READY


LOWCARBON READY

Most innovative DNO


Projecthighlights

Domestic Energy Storage and Control (DESC)

Background

Thisprojectisintendedtoprovideunderstandingofthepotential

impactandopportunitiesondistributionnetworksofhighuptake

ofsmall-scaleenergystorage–particularlycombinedwith

small-scaleembeddedgeneration(SSEG)suchassolarPV.

Withover495MWofrooftopsolarPVinstalledacrossUK

PowerNetworks’threelicenceareasinthelastfiveyears,

primarilydrivenbytheFeed-in-Tariffs(FiTs),thereisagrowing

interestinbatterystorage.ThisismotivatedbylowerFiTsand

cheaperbatteriesbecomingmoreaccessible.SolarPVcombined

withbatterystoragereducesaconsumer’srequirementforgrid

powerandthereforereducestheirelectricitybills.Thisuptake

willcontinuetogrowasthecostofbatterystoragefalls.

Therefore,itispertinentforUKPowerNetworkstoinvestigate

thelikelyimpactsandopportunitiestothenetwork.

Specifically,theprojecthasthefollowingobjectives:

• Provideempiricaldatatoinformfasterandcheaper

installationsofdomesticbatteriestopropertieswithsolar

PV.Thiswillinformtherevisionofminimumrequirements

fromtheDNOfortheinstallationofSmall-ScaleEnergy

Storage(SSES)todomesticproperties;

• CharacterisethetypicalloadprofileofaPV-and-storage-

equippedhouseholdformodellingthelongtermeffectsof

SSESonthedistributionnetwork;

• GaininsightsintocustomerandDNOvaluepropositions

fromaggregatedSSESapplications;and

• ImproveDNOs’understandingoftheresidentialenergy

solutionsmarket.

Theprojectisachievingthisbycollecting12monthsofdata

from60batterydevicesinstalledinresidentialpropertieswith

solarPV–45AC-connectedbatterydevicesand15DC-connected

batterydevices.Forafewmonthsduringthisperiodactive

controltrialswillbeundertaken.Theseactivecontroltrialswill

seektoquantifythebenefitofcoordinatedcontrolofdistributed

SSEStotheDNO.TheprojectinvolvesBritish,Germanand

Americanbatterymanufacturers.

Experiencetodate

Theprojecthasnowrecruited60participants.Thiscomprises

of35ACunitsfromBritishmanufacturePowervault,14units

fromGermanmanufacturerSonnenand11unitsfromAmerican

manufacturerTesla.Monitoringhasnowbeeninstalledat45

ofthe60sites,withtheremainderscheduledtobecomplete

bytheendofMay2017atwhichpointtheprojectwilltransition

intothetrialoperationsphase.

Atrialdesigndocumenthasbeenproducedincollaboration

withprojectpartnerswhichoutlineshowthedatawillbe

analysedtomeettheprojectobjectives.

Theactivecontroltrialdesignhascommencedandwillbe

concludedbyJuly.Theactivecontroltrialwilltakeplacepart

waythroughthetrialoperationsphase,currentlyplannedfor

July–December2017.

Finally,aliteraturereviewhasbeenconductedbyImperial

CollegeLondon(ICL)andasummarydocumentproduced.

Futuredevelopments

Wearenowcomingintothetrialoperationsphaseofthe

projectwheredatawillbecollected,validatedandanalysed

tobegintoinformtheobjectives.

Installation and monitoring schematic


Export and Grid/Energy Services

Solar self-consumption

Weather & load forecast

DSM & Smart Home


Overhead line fault project

Background

Overheadlinefaultssuchasfaultypolemountedtransformers

orfailedinsulatorscantakealongtimetolocateastheyare

difficulttoidentify,butoncelocatedcanberepairedquickly.

Theuseofreclosershasreducedthenumberofcustomers

affectedbyasupplyinterruption,howeveritisnotcost

effectivetoinstalltheseinincreasedvolumesonacircuit.As

suchthisprojectaimstoidentifythelocationanddistancetoa

faulttodemonstratethatthesearchtimecanbereducedand

improvecustomerrestorationtimes.Theprojecthasinstalled

Aclarapowersensorstomeasurevoltageandcurrentaswell

asmomentarydisturbancesthatwilleventuallydevelop

intoapermanentfault.DuringtheprojectAclarawill

developadistancetofaultalgorithmbasedonthefault

currentandthedecayingvoltageduringthefault.

Experiencetodate

Aclarapowersensorshavebeeninstalledontheworst

performingcircuitsthatsupplycustomerswiththeintention

ofimprovingthesupplyrestorationtimes.

•Thesewereinstalledusinglivelinemethodsavoidingthe

needtohaveaplannedsupplyinterruption.

•Thesensorssenddatatoacentralserverthatcanbeviewedby

staffinthecontrolroomaswellasintheoperationaloffices.

•Theinformationprovidedhasreducedthelengthof

overheadlinecircuitthatneedstobepatrolledandresulted

infasterrestorationsofnon-faultysections.

Futuredevelopments

ToenhancethefaultinformationprovidedbytheAclarapower

sensorstheprojectwillalsoinstallfaultpassageindicators

(FPIs)withremotecommunicationsthatwillprovidegreater

visibilityoflikelyfaultlocations.Whenafaultoccurs,anFPIwill

sendamessageindicatingithasseenthepassageoffault

current.Theseindicationswillallowthecontrolengineerto

directoperationalstafftomanuallyoperateoverhead

switcheseithersideofthefaultysectionandrestorecustomer

suppliesmorequickly.Anoptimumplacementstrategywill

bedevelopedbasedontheexperienceofthesetrials.

Aclara power sensors connected to 11kV overhead conductors

Insulation of an Aclara power sensor


Mobile Asset Assessment Vehicle (MAAV)

Background

Ourlowvoltage(LV)cablenetwork,comprisingofmorethan

89,446kmofcable,isthelastsegmentofcableconnecting

ourcustomerstoourdistributionandthetransmissionnetwork.

Whenfaultsoccurinthisvastnetwork,theresultscanhave

negativeimpacts.Lowvoltagecablefailurescancauseloss

ofsupplyforcustomers,andareresponsibleforsignificant

energylosses.TheMAAVprojecthassucceededindeveloping

asensorthatallowsproactivedetectionofLVfaultconditions

beforetheyimpactcustomers.TheMAAVusesasensitive

electricfielddetectorandadvancedsignalprocessingto

surveythelandscapeinsearchofdevelopingcablefaults.

Experiencetodate

TheMAAVcompletedonesurveyoftheCentralLondonArea

inDecember2016.Asecondsurveywillbecompletedby

Julyin2017.

Thusfar,theMAAVprogrammehassuccessfullydelivered

benefitsinseveralkeyareas:

• Improvedreliability–TheMAAVpinpointsfaultedcables

beforethefaultshaveinterruptedcustomers

• Reducedcarbonfootprint–Thereductioninlossesconverts

directlytoareductioninelectricitygenerationandtherefore

areductionofhundredsoftonnesofCO2emissions

Futuredevelopments

TheMAAVhasdemonstratedthecapabilitytosupportour

riskmanagementandassetmanagementprocesses,while

improvingcustomersatisfactionandsystemperformance.

TheseareallkeyfocusareasforUKPowerNetworks.

TheMAAVteamaredevelopingaprogrammeformore

widespreaddeploymentoftheMAAVacrossournetworks.

Toensureasuccessfuldeployment,theteamisalsodeveloping

trainingforemployeesacrossthecompany.Wearealso

exploringapplicationsofthistechnologyforouroverhead

networks.

The MAAV sensor before a patrol around Royal Albert Hall

MAAV sensors help track down underground faults

Faulted cable found during a MAAV survey and replaced


Freight Electric Vehicles in Urban Europe (FREVUE)

Background

Decarbonisingfreightdeliverymeansthereisapotential

foranincreaseddemandonthedistributionnetworktosupply

electricityforelectricvansandtrucks.

Theobjectiveofthisprojectistoassessandcharacterisethe

demandoflargefreightEVsandquantifythepotentialimpacts

onlocalenergydistributioninfrastructurefromalargerscale

deployment.Thishasbeenachievedbymonitoringand

assessingfreightEVchargingatseveraldemonstratorlocations

acrossEurope–particularlyalogisticsdepotincentralLondon

with20freightEVs.

Scopeoftheproject:

•Collectdatatofacilitatetheassessmentoftheimpact

freightEVshaveondistributionnetworks;

•Analysethedatatoinformunderstandingofthe

opportunitiesandimpactoffreightEVcharging;and

•Establishworkinggroupstocommunicatelessonslearnt

indifferentareas.

Benefitsoftheprojectinclude:

•Network performance:thedataonchargingactivitieshas

providedinsightintothenatureoftheadditionalloadfrom

largeEVsandwillallowbetterdesignandmanagement

ofthenetworksthatsupportthem.

•Environmental:thesolutionsthatcanbedevelopedand

informedbythisprojectwill,inthelongterm,leadtothe

supportoftheproliferationoflargeEVfleets.Thisinturn

willreducetheenvironmentalimpacts.

• Knowledge transfer:theunderstandinggainedinthisproject

andthesubsequentvehiclebasedtrialwillbenefitawide

audienceintheUKandthewiderinternationalcommunity.

Experiencetodate

Theprojectsuccessfullyfittedandcommissionedmonitoring

systemsattheLondontrialsiteandanalysedthedatawhich

wascollectedoveraoneyearperiod.Thisdatawascollected

usingthree-phasesmartmeters,whichallowedusto

characterisethechargingprofileofthefreightEVs.

TheanalysisofthetrialdatahighlightsthatfleetEVoperators

withheavy-dutycycles(i.e.theuseoftheEVsisinseparably

linkedtothecorebusinessactivity)havefairlyconsistent

demandsforchargingloads.

ThisconclusionhasinformedUKPowerNetworks’viewon

theopportunityforofferingflexibleconnectionstoEVfleet

operators,whichwearenowpursuingasafollow-upproject.

Ithasalsoprovidedinsightsonreinforcementneedsforfleet

operatorsandinformedourstakeholderengagementstrategy.

Futuredevelopments

Wearenowpursuingthedevelopmentofadvancednetwork

analysistoolstomakeassessmentsonthenetworkcapacity

availableforotherfreightEVusers.Thiswillenableustooffer

timedconnections,whichwecanofferwherethepower

demandfromthecustomer,e.g.anEVfleetoperator,isfairly

predictableandlimitedtofixedtimewindowsintheday.

Theconnectionofferwillmatchthisdemandwithtroughs

ofdemandonthepowernetworktofacilitatecheaperand

quickerconnectionsforourcustomers.

UPS 3.5 tonne electric vehicle


Vertical Transition Straight Joints Innovative Inspection

Background

Historically,inLondon,jointswereinstalledinsidethe

substationinaverticalpositionadjacenttotheswitchgear

toavoidexcavatingthefootpath.AtUKPowerNetworkswe

haveapproximately4,000sitesintheLondonPowerNetworks

(LPN)areathatcontaintwooftheseVerticalTransition

Straightjoints(VTSJs)persite.

Intherecentyears,wehaveexperiencedfailuresinthese

jointsthatcausedisruptiontoourcustomers.Additionally,

therewasnomobileorremotemethodtodetectand

identifypre-faultorfaultconditionoftheseVTSJsonthe

11kVnetwork.

Wehavedevelopedadevicecalled‘CableCanary’thatcan

detectearlydegradationofcablejointsbyusingpartial

dischargetechniquesallowingustointervenebeforethe

jointfailsandavoiddisruptiontoourcustomers.Thisallows

ustoidentifycablejointsathigherriskoffailureandarrange

controlled,plannedreplacements.

Experiencetodate

AcablejointwastakenoutfromthenetworktotheEA

Technologylabstounderstandthelevelofelectricaldischarges

comingoutfromthejointandthelevelatwhichthecable

jointfails.Basedonthesetestsandourexperienceonpartial

discharge(PD),wedevelopedaprototypeofCableCanary

whichwasinstalledtoruntwofieldtrialsintenLPNsubstations.

Thesetrialswereconductedtounderstandthetypicalnoise

readingswithinthesubstationenvironmentsuchthatwe

areabletofilterthemoutfromPDreadings.

Duringthetrial,acablejointwithinthesubstationinLondon

wasidentifiedbytheprototypeasgivinghighelectrical

dischargesandearlysignsofdegradation.Thejointwas

removedfromthenetworkforanalysisinthelaband

confirmedtheearlydegradationofpaperinsidethecable

joint.Afterreplacement,thePDlevelatthissitewas

reducedtoalowlevel,confirmingthecorrectdiagnosisof

animpendingfaultandvalidatingthetechnologyofCable

CanarytoidentifyhighriskHVcablejoints.

Futuredevelopments

Theprototypenetworktrialshavebeencompletedand

resultsshowtheautomaticrejectionofnoiselevelsinCable

Canaryissuccessful.Themethodissuitablefordeployment

atlargerscale.ThesuccessfuldetectionofasubstantialPD

sourceonthenetworkanditsremovalhascontributedto

safeoperationofthenetwork.

OncefullydevelopedthefinalproductCableCanarywillgo

intoproductiontorolloutintobusinessasusual.

Cable Canary device that monitors vertical transition joints within substation using partial discharged techniques


Vertical Transition Straight Joints Innovative Inspection Powerful-CB

Background

Powerful-CBwilluseadvancedpowerelectronicstechnologyto

developanewtypeofcircuitbreakerthatis20timesfaster

thanexistingones.Thishighspeedoperationprovidesextra

protectionfortheelectricitynetwork,allowingmanymore

highlyefficientCombinedHeatandPower(CHP)unitsto

connectbeforethenetworkneedstobeupgraded.

Atthemoment,mostofLondon’spowerisgeneratedin

powerstationsoutsideofthecapital,whichalsogenerate

heat,butthisissentupthechimneyintotheatmosphere.

TheLondonPlanaimsforaquarterofLondon’sheatand

powertobegeneratedinthecapitalby2025,whichcould

savemorethan2.5milliontonnesofcarbondioxideayear.

Itisexpectedthiswillleadtoalargeincreaseindemandfor

theconnectionofCHPunits,whicharehighlyefficientin

generatingheatandpoweratthesametime(combinedheat

andpower).Thismeanstheyuselessenergythanconventional

energysystemsinmeetingthesameenergydemand.

Howeverconstraintsthatthisrapidchangecouldcauseon

theelectricitydistributionnetworkcouldmakethattarget

hardtoachievesafelywithoutprohibitivelyexpensive

infrastructureupgrades–oradvancesintechnology.

Londonwillbecomethefirstcityintheworldtohostthe

Powerful-CBdevice,whichcouldrevolutionisetheway

energyisdistributed,andcouldhelpkeepdownelectricity

connectioncostsforCHPcustomers.

Weareworkingwithtwotechnologypartnerstodevelop

twotypesoffault-limitingcircuitbreaker(FLCB).ABBwill

developaFLCBforuseataprimarysubstation,knownas

Method1.AppliedMaterials(AMAT)willdevelopanFLCB

foruseatacustomer’spremises,knownasMethod2.We

believeMethod1willbetheworld’sfirstdemonstrationof

anFLCBwithafastcommutatingswitch.Method2willbe

GB’sfirstdemonstrationofanFLCB,atacustomerspremises.

WearealsoworkingwithFrazer-NashConsultancy(FNC)

andImperialConsultants(ImperialCollege)todevelopthe

safetycasesforthesedevices.

Experiencetodate

WehavefinalisedandpublishedanFLCBtechnical

specification,whichdefinesthetechnicalrequirementsfor

bothMethod1andMethod2FLCBs.Wecanprovidethis

documenttoothernetworklicenseesuponrequest.

Wepublishedthesafetycaseprocessesandprinciplesdocument

(bit.ly/pcb-sc-process),whichexplainshowwewilldevelopthe

safetycaseforFLCBs.Webelievethisisthefirstdocumentof

itskindproducedforaGBnetworklicensee.Thisdocument

containsinformationthatwillbeusefultoothernetwork

licenseeswhoneedtodevelopasafetycaseforaninnovative

technologyoroperationalpractice.

Futuredevelopments

Inthefirstyearoftheprojectwewill:

•DevelopapreliminarysafetycasefortheuseofFLCBs;

•DevelopaFLCBnetworkdesignstandard;

•Completefeasibilitystudiesonasampleofprimary

substationsites;

•Commencesiteselectionandpreliminarydesignforthe

Method1trialsite;

•RecruitacustomertotrialMethod2;and

•HoldcustomerdialoguesessionsandpublishSDRC9.3.1

(Understandingcustomers’requirements)inOctober2017.

Budget

Start/End Dates

Project Partners (contributions)

Project Suppliers

£6.2m

January2017toAugust2021

ABB,AppliedMaterials

Frazer-NashConsultancy,ImperialCollegeLondon

mailto:bit.ly/pcb-sc-process?subject=


TDI 2.0 - Transmission and Distribution Interface 2.0 (Power Potential)Background

Thecapacitytoconnectmorelowcarbonenergyresources

intheSouthEastofEnglandisnearingthelimitdueto

upstreamconstraintsinthetransmissionnetwork.These

constraintshavebeendrivenbythesignificantincreaseof

distributedgenerationconnectedinthedistributionsystem

aswellasnewinterconnectioncapacityprojectstoFrance

andBelgium.Furthercapacityinthetransmissionnetwork

canbeachievedbyeithersignificantinvestmentinthe

infrastructureorwithinnovativenon-buildsolutions.

ThePowerPotentialprojectaimstoaddressthese

challengesonthetransmissionnetworkandprovide

additionalnetworkcapabilityforthedistributionnetwork.

Toachievethis,itwilldeveloptechnicalandcommercial

solutionstomaximisetheuseofdistributedenergy

resources(DER)tomanagetransmissionvoltageand

thermalconstraints.TheprojectleadbyNationalGrid

SystemOperatorinpartnershipwithUKPowerNetworks

isestimatedtocreatefinancialbenefitsforconsumersby

savingfrom£1mby2020to£29mby2050asaresult

ofdeferredinvestmentinthetransmissionnetwork.

Itwillalsocreateadditionalnetworkcapacitytoenable

UKPowerNetworkstoconnectafurther3,720MWof

distributedgenerationintheareaby2050.

This£9.56mprojectisfundedbytheNetworkInnovation

Competition(NIC)mechanismwithNationalGridandUK

PowerNetworkseachcontributing£750k.Theprojectwillbe

deliveredinthephasesdescribedbelowinthefigurebelow:

Experiencetodate

Theproject,whichstartedinJanuary2017hasfocusedon

definingthehighleveldesignoftechnicalandcommercial

features.Thecornerstoneoftheprojectistodeliverboth

reactiveandactivepowerservicestoNationalGridfrom

DERviaUKPowerNetworks.Thus,oneofthefirsthighlevel

designdecisionswastomaphowtheseservicescouldwork

technicallyinordertodesigntheadequatecommercial

frameworkaroundit.Theprojecthasalsofocusedonthe

processofselectingthesoftwareproviderwhichwillenable

theservicesbeingcoordinatedbyUKPowerNetworksand

providedtoNationalGrid.

Futuredevelopments

Followingonfromthesoftwareproviderselection,the

detaileddesignphasewillcommenceandwillseethe

designoptionsfinalisedbothcommerciallyandtechnically.

Thesefindingswillbesummarisedintheprojectdetailed

commercialandtechnicaldesignreport(SDRC9.2)duein

January2018.Inparallel,wewillworkwithinterested

partiestounderstandtheirneeds,questionsandfeedback

withregardstotheproject’sdesigndevelopments.

Budget

Start/End Dates

Project Partners (contributions)

Project Suppliers

£9.6m

January2017toDecember2019

NationalGrid

TBC

DESIGNJan-Dec 2017

BUILDJan-June 2018

TESTJuly-Dec 2018

TRIALJan-Dec 2019


A full list of our projects

CapitalEfficiency

ProjectReferenceProjectName ResearchArea Start-Ends Budget

NIA_UKPN0001 PowerTransformerRealTimeThermalRating(RTTR) HighVoltageNetworks 06/2014-01/2017 £1,522,000

NIA_UKPN0011 SmallBoreCableReplacementTechnology HighVoltageNetworks 09/2015-04/2017 £1,114,650

NIA_UKPN0014 SolidCableReplacementPrioritisation HighVoltageNetworks 09/2015-02/2017 £141,056

NIA_NGET0088 TransformerResearchConsortium Safety,HealthandEnvironment 04/2013-10/2017 £1,050,000

NIA_UKPN0013 UndergroundHVCableResearch HighVoltageNetworks 09/2015-03/2017 £932,477

NIA_UKPN0022 GlobalEarthingSystems(GES) NetworkOperations,CommsandIT 03/2017-03/2019 £483,000

Connections

NIA_UKPN0004 FreightElectricVehiclesinUrbanEurope(FREVUE) LowVoltageand11kVNetworks 03/2013-09/2017 £74,310

NIA_UKPN0018 EfficientNetworkConstraintManagementThroughtheuseofMarket Various 06/2016-08/2017 £250,000

NIA_ENWL003 ReviewofEngineeringRecommendationP2/6 HighVoltageNetworks 01/2015-09/2016 £650,000

DrivingSustainableNetworks

NIA_UKPN0021 DomesticEnergyStorageandControl(DESC) EnergyStoreandDemandResponse 09/2016-06/2018 £625,000

NIA_SSEPD0026 ManagementofPlug-inVehicleUptakeonDistributionNetwork EnergyStoreandDemandResponse 03/2016-01/2018 £430,000

NIA_WPD_008 ImprovedStatisticalRatingsforDistributionOverheadLines NetworkOperations,Comms&IT 07/2015-01/2018 £747,554

Environment

NIA_NPG_009 DevelopmentofOil-filledCableAdditive Safety,HealthandEnvironment 03/2016-06/2017 £180,000

NIA_UKPN0012 PressurisedCableActiveControlandMonitoring HighVoltageNetworks 09/2015-11/2017 £1,075,600

OperationalEfficiency

NIA_UKPN0009 CompositeShelljointRetrofitTrial LowVoltageand11kVNetworks 09/2015-05/2017 £186,000

NIA_UKPN0017 OptimisingOverheadLineConductorInspectionandCondition HighVoltageNetwork 04/2016-01/2018 £1,520,431

NIA_UKPN0016 RoadMenderReinstatementTrial LowVoltageand11kVNetworks 01/2016-01/2017 £493,106

ReliabilityandAvailability

NIA_UKPN0003 SmartUrbanLowVoltageNetwork(SULVN) LowVoltageand11kVNetworks 12/2009-03/2017 £5,383,409

NIA_UKPN0006 ThePredictionofWeather-RelatedFaults NetworkOperations,Comms&IT 05/2015-08/2016 £128,310

NIA_UKPN0002 DirectionalEarthFaultPassageIndicatorTrial LowVoltageand11kVNetworks 01/2014-01/2018 £483,764

NIA_UKPN0019 OHLFaultLocationConcept&DirectionalEarthFaultPassageIndication LowVoltageand11kVNetworks 05/2016-09/2018 £2,585,000

NIA_UKPN0023 HarmonicEffectsonNetworkAssets(HENA) HighVoltageNetworks 03/2017-06/2018 £441,000

NIA_UKPN0005 BetterSpurProtection LowVoltageand11kVNetworks 04/2014-10/2017 £492,000

Safety

NIA_UKPN0007 DetectionofBroken/LowHangingOverheadLineConductors Safety,HealthandEnvironment 02/2014-12/2017 £737,900

NIA_UKPN0015 TunnelDataCaptureEnhancement Various 11/2015-05/2017 £240,000

NIA_UKPN0020 MobileAssetAssessmentVehicle(MAAV) Safety,HealthandEnvironment 07/2016-01/2018 £544,322

NIA_UKPN0010 VerticalTransitionStraightJointsInnovativeInspection LowVoltageand11kVNetworks 09/2015-07/2017 £899,396

Our Network Innovation Allowance Portfolio


http://www.smarternetworks.org/Project.aspx?ProjectID=1688



























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