Innovative grid stability services
Delivering grid stability services
Uniper’s Killingholme and Grain power station sites deliver essential grid stabilising services to National Energy System Operator without the need to combust fuel.
The National Energy System Operator (NESO) must maintain the electricity system at 50 Hz in order to keep power supplies secure. In the UK, electricity is generated at power stations at the same frequency. Rapid changes in the frequency of electricity can create instability in the system if demand for power exceeds supply, or there is too much power being supplied to the system. If this breaches a certain limit, this can cause equipment and domestic appliances to disconnect or be damaged, as well as power cuts. Inertia in the energy system slows down the rate at which frequency changes, helping the grid to remain stable at the right frequency and voltage level. The more inertia in the system, the slower the change in frequency, which gives the grid operator more time to react and manage system stability effectively.
Synchronous condenser units are key to enabling the introduction of more renewable technology to generate electricity in Great Britain. Up to now thermal power stations, with their large spinning generators, have provided inertia as a by-product of generating electricity. With the growth of wind and solar, separate dedicated facilities are needed to help manage grid stability, because renewable generation is not connected to the grid in the same way and cannot provide inertia, which is essential to keep electricity supplies at the right frequency.
