The £9.7million project has been awarded funding under Ofgem's Low Carbon Network Fund and is set to form part of Ofgem's ongoing commitment to making Britain's electricity grid smarter.
The Flexible Plug and Play (FPP) project will develop a smart grid system in an area of 700km2 between Peterborough and the towns March and Wisbech in Cambridgeshire. The project will cost effectively connect and manage onshore wind generation utilising smart grid solutions, which will run over a fast, robust, pervasive IPv6-based communications network, to be deployed by Cable&Wireless and Silver Spring Networks. The result will be a smart grid blue print which may be replicable nationwide.
The project will trial a number of innovative technical and commercial solutions, which will optimise network utilisation and manage network constraints in real time, enabling the most flexible and cost effective means of connecting renewable generation to be identified and provided. The project will also develop an investment modelling tool that determines when it makes best economic and carbon sense to reinforce the networks or use smart alternatives.
The collaboration will take advantage of Silver Spring's secure IPv6-based radio frequency network infrastructure, software, and services, as well as Cable&Wireless Worldwide's secure next-generation network and extensive experience in delivering highly complex, mission-critical communications networks and managed services.
The UK Government envisages major growth in onshore wind generation in order to meet renewables targets, reduce emissions and maintain security of supply. It also recognises however that a key challenge to deployment will be reducing the costs of integrating onshore wind into our electricity grid.
Patrick Razavet, Director of Utilities and Smart for Cable&Wireless Worldwide said: "The renewable energy targets set by government are leading to significant changes in the sources of energy generation, and how intermittent sources of generation are bought on stream and effectively managed. IP-based communications networks can overlay the existing grid reducing the structural burden of deploying renewables, whilst at the same time still providing operators access to the key information they need to effectively manage the distribution system."
James Pace, Managing Director, UK & Ireland for Silver Spring Networks added: "Bringing renewables online quickly and cost effectively has never been more important.. With UK Power Networks' approach, intermittent sources of generation can be brought to bear rapidly, avoiding or deferring the cost of reinforcing the physical distribution network, all the while maintaining reliability; as such, Silver Spring is excited to be playing such a key role in this forward-looking project."
For more information, www.silverspringnet.com
