SSE teams up with Sheffield Uni on grid balancing tech

The software innovation was developed to maximise the efficiency of mega batteries. It will manage the operation of the 2MW battery at the £4m research facility, which is part of Sheffield University’s Centre for Research into Electrical Energy Storage and Applications (CREESA). CREESA aims to advance development of an affordable and clean energy future that is secure and sustainable.

The intermittency of renewable energy sources like wind and solar have been seen as a limiting factor in their adoption but energy storage solutions have the potential to balance such fluctuations. SSE’ said Enhance can monitor and manage costs and performance of battery sites.

The Enhance platform works by preventing the battery from taking power from the grid at times of peak usage and by feeding stored energy back to the grid when local demands on the battery are lower. The platform grants access to the wholesale energy market as well as the Balancing Mechanism, the open auction through which the National Grid buys power to keep the grid in balance.

SSE engaged with researchers from Sheffield’s Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering on a knowledge exchange project relating to the operation of grid-connected energy storage assets. The project has enabled SSE to connect their first energy storage control system into the SSE Enhance platform.

The energy company said that the partnership has provided the opportunity to integrate new ideas coming from the UK research community into its mission, accelerating the development and optimisation of the platform.

SSE described the research and refinement of the Enhance platform in energy storage solutions at the Willenhall site as ‘invaluable’, as Enhance will be deployed at its first 50MW battery project in Salisbury. The battery will be the first of SSE Energy Solutions’ grid-scale solar and battery projects to support access to clean, reliable energy by balancing the intermittency of renewables.

Eunice Mabey, director of digital services at SSE Energy Solutions, said that the platform gives users the information and control they need to get their whole system performing at its best, from energy generation to peak-balancing to the sale of excess capacity.

“At SSE we take a Whole Systems Thinking approach to today’s challenges, whether it’s decarbonising our transport systems with EVs and greener ports or making the grid more suitable for renewable energy assets,” Mabey said in a statement.

“By having access to Enhance, the University of Sheffield will have an opportunity to pioneer research into energy market optimisation strategies and enabling technologies. We are proud and excited to be able to work together on this project.”

Professor Dan Gladwin, deputy head of the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Sheffield University, said: “Our research is focused on achieving net-zero across the energy system through the increased integration of energy storage. We have completed many successful pilots of new technologies and continue to operate assets at grid-scale that enables us to innovate in real-world conditions.

“Working with companies such as SSE is essential to ensure that our research and knowledge can be translated to achieve the environmental and economic impact that energy storage can deliver.”