MEDIA INFORMATION
Smarter Grid Solutions Wins ‘Best Smart Grid Innovation' Award for Pioneering Work on Island Smart Grid Systems
Work on Orkney Smart Grid with SSEPD recognised at UK Energy Innovation Awards
GLASGOW, UK - 25th April 2014 - Smarter Grid Solutions, a leading smart grid technology company, has won the Best Smart Grid Innovation Award at the annualUK Energy Innovation Awards. The company's work on the Orkney Isles, creating an Active Network Management (ANM) system for Orkney's power grid, was recognised as this year's Best Smart Grid Innovation.
The Orkney Smart Grid project, delivered in collaboration with Scottish Southern Energy Power Distribution (SSEPD), was the first ever deployment of an operational ANM scheme and is widely regarded as a technology world first. Before the ANM scheme was commissioned, Orkney's local power grid was considered "full" to any additional renewable connections and the cost of a conventional upgrade to create extra capacity for new generation projects was at least £30m. The ANM scheme, based on Smarter Grid Solutions' patented technology, has allowed the connection of 21 new generation projects, representing an additional 24.4MW of capacity. The initial ANM solution was delivered for £0.5m.
The Orkney Isles are now a net exporter of renewable energy, with 103% of local demand being met by renewable energy in 2013. Over 40% of this generation is managed by the ANM system. This outcome was achieved using the existing grid, which meant:
- Renewable connection costs were reduced, making the additional 24.4MW viable to connect
- Reducing the need for planning consent for new subsea cables, overhead lines and substations
- Many community-based energy projects have been realised, releasing £Ms into the local economy
Commenting on the award, Alan Gooding, Smarter Grid Solutions' Commercial Director and Co-Founder, said, "Our work for SSEPD in Orkney has created proven benefits for an island community that we have now replicated across the UK and further afield. Our smart grid technology is now providing solutions for both community microgrids and city-scale smart grid projects around the world. ANM is becoming an important component in plans to decarbonise electricity and address the effects of climate change."
Smarter Grid Solutions was nominated for the award by Orkney Smart Grid client SSEPD. The annual UK Energy Innovation Awards are run by the Energy Innovation Centre and are designed to celebrate the projects, technologies and talent at the forefront of innovation within the energy sector.
Headquartered in Glasgow, UK, Smarter Grid Solutions is at the forefront of smart grid technology. The company creates products that enable power companies and utilities to increase their existing grid capacity in order to connect more renewable energy and respond to the global rise in demand for electricity.
The company is Europe's leading vendor of Distributed Energy Resource (DER) integration solutions. In the UK, it works with five of the country's six electricity distribution network operators. It has recently opened an office in New York to address the North American smart grid market and has already won a contract with Con Edison to model and simulate microgrid applications for the New York metro area.
Background
The Orkney smart grid project was recently featured in a keynote speech by the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP, First Minister of Scotland, at the Bloomberg New Energy Finance Summit in New York, earlier this month. He said:
"...the company has just signed a significant contract here, working in conjunction with Con Edison. It's taking a technology developed to connect renewable energy on Orkney - where the grid was previously considered full - and using it here in New York State..."
A longer quote and the full text of the speech is available here:
http://news.scotland.gov.uk/Speeches-Briefings/Alex-Salmond-in-New-York-Bloomberg-New-Energy-Finance-Summit-April-8-2014-b55.aspx
A case study on the Orkney Smart Grid is available on the company website:
http://www.smartergridsolutions.com/about-us/our-experience/orkney-smart-grid
SSEPD's Orkney Smart Grid website:
http://www.ssepd.co.uk/OrkneySmartGrid/
Contact
David Millar, Marketing and Communications Manager
Tel +44 (0)141 568 4319
dmillar@smartergridsolutions.com
About Smarter Grid Solutions
Smarter Grid Solutions creates and delivers technologies that help electricity distribution companies and utilities to integrate Distributed Energy Resources (DER). The company specialises in Active Network Management, which uses software, automation and control to monitor the electricity grid in real time. This allows power companies to improve the operation of their electricity grid and manage their connected customers, without compromising safety and security. Smarter Grid Solutions is Europe's leading vendor of DER integration solutions. It services customers worldwide and is headquartered in Glasgow, with offices in London and New York. Investors include Scottish Equity Partners, the Scottish Investment Bank and the University of Strathclyde.www.smartergridsolutions.com
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