SuperSmart Grid

Last updated

A conceptual plan of a European super grid linking renewable energy projects like DESERTEC & Medgrid across North Africa, the Middle East and Europe and could serve as the backbone for the hypothetical supersmart grid. TREC-Map-en.jpg
A conceptual plan of a European super grid linking renewable energy projects like DESERTEC & Medgrid across North Africa, the Middle East and Europe and could serve as the backbone for the hypothetical supersmart grid.

The SuperSmart Grid (SSG) is a hypothetical wide area electricity network connecting Europe with northern Africa, the Middle East, and the IPS/UPS system of CIS countries. The system would unify super grid and smart grid capabilities into a comprehensive network. There are no planned locations for infrastructure or schedule explicitly for the SSG; the name is used to discuss the economic and technological feasibility of such a network and ways that it might gain political support.

Contents

The ambitious upgrade and unification of current transmission and/or distribution grids finds support among advocates of large scale utilization of alternative energy, and as well as advocates of enhanced energy security for Europe. [1] The SSG proposal was initiated by the European Climate Forum and at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research by Antonella Battaglini and colleagues.

History

The concept of a "super grid" is not new- the term itself was used to describe the emerging unification of the Great Britain grid in the 60s. [2] Europe has been unifying its grids since the 1950s and its largest unified grid is the synchronous grid of Continental Europe serving 24 countries. There are studies and ongoing discussions regarding creation of a synchronous grid spanning 13 time zones that would result from unifying the UCTE grid with that of the IPS/UPS Interconnection serving Russia, Belarus and other countries of the former Soviet Union. [3] Such mega systems are experiencing scaling problems as a result of network complexity, transmission congestion, and the need for rapid diagnostic, coordination and control systems. [4] Advocates of schemes such as the SuperSmart Grid claim that such a major technological upgrade is necessary to assure the practical operation and promised benefits of such transcontinental mega grids.

Concept

The concept of a wide-area "super grid" with centralized control and the concept of small-scale, local and decentralized smart grid are two approaches that are often perceived as being mutually exclusive alternatives. The SSG aims at reconciling the two approaches and considers them complementary and necessary to realize a transition towards a fully decarbonized electricity system. The super grid features would deliver inexpensive, high capacity, low loss transmission, interconnecting producers and consumers of electricity across vast distances. Smart grid capabilities use the local grid's transmission and distribution network to coordinate distributed generation, grid storage and consumption into a cluster that appears to the super grid as a virtual power plant. [5]

The name "SuperSmart Grid" was invented by Antonella Battaglini and used the first time in the position paper for the energy conference in Lund in 2007. [5] In the context of the SuperSmart Grid, advocates use the term "super grid" to refer to a network super imposed on top of local grid networks.

Implementation practicalities

The SSG relies on existing technology. The SuperSmart Grid would employ high voltage direct current (HVDC) cables in its first-generation implementation to integrate the European electricity market and possibly connect it to neighboring regions, such as North Africa, and their vast renewable energy resources, such as those that could be unlocked by the DESERTEC & Medgrid project. The SuperSmart Grid would operate 'on top' of the local high voltage AC (HVAC) grids. Existing AC grids would still transmit electricity over shorter domestic distances, but be upgraded to smart grids. [5]

Dr Gregor Czisch of Kassel University, has constructed and optimized a model indicating that an entirely renewable electric supply system is possible at 2008 electricity [6] prices.

Initial work

An initial project proposed in 2006 by Irish wind farm developer Airtricity (Formerly Eirtricity) and Swiss engineering firm ABB would provide a chain of undersea cable connections extending from the Baltic Sea southward to Spain and servicing areas between the endpoints. Proponents of the project claimed that this western corridor could be in service as early as 2015. The first segments would provide two 5000 megawatt links connecting a new 10,000 megawatt group of wind parks in the North Sea with consumers in the UK and continental Europe. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric power industry</span> Industry that provides the production and delivery of electric energy

The electric power industry covers the generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electric power to the general public and industry. The commodity sold is actually energy, not power, e.g. consumers pay for kilowatt-hours, power multiplied by time, which is energy. The commercial distribution of electricity started in 1882 when electricity was produced for electric lighting. In the 1880s and 1890s, growing economic and safety concerns lead to the regulation of the industry. What was once an expensive novelty limited to the most densely populated areas, reliable and economical electric power has become an essential aspect for normal operation of all elements of developed economies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Grid (Great Britain)</span> High-voltage electric power transmission network in Great Britain

The National Grid is the high-voltage electric power transmission network serving Great Britain, connecting power stations and major substations, and ensuring that electricity generated anywhere on the grid can be used to satisfy demand elsewhere. The network serves the majority of Great Britain and some of the surrounding islands. It does not cover Northern Ireland, which is part of the Irish single electricity market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LitPol Link</span> Electricity link between Poland and Lithuania

LitPol Link is an electricity link between Poland and Lithuania which connects the Baltic transmission system to the synchronous grid of Continental Europe. It has a capacity of 500 MW and since 2021 it can operate in a synchronous regime.

ENTSO-E, the European Network of Transmission System Operators, represents 39 electricity transmission system operators (TSOs) from 35 countries across Europe, thus extending beyond EU borders. ENTSO-E was established and given legal mandates by the EU's Third Package for the Internal energy market in 2009, which aims at further liberalising the gas and electricity markets in the EU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smart grid</span> Type of electrical grid

A smart grid is an electrical grid which includes a variety of operation and energy measures including:

DESERTEC is a non-profit foundation that focuses on the production of renewable energy in desert regions The project aims to create a global renewable energy plan based on the concept of harnessing sustainable powers, from sites where renewable sources of energy are more abundant, and transferring it through high-voltage direct current transmission to consumption centers. The foundation also works on concepts involving green hydrogen. Multiple types of renewable energy sources are envisioned, but their plan is centered around the natural climate of the deserts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synchronous grid of Continental Europe</span> Worlds largest single electric network

The synchronous grid of Continental Europe is the largest synchronous electrical grid in the world. It is interconnected as a single phase-locked 50 Hz mains frequency electricity grid that supplies over 400 million customers in 24 countries, including most of the European Union. In 2009, 667 GW of production capacity was connected to the grid, providing approximately 80 GW of operating reserve margin. The transmission system operators operating this grid formed the Union for the Coordination of Transmission of Electricity (UCTE), now part of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E).

Unified National Smart Grid as well as Unified Solar is a proposal for a nationally interconnected grid relying on a backbone of electric power transmission lines linking the US' local grids that have been upgraded to smart grids. Europe's analogous project is sometimes referred to as the SuperSmart Grid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electrical grid</span> Interconnected network for delivering electricity from suppliers to consumers

An electrical grid is an interconnected network for electricity delivery from producers to consumers. Electrical grids vary in size and can cover whole countries or continents. It consists of:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wide area synchronous grid</span> Regional electrical grid

A wide area synchronous grid is a three-phase electric power grid that has regional scale or greater that operates at a synchronized utility frequency and is electrically tied together during normal system conditions. Also known as synchronous zones, the most powerful is the Northern Chinese State Grid with 1,700 gigawatts (GW) of generation capacity, while the widest region served is that of the IPS/UPS system serving most countries of the former Soviet Union. Synchronous grids with ample capacity facilitate electricity trading across wide areas. In the ENTSO-E in 2008, over 350,000 megawatt hours were sold per day on the European Energy Exchange (EEX).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IPS/UPS</span>

The IPS/UPS is a wide area synchronous transmission grid of some CIS countries, with a common mode of operation and centralized supervisory control. It has an installed generation capacity of 300 gigawatts, and produces 1,200 terawatt-hours (TWh) per year for its 280 million customers. The system spans eight time zones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super grid</span> Wide-area electricity transmission network

A super grid or supergrid is a wide-area transmission network, generally trans-continental or multinational, that is intended to make possible the trade of high volumes of electricity across great distances. It is sometimes also referred to as a "mega grid". Super grids typically are proposed to use high-voltage direct current (HVDC) to transmit electricity long distances. The latest generation of HVDC power lines can transmit energy with losses of only 1.6% per 1,000 km.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European super grid</span> Possible future super grid

The European super grid is a possible future super grid that would ultimately interconnect the various European countries and the regions around Europe's borders – including North Africa, Kazakhstan, and Turkey – with a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) power grid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burshtyn TES</span>

Burshtyn TES is a coal-fired power plant of Zakhidenergo located in Ivano-Frankivsk Raion 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south-east from Burshtyn, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is part of Rinat Akhmetov's holdings. It was struck by four Russian missiles on 10th of October 2022, amidst massive rocket shelling on Ukraine.

The India – Sri Lanka HVDC Grid Interconnection is a proposed project to link the national grids of India and Sri Lanka. The project involves the construction of a HVDC connection between Madurai in southern India, and Anuradhapura in central Sri Lanka, through the Palk Strait. The link would measure 285 kilometres (177 mi) in length, including 50 kilometres (31 mi) of submarine cables, and would take more than three years to construct. It would be implemented by the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited and Ceylon Electricity Board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Seas Energy Cooperation</span>

The North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC), officially the Political Declaration on energy cooperation between the North Seas Countries, is a collaboration between EU member-states and Norway to create an integrated offshore energy grid which links wind farms and other renewable energy sources across the northern seas of Europe. First proposed as the North Seas Countries Offshore Grid Initiative (NSCOGI), it is one of several European super grid schemes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electricity sector in Russia</span> Overview of the electricity sector in Russia

Russia is the fourth largest generator and consumer of electricity in the world. Its 440 power stations have a combined installed generation capacity of 220 GW.

Medgrid project, created at the end of 2010 in Paris, is a large industrial project planned in North Africa, which aims to promote and develop a Euro-Mediterranean electricity network that would provide North Africa & Europe with inexpensive renewable electricity, mostly from solar. The goal is to install 20 gigawatts (GW) of generating capacity, with 5 GW being devoted for exports to Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Litgrid</span>

Litgrid AB is a Lithuanian electricity transmission system operator that operates Lithuania's electricity transmission grid. Litgrid is responsible for the integration of the Lithuanian electricity system into the European electricity infrastructure and the common electricity market.

Baltic states synchronization with UCTE is an international electricity transmission infrastructure project to synchronize the three Baltic states with the Synchronous grid of Continental Europe, managed by ENTSO-E, and leave the IPS/UPS transmission system managed by the BRELL agreement. The project is expected to be completed by February 2025.

References

  1. ↑ David Charter (13 August 2008). "Power supergrid plan to protect Europe from Russian threat to choke off energy". The Times . Retrieved 21 July 2008.
  2. ↑ Alan Shaw (29 September 2005). "Issues for Scotland's Energy Supply" (PDF). Edinburgh, Scotland: Royal Society of Edinburgh: 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2008. In 1965 the first 400 kV line was inaugurated, running for 150 miles from Sundon, Bedfordshire to West Burton in the Midlands. The two new 275 kV and 400 kV systems running in parallel with each other became known as the Supergrid.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ↑ Sergey Kouzmin RAO UES (5 April 2006). "Synchronous Interconnection of IPS/UPS with UCTE - Study Overview" (PDF). Bucharest, Romania: Black Sea Energy Conference: 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2008.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ↑ UCTE-IPS/UPS Study Group (7 December 2008). "Feasibility Study: Synchronous Interconnection of the IPS/UPS with the UCTE". TEN-Energy programme of the European Commission: 15,16.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. 1 2 3 A. Battaglini; J. Lilliestam; C. Bals; A. Haas (18 June 2008). "The SuperSmart Grid" (PDF). European Climate Forum; Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Retrieved 16 July 2008.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ↑ Gregor Czisch (24 October 2008). "Low Cost but Totally Renewable Electricity Supply for a Huge Supply Area – a European/Trans-European Example –" (PDF). 2008 Claverton Energy Conference. University of Kassel. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2008. The paper was presented at the Claverton Energy conference in Bath, 24 October 2008. See paper synopsis here.
  7. ↑ Peter Fairley (15 March 2006). "A Supergrid for Europe". Technology Review. Massachusetts Institute of Technology . Retrieved 17 November 2008.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.