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A partnership of 14 leading European energy industry companies, research organizations and universities has launched a new project to identify opportunities to increase the integration of HVDC technology into the European transmission system.
The HVDC-VISE project, in which the University of Strathclyde is the UK’s only academic partner, is supported by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme.
The goal of the project is to develop tools for network developers to assess network performance under extreme conditions and system planning to realize the full range of potential benefits from the deep integration of HVDC technology into the European transmission system.
The project is focused on increasing the reliability and resilience of the electricity grid as it moves through the energy transition. Building and maintaining network infrastructure for electricity transmission across Europe is an urgent and complex task, especially with the steady growth of wind and solar generation. At the same time, threats to the integrity of the power system are increasing from multiple sources, including climate, cyber and physical threats.
Mutual support
At a time of increasing concern for energy security and as Europe’s electricity systems decarbonise, connections between them to provide mutual support and pathways to the renewable energy market are becoming increasingly important.
In modern power systems, this means using high voltage direct current (HVDC) technology.
The earliest forms of the technology have been around since the 1960s, but the impact of the increasing reliance on HVDC and its ability to improve the operability and resilience of the power system is still not fully understood.
Professor Keith Bell, Scottish Professor of Future Energy Systems at the University of Strathclide, said:
As an island, HVDC is the only practical way to build connections with other countries’ power systems. We also use it within our system, with one existing and more planned HVDC subsea links connecting one part of Britain to another.
“These connections allow us to make the most of wind energy.” New connections with other countries will also help us when it’s not windy and to recover from any major disruptions that may occur.
“The system is always sensitive to weather and things like lightning strikes or short circuits caused by high winds.” As dependence on electricity increases, we need to improve the resilience of the system.”
Dr Agusti Egea-Alvarez, Senior Lecturer at Strathclide, said: “HVDC systems are becoming the backbone of the UK and European power grid, whether connecting countries or connecting offshore wind farms.
“The tools, procedures and guides that will be developed during HVDC-VISE will define the standards of safety, resilience and reliability of the electricity network for the next decades in Europe.
Other participants in the project are Scottish Hydroelectric Transmission, Supergrid Institute, European Electricity Research Institute (EPRI), Tennet TSO, Universidad Pontificia Comillas, TU Delft, Tractebel Impact and the University of Cyprus.
Climate changes
Eamonn Lannoie, managing director of EPRI Europe, said: “The European electricity grid is extremely reliable by any standard. But as the climate changes and the grid becomes exposed to more extreme conditions, energy interdependence between regions intensifies and threats from external actors emerge. The new network should be resilient to those challenges.”
Juan Carlos Gonzalez, a senior researcher at the SuperGrid Institute who is leading the project, said: “The HVDC-VISE project aims to provide planners with the tools and knowledge to understand how grid development options work in the context of changing threats and to ensure reliability.”
HVDC-VISE is also supported by the UK’s Horizon Europe research and innovation guarantee.
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