Pioneering technologies being developed by diversified energy services company Senergy are being industry recognised after the Group was awarded a major contract win and a research and development grant.
Senergy Econnect, which is part of the global parent firm Senergy, has been awarded a contract by Renewable Power Systems (RPS), leading designers, project managers and operators of landfill gas generation projects. The contract is for the Levenseat landfill gas generation in Lanarkshire and will see Senergy’s Smartgrids team implement a specially developed, cost-effective solution to increase generation capacity.
The Levenseat site, which is connected to Scottish Power’s 11kV network, currently has 330kW of generation installed but with growing gas levels, Renewable Power Systems aims to increase the generation capacity beyond the current export limit of 375 kVA. A study by Scottish Power established this export capacity limit for reasons of voltage rise.
Senergy Econnect was approached by Renewable Power Systems to look for a cost-efficient solution which did not involve a four-mile cable. Through network modelling, Senergy Econnect established the potential to increase generation output through the application of its innovative Gen+ smartgrids technology. The Renewable Power Systems contract includes the design, development and commissioning of a Gen+ system.
Dr Vincent Thornley, head of smartgrids for Senergy Econnect, said: “Our Gen+ and GenAVC smartgrid technologies maximise generation export capacity through a local network connection by making the network and generation flexible to prevailing conditions.
“The benefits of this are twofold: the technologies enable generation site developers to obtain a cheaper connection offer or, as is the case with Levenseat, connect more generation to an existing connection. The use of Gen+ at Levenseat will substantially increase capacity by allowing an extra 600 kW to be installed and, as gas levels continue to rise, we anticipate increasing this further.”
He adds: “Gen+ provides assurance to distribution network operators that the generation will not exceed voltage limits, thereby allowing them to offer increased capacity for connections. GenAVC actively manages voltage to eliminate voltage peaks, caused by the introduction of new generation points, such as wind turbines or landfill gas generation.”
Andrew Leach, managing director of Renewable Power Systems, said: “Senergy’s Gen+ solution has created considerable cost savings on the project. But more importantly, it reduces the timescale for upgrading the generation capacity and gives us control of the program so we can be confident of commissioning the extra generation capacity and securing grandfather Renewable Obligation Certificate (Roc) rights. This is estimated to be worth around £3million over twenty years on a 600kW generator.”
Gen+ and GenAVC are the latest Senergy Econnect technologies to be making an impact in the renewable energy industry. This month (April), Senergy Econnect launched a project that could save homeowners and businesses millions of pounds by driving down fuel bills and optimising energy usage, as well as create up to 20 new jobs in the North east of England.
One North East, a regional development agency for North East England, has awarded Senergy Econnect Ltd a significant research and development (R&D) grant of almost £172,000 for a project to create a state-of-the-art energy demand management system. It is anticipated that the innovative system will reduce energy costs, increase the management efficiency of energy networks, and considerably decrease the reliance on back-up power plants.
Senergy Econnect’s £400,000 two-year project, Powasys, also aims to cut energy bills and reduce carbon footprints by enabling homeowners and businesses to take advantage of the most cost-effective and cheapest tariffs available.
In addition, Powasys will create two new jobs at the company’s Newcastle headquarters – increasing the Powasys team to seven - with the potential to create a further 20 skilled positions if the project proves a success.
Dr Vincent Thornley, head of smartgrids for Senergy Econnect, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Senergy Alternative Energy, said: “Powasys is an important industry development for Senergy Econnect and the UK as we are endeavouring to make our electricity networks work smarter and increase renewable energy.
“The strategy behind the technology is to protect the country against rising energy costs and to address many of the concerns levelled at wind energy generation regarding its variable output. It could also enhance our capabilities to prepare the electricity networks for the low carbon technologies which are needed to meet our climate change targets such as electric vehicles, and clean, cheap electric heating.”
Senergy Econnect Ltd is an industry-renowned company specialising in grid connection and electrical engineering from initial concept to design and commissioning. Its award-winning, specially-developed web tool GridConnection.co.uk now hosts more than 80% of the GB Extra High Voltage (EHV) grid for assessing the connection of renewable energy to the Great Britain (GB) electricity network.