The project, at Dersalloch windfarm in South Ayrshire, proves wind power can restore a 'blacked-out' section of the transmission network. 'Black start' restoration is often reliant on traditional fossil fuels like coal and gas.
Using renewables to do this is not just an extraordinary achievement, but a pioneering world first that has the potential to transform how power could be restored to the network.
The project saw SPR partner Siemens Gamesa Renewables Energy (SGRE) to deploy the latest technology at the windfarm. SPR and SGRE worked in collaboration with SP Energy Networks (SPEN) when it was time to interact with the grid. This highly innovative project also received part-funding from the Scottish Government.
It used 'grid-forming' technology called virtual synchronous machines (VSM) to regulate the frequency and voltage of the power from the turbines – essentially forming a stable network island – to keep the electricity system stable and balanced. The technology was then used to integrate that supply with the grid and restore the part of the system that had been blacked out.
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Paul Wheelhouse, Scotland's Energy Minister, said: "Over the past decade Scotland has delivered huge success in decarbonising the electrical energy generated in Scotland, with renewable electricity delivering the equivalent of more than 90% of the power needed to meet Scotland's demand for electricity in 2019. It is important that wind farms, which provided 73% of Scotland’s renewable electricity generation, don't only provide zero carbon energy, but can also deliver the technical services that older, now-closed power stations would have provided for the grid to deliver an effective ‘black start’ recovery in the event of a major power cut.
"The Scottish Government, recognising the value in stimulating innovation to identify ways in which Scotland’s vast renewable potential could also augment our capability to deliver a ‘black start’ response, has provided financial support of £550,000 to this project through our Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme and I am delighted with the outcome. Now Dersalloch has achieved a world first in proving that a wind farm can deliver vital 'black start' services in the event of a wider power blackout, and this is a crucial step in ensuring that we can deliver timely recovery times from any such incident should it occur while helping underpin a sustainable security of supply of electricity in Scotland as we move towards an energy system that is consistent with Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.
"This technology will be vitally important, not just in Scotland and the UK, but worldwide. As more countries follow Scotland's lead in closing down polluting fossil fuel power stations and moving to a renewable electricity system, the market for services that deliver sustainable security of supply will grow and I am keen that Scotland can be at the heart of that."
