National Grid aims to wire up carbon savings via overhead electricity and hydrogen innovation
Ofgem announces fresh funding awards for cutting-edge hydrogen gas network and advanced transmission technology projects
Ofgem has this morning announced fresh funding awards for two cutting edge projects designed to slash emissions from the UK’s energy systems.
National Grid confirmed it is to proceed with a £9.2m project to upgrade overhead electricity lines that is set to eliminate 39,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and deliver £286m of efficiency savings after receiving funding from Ofgem.
The Retro-Insulated Cross-Arms (RICA) research project aims to develop and deploy an innovative method for uprating overhead lines, allowing the voltage on 275kV lines to be increased to 400kV. Commencing in 2021, it will be carried out by National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET), which received £8.12m in financial backing from Ofgem’s Network Innovation Competition, with the remainder of the funding provided by National Grid.
By removing the suspended insulators on overhead electricity wires and instead insulating the cross arms that hold the power lines aloft, the wires can be positioned higher and further apart, thereby enabling an increased voltage to be carried, NGET explained.
Uprating lines in this way – with the approach paving the way to further uprate 400kV lines to 550kV in the future – could allow 45 per cent more power to be carried on some existing routes.
The increased capacity should result in CO2 emission reductions of 39,000 tonnes and up to £286m of efficiency savings to consumers, according to NGET, as well as potentially opening the door to ultra-high voltage networks in the UK.
“We are super excited about bringing new engineering solutions to deliver the transition to clean energy and meet our environmental challenges,” said David Wright, NGET director of electricity transmission.
“This project demonstrates that the key to success lies in innovation and that National Grid is well placed to deliver on Net Zero.”
The news came on the same day as Ofgem’s Network Innovation Competition approved plans for a first of its kind offline hydrogen research facility, which are being developed by a consortium including National Grid and certification giant DNV GL.
The project aims to help understand how transmission assets could be used to transport hydrogen in the future to heat homes and deliver green energy to industry.
The £12.7m facility is to be built from a range of decommissioned assets, to create a representative transmission network. Blends of hydrogen up to 100 per cent will then be tested at transmission pressures, to assess how the assets perform.
The hydrogen research facility will remain separate from the main National Transmission System, allowing for testing to be undertaken in a controlled environment, with no risk to the safety and reliability of the existing gas transmission network.
Ofgem’s Network Innovation Competition is to provide £9.07m of funding with the remaining amount coming from the project partners.
Construction is expected to start next year with testing beginning in 2022 at DNV GL’s site in Spadeadam, Cumbria.
“The high level of ambition shown by bidders in this year’s Network Innovation Competition is hugely encouraging and shows the energy industry getting behind the challenge of net zero,” said Jonathan Brearley, chief executive of Ofgem. “The winning projects were those which showed the most potential to make the game-changing leaps in technology we need to build a greener, fairer energy system at the lowest cost to consumers.”
Hari Vamadevan, senior vice president for UK and West Africa at DNV GL – Oil & Gas, said the company was “delighted that National Grid selected DNV GL as their partner, and now OFGEM has approved the HyNTS FutureGrid Programme to study hydrogen in a high pressure pipeline system”.
“We will re-use existing assets from the gas transmission system, coupled with bespoke facilities for the generation of gas flows. We will augment this with extensive safety testing and consultancy,” he added. “DNV GL, through this ground-breaking FutureGrid project, are looking forward to delivering a step change in knowledge and confidence in the transmission of pure and blended hydrogen both in new and existing pipeline systems.”
Antony Green, project director for hydrogen at National Grid, hailed the project as “a major step forward” that underscores Ofgem’s commitment to net zero investment.
“If we truly want to reach a net zero decarbonised future, we need to replace methane with green alternatives like hydrogen,” he added. “Sectors such as heat are difficult to decarbonise, and the importance of the gas networks to the UK’s current energy supply means projects like this are crucial if we are to deliver low carbon energy, reliably and safely to all consumers.”