Technologies being developed by Aberdeen-based 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, part of the global parent firm Senergy, has been awarded a contract by Renewable Power Systems (RPS), 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 solution to increase generation capacity.
Connected to Scottish Power’s 11kV network, the Levenseat site currently has 330kW of generation installed but with growing gas levels, RPS aims to increase the generation capacity beyond the current export limit of 375kVA. A study by Scottish Power established this export capacity limit for reasons of voltage rise.
Senergy Econnect was approached by RPS 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 Gen+ smartgrids technology. The Renewable Power Systems contract includes the design, development and commissioning of a Gen+ system.
“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," said Dr Vincent Thornley, head of smartgrids for Senergy Econnect. “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 600kW to be installed and, as gas levels continue to rise, we anticipate increasing this further.”
He added: “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, RPS managing director, 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 £3m over twenty years on a 600kW generator.”
Grant for energy demand system
Gen+ and GenAVC are the latest Senergy Econnect technologies to be making an impact in the renewable energy industry. In April, Senergy Econnect launched a project that could save homeowners and businesses millions of pounds by driving down fuel bills and optimising energy usage. The £400,000 two-year Powasys project — for which Senergy has been awarded a r&d grant of almost £172,000 from development agency One North East — involves creating 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.
Dr Thornley 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.”
