Over the past six months Windy Productions has come across the following issues that face renewables. Here’s what they are and what we, as an industry, are doing about it.
1. Grid stability
Just as soon as I get out of my chair
One of the main challenges still to be overcome by renewables is grid penetration. Over the last five years we have started to phase out conventional power generation such as coal with their traditional rotating synchronous generators in favour of inverter based renewable energy systems. This loss of inertia has a big impact on grid stability and the amount of renewable energy systems the grid can support. These issues with frequency support have been identified by DNO’s and in response the government have incentivised development of BESS to meet their lofty renewables targets. PV and Wind are variable speed sources and as such are usually decoupled from the grid and are interfaced via inverters.
As grid inertia decreases with higher renewables penetration there is a requirement to have better response to frequency dynamics. One of the main methods of providing grid stability is to deploy synchronous condensers which are flywheels operating in a vacuum that enable the adjustment of reactive power.
2. Reactive Power
Do you want a flake in that?
Using the popular beer analogy. Reactive power is the foam (or head) on top of the beer. You pay for it but largely it is a necessary waste when distributing energy. By changing this ratio (Power factor correction) through use of power electronics such as capacitor banks, STATCOMs and controllers this becomes a great way to reduce wasted energy, improve compliance, reduce penalties and curtailment and reduce carbon emissions.
If you’ve ever visited the Heineken Museum in Amsterdam, then you will know that a good head is a source of Dutch pride and a bitter accompaniment to the beer. However, it also costs 8 EUR. Coupled with the fact that you’ve already lost 68ml of beer on the conversion from imperial to metric this can be a bitter beer to swallow. Penalties and curtailment are much the same way and a steady hand on the tap (PPC) can ensure optimised consumption.
3. Constant electricity demand with variable supply
Like trying to get your toddler to eat at mealtimes
BESS has a lot to offer for frequency control and grid support as a substitute for inertia both in size (MW) and function. Long duration energy storage (LODES) remains a challenge beyond Li Ion for periods of weeks and even months and this is where governments are speculating on emerging technologies such as Power-to-X, thermal and other electric storage solutions.
For short duration storage though, both pumped storage and BESS continue to establish themselves and with this emerges new challenges. There are huge benefits to co-siting BESS with existing renewable energy sources: utilising existing grid connections, land agreements, substations and operations and maintenance labour. Hybrid power plants are becoming more common in development especially with long times for connection agreements (5-7 years).
As a developer in the BESS market there are a few things that you can do to ensure that when operations start, you will have baked in compliance and optimisation in the construction stage. When defining your EPC contract, you can request a standardised HyPPC controller that will enable communication across all renewable energy systems whether PV inverters, Wind or BESS. Through integration across all generation types coupled with a Power Park Controller (PPC) at the point of connection you can ensure that you remain grid compliant whilst optimising generation revenues. Whether your battery is charging or discharging, whether it is windy or sunny, whether the price of power is £20/MWh or £200/MWh you want to ensure that you can pull all the levers when required.
4. Cost
Suffering from success
Wind and Solar are now the cheapest forms of energy now both below 50$/MWh using the levelized cost of energy (LCoE) going from 2022’s data. BESS has also dropped from around 300 $/MWh (2018) to 153$/MWh (2022) owing largely to falling raw material costs, economies of scale and technological advancements from Chinese manufacturers. Whether that price is artificial or not is one for a different article. Whilst cost pressures are as ever present as profitable growth it is fair to say that this challenge is no longer one that will impact renewable development but that, in turn, has squeezed the OEMs. Someone is making money, but it is not those who design and manufacture the technology. BESS and PV OEMs have been allowed by EU governments to fall victim to subsidised Chinese manufacture and it seems likely that EU Wind OEMs have a tough time ahead of them as they continue in the mindless arms race of bigger wind turbines.
5. Skilled Labour
The last turkey in the shop
Particularly in wind there is a shortage of skilled technicians as they migrate to richer seas, namely the North Sea, doing two weeks on, two weeks off. In those weeks off they are jobbing to meet payments for ex-wives, houses and cinema tickets. As an industry we have made progress towards addressing the skills gap through specialised college courses, apprenticeships and redefining transferrable skills to include plasterers and bakers but there is a huge shortfall as utilities, ISPs and OEMs haggle over the same two blokes.
6. Cyber Security
It’s like teenage sex, everyone’s talking about it but no one is having it.
Not a problem unique to renewables generation but with hundreds of cyber security attacks per day, increased standardisation and compliance is being driven by all utilities and operators to ensure continuity of supply. With the new EU Network and information security (NIS) requirements being added to operational technology (OT) and network information systems there is both a skills and technology gap in the industry. There is a movement towards a baseline level of security, consistent procurement approaches and better guidance but these requirements are onerous and architectural inclusion and certification are expensive. Not a problem for big players but in an emerging market where you have a large number of suppliers, long development cycles and high development costs this can be counterproductive to innovation. This isn’t to say that it isn’t important but usually its good practice to let a tree grow before adding a treehouse.
TLDR;
Hope not hopeless
The fact that renewables development continues, and wind turbines keep spinning can only be seen as a positive and whilst the horrors of the world persist, so do we. This list is by no means definitive and as we pioneer a greener future there will be more problems to solve both laid out before us and in the wake of success.
PPCs, BESS and power electronics are well positioned to smooth out power conditioning interfaces between renewables and grid infrastructure, but better contract management, cyber security and standardisation are needed to optimise and protect hybrid plants.
Native manufacturing needs more protection from price dumping not only to safeguard European jobs but also cyber and energy security. Shipping steel foundations, balsa wood and cells halfway across the world before installation undermines the carbon saving the technology is trying to make.
No human endeavour can ever be wholly good… it must always have cost – William Golding
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