How will they do it? By cutting their own power consumption in a matter of seconds at a time.
This solution has been tested in a pilot project conducted by Statnett over the past two years.
Among those taking part in the pilot were organisations such as Entelios, Hydro Energi, Fortum, Skagerak Kraft, Statkraft, Vattenfall, Glitre and Ustekveikja Energi.
Each of these enterprises brought in electricity consumers, such as plant nurseries, data centres, batteries and EV charging stations, as well as large-scale industrial operations, such as Elkem and Eramet.
“Imagine that the power being supplied by a major power plant or via a HVCD-interconnector is unexpectedly interrupted by a fault, causing a sudden shortage of power to consumers. Instead of everyone losing power, plant nurseries, data centres or large industrial companies can agree in advance to disconnect their own consumption in a matter of seconds. In this way, we can prevent the power being cut to a large area,” explains Martha Marie Øberg, who heads the Systems Development Department at Statnett.
Statnett has a variety of tools at its disposal to prevent power outages if a fault occurs on the transmission grid between power station and electricity consumer.
In addition to the controllable reservoir-based hydropower we already have, the transition to a more climate-friendly energy supply has resulted in a larger volume of power whose generation depends on the weather at that moment, in the form of wind or solar power.
At the same time, extensive electrification is taking place, and consumers are using power in a steadily growing number of areas. Together, this ‘green shift’ is making new demands on the power system, and requires new measures to prevent faults and avert power outages.
One of these measures is the establishment of so-called Fast Frequency Reserves (FFR). These are reserves that can be instantly activated in the event of a major fault in the power supply. Previously, it was the large hydropower plants that typically helped to handle fault incidents. Now, Statnett sees the need for the reserve market to include entities capable of responding even faster. In this year’s pilot project, a total of eight suppliers have offered almost 150 MW of reserve capacity.
The organisations taking part in the demonstration projects are pleased with the experience. As well as contributing to a secure power supply and climate-friendly solutions, they can also earn additional income. ■