Reactive Technologies System Inertia Measurement Demonstration
- $1.43m Funded by ARENA
- $3.07m Total project cost
Summary
Reactive Technologies will demonstrate and measure its inertia measurement technology (Grid-Sonar™) on the Australian power system.
Need
Historically, inertia provided by traditional synchronous generators (such as coal-fired power plants) has helped to support the reliability of the electricity grid. The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) currently estimates levels of inertia using a variety of techniques, including power system simulations and by measuring empirical data after system disturbances. However, as more renewable generators come online, alternative ways to provide and measure inertia are needed to maintain a secure and reliable grid.
Learn more
Report: System Inertia Measurement Demonstration Lessons Learnt 1
This first Lessons Learnt Report looks at site selection and access, regulatory and modulator requirements, and stakeholder discussions.
Media Release: Increasing Renewables on the Grid through Accurate Inertia Measurement
ARENA announced funding to Reactive Technologies to conduct a trial of its real-time inertia measurement technology Grid-Sonar™ across a number of sites in Victoria.
Action
The project will demonstrate the Grid-Sonar technology, which will measure system inertia by:
- Injecting power pulses using Neoen’s Victorian Big Battery to create small frequency deviations.
- Measuring the frequency deviations using specifically designed Extensible Measurement Units (XMUs) installed at 15 Victorian government office sites.
- Processing power and frequency data in the Grid-Sonar cloud platform to produce accurate inertia measurements.
The project will also investigate the inertia contribution from Victoria relative to the rest of the system. The University of Melbourne will validate the results and assess the economic benefits based on future use cases for the technology.
Outcome
The project will improve understanding of inertia and variability on the Australian power system. Real time, accurate inertia data provided by Grid-Sonar will:
- provide crucial information to help with planning and operating a power system with low and variable inertia levels
- reduce the need to curtail renewables
- improve power system security
- optimise OPEX and CAPEX spend by using accurate inertia data.
Moving from estimates to real-time, accurate inertia measurements will help enable the Australian power system to achieve its decarbonisation objectives by allowing safe and cost-effective uptake of renewables while maintaining system reliability.
