Trial to create smarter electricity grid

The Salford-based CHP manufacturer and the Combined Heat and Power Association (CHPA) are partners in the 'Respond' project – led by Electricity North West. The £5.5m three-year demonstration project, beginning January 2015, is benefiting from £4.5m funding from energy regulator Ofgem. Other project partners are ABB, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Impact Research, Schneider Electric and United Utilities.

 ‘Respond’ aims to deliver an intelligent approach to managing fault current - the instantaneous surge of energy that occurs under fault conditions. This is intended to help meet future low carbon electricity demand without the need to build costly new infrastructure. 

Using intelligent software in the form of an Active Response Fault Level Assessment Tool, the plan is to demonstrate that fault current can be managed at lower cost by using existing assets, such as CHP, together with new commercial techniques.

In this way it is hoped to accelerate the uptake of low carbon demand and renewable generation - avoiding the need to prematurely replace expensive switchgear and cables, while delivering savings to all distribution network customers.

It is predicted that the 'Respond' methods will release the same capacity as traditional reinforcement,  but up  to 18 times faster and up to 80% cheaper – potentially saving the UK £2.3 billion by 2050.

The Respond ‘Fault Level Assessment Tool’ will calculate potential fault current in real time and take mitigating action, if necessary.