Power Storage & Balancing
“Managing the wide-scale introduction of intermittent renewable energy sources into electricity transmission networks is essential for ensuring the stability and flexibility of the grid, especially in an HVDC context. Innovative, hybrid storage solutions will enable us to do this.”
Renaud Guillaume, Department Director – Power Storage & Balancing
To support the integration of renewable energies within the European electricity network, the Power Storage and Balancing department adapts and develops hydraulic storage solutions based on the use of pumped storage plant (PSP) technology.
Because wind and solar energy are highly variable, using them on a wide scale requires massive and reactive means of storage. Although hydraulic storage is a mature technology – today it represents 97% of electrical energy storage worldwide – it must be significantly adapted to meet the challenges of the energy transition.
We focus on adapting conventional or variable speed pump turbines and improving their hydraulic characteristics. We also study the hybridisation of PSPs with other means of storage, exploring the economics of ancillary services.
SuperGrid Institute’s hydraulic platform makes it possible for us to test every kind of reversible pump turbine in all four quadrants, gathering data on efficiency, cavitation and dynamic behaviour according to IEC 60193 standard requirements.
Another platform, HydroPHIL, simulates the performance of hydroelectric dams. It focuses on hydraulic transitions within the power grid and, more generally, on unsteady regimes associated with the operation of hydraulic turbines: power build-up, start-ups, shutdowns, etc.
Recent publications
North Sea Wind Power Hub pre-FEED study: DC Control Functional Requirements and Parameter Ranges for HVDC Building Blocks
This paper addresses several key DC grid control functional requirements.
North Sea Wind Power Hub pre-FEED study: DC Protection Functional Requirements and Parameter Ranges for HVDC Building Blocks
A methodology to define functional requirements and parameter ranges for HVDC building blocks such as converters and switching stations based on Simplistic Test Benchmarks (STB).
Wind Power Hub pre-FEED study: HVDC grid active power loss and restoration requirements based on AC frequency stability assessment
In order to decarbonize the European electricity production, the European Commission set an ambitious target of 300 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2050.
