ABB to install multipurpose microgrid in South Australia

Technology company ABB will supply a microgrid solution to the Energy Storage for Commercial Renewable Integration (ESCRI) project, which will provide a more secure power supply in an area that has high renewable penetration into the grid. The solution will connect an ABB Ability PowerStore 30 MW battery energy storage solution to the ElectraNet transmission system, enabling the value stacking of storage in a regulated energy market.

In Australia, the increase of intermittent renewables within the power grid is adding complexity for grid operators. In South Australia, wind farms generate the bulk of electricity consumption for the state. There is also an increasing deployment of solar, with both large-scale and rooftop panels installed in the state and across the country.

The ABB Ability PowerStore will be installed at the Dalrymple substation on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. Not only will the solution improve the overall reliability of power supplies, it will also make it possible to provide additional market services and fast-acting power response that helps to balance the network on a daily basis and also support the increased power transfer with the interconnectors to Victoria.

In the event of a transmission line outage, the islanded microgrid solution will work together with the existing 90 MW Wattle Point wind farm and distributed rooftop solar PVs to provide uninterrupted power supply until connection to the grid is restored. The solution will be able to deliver enough power to run about 400 homes for at least 24 hours without the input from renewable generators. ABB’s Microgrid Plus control solution will manage the sophisticated automation of the hybrid systems while ensuring secure and seamless power supplies with an optimal renewable energy contribution.

“Our modular and scalable ABB Ability PowerStore in combination with Microgrid Plus control and automation solution can be deployed in a fast and efficient way,” said Massimo Danieli, Head of ABB’s Grid Automation business within the company’s Power Grids division. “Our advanced technology meets up to complex requirements that are part of today’s energy revolution and microgrid solutions are playing an increasing role in the evolution of the grid.”

The project is part funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and is being delivered by Consolidated Power Projects (CPP) working jointly with ABB. South Australia’s principal transmission network service provider, ElectraNet, owns the installation, with the daily operations to be the responsibility of energy provider AGL.

ABB has also supplied a dry-type transformer and switchgear, which has been integrated into the microgrid solution as well as engineering services, operations and maintenance support.

Image courtesy of ABB.