Nottingham59
Established Member
Issues with getting grid connections include 5-year leadtimes (or more), and needing to tap into 230kV or 400kV circuits to absorb the phase imbalances of 25kV electrification.
It seems to me that the way forward is Static Frequency Converters (SFCs) that use a balanced 3-phase supply to feed the grid at 25kV, as has been used at Hambleton and elsewhere. But these still need high capacity grid connections to handle peak loads of around 20MW for a short time as two 11-car pendolinos pass each other, both at full power draw.
How easy would it be to use BESS battery storage to meet that peak power demand for a few minutes, and then trickle charge the static batteries at a much lower power (say 1MW) which would be much more readily and cheaply available from grid supplies?
My thinking is that these could be deployed today on the WCML between Crewe and Preston, and on the ECML north of Newcastle. And then moved elsewhere if the traditional grid supply was ever reinforced.
This article says that a 10MW grid battery storing 1.9hours supply would cost around £6 million, which for comparison is the cost of around 2-3km of new OHLE. I don't know how that compares to the cost of a stadard SFC or an 2 x 80MVA grid supply point like Braybrooke on the MML.
modoenergy.com
It seems to me that the way forward is Static Frequency Converters (SFCs) that use a balanced 3-phase supply to feed the grid at 25kV, as has been used at Hambleton and elsewhere. But these still need high capacity grid connections to handle peak loads of around 20MW for a short time as two 11-car pendolinos pass each other, both at full power draw.
How easy would it be to use BESS battery storage to meet that peak power demand for a few minutes, and then trickle charge the static batteries at a much lower power (say 1MW) which would be much more readily and cheaply available from grid supplies?
My thinking is that these could be deployed today on the WCML between Crewe and Preston, and on the ECML north of Newcastle. And then moved elsewhere if the traditional grid supply was ever reinforced.
This article says that a 10MW grid battery storing 1.9hours supply would cost around £6 million, which for comparison is the cost of around 2-3km of new OHLE. I don't know how that compares to the cost of a stadard SFC or an 2 x 80MVA grid supply point like Braybrooke on the MML.
How much does it cost to build a battery energy storage system in 2024? - Research | Modo Energy
How much does it cost to build a battery in 2024? Modo Energy’s industry survey reveals key Capex, O&M, and connection cost benchmarks for BESS projects.
modoenergy.com
