Energy & Science
U.K. Grid Installs New Kit to Stop Green Power Going to Waste
- Smart valves alleviate congestion on the electricity network
- Technology will free up 1.5 gigawatts of capacity on the grid
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National Grid Plc is installing new technology on the U.K. network that will remove bottlenecks of renewable power and free up enough power to supply a million homes that would otherwise be wasted.
When it’s very windy, too much electricity is sometimes being supplied to the network in one place, with parts of the system reaching maximum capacity while others are below their limit. The so-called smart valves will automatically route power to parts of the grid where there is available capacity.