EirGrid Partners with Smart Wires on Groundbreaking Grid Project

July 1, 2021

EirGrid is partnering with power technology firm Smart Wire Grid Europe (‘Smart Wires’), and the research and development consortium Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) on a groundbreaking project aimed at boosting the flow of renewable energy on the electricity grid.

This project is being supported with a financial contribution from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) under the SEAI National Energy Research, Development & Demonstration Funding Programme 2019. The project is led by Ireland-based Smart Wires Europe with collaborators EirGrid and EPRI.

This two-year project, with total budget of almost €300,000, aims to develop sophisticated software tools that will enable EirGrid to increase the wind and solar power that can be transported on the grid.

As operator of the national electricity grid, EirGrid has been tasked with increasing the average amount of renewable energy to 70% by 2030. It currently carries an average of just over 40%.

Mark Foley, EirGrid Chief Executive, said the project will optimize the use of the electricity network in real time, allowing more renewable energy to flow over existing lines.

“By participating in this project, EirGrid is not only helping to future proof its network but contributing to the global energy transition by supporting the development of tools that can be rolled out to grid operators across the world. We are delighted to partner with Smart Wires and EPRI on this important work.” he added.

The key objective of this project is to develop a world-first decision-support tool that helps manage the complexities of a grid with very high-penetration of renewable generation. In the near future, control room operators will be able to manage the grid by activating digital power flow controllers that are deployed on all key transmission lines and substations.

This project will develop a new advanced software tool that will help visualize and optimize the settings of the power flow control devices on the grid. By providing real-time decision support to control room operators, this type of visualization will help EirGrid and other system operators move towards smarter, and increasingly more automated grid operations.

"Power flow control technology will be crucial to countries meeting their climate action obligations. This project will be watched with interest globally and is another example of European technology leadership in the energy transition."

Peter Wells

Smart Wires CEO

The tool will optimize network power flows and provide more consistent, real-time control. This helps resolve constraints, enables a greater integration of renewable energy, and reduces the need for new infrastructure. It will be built such that it can be converted to other grid operation platforms, allowing easy adoption by transmission system operators across the world.

Under the project, – Smart Wires is developing the technology and tools, and EPRI is providing subject matter expertise. EirGrid will share relevant transmission system data and provide subject matter expertise.

Smart Wires’ CEO Peter Wells commented: “Power flow control technology will be crucial to countries meeting their climate action obligations. This project will be watched with interest globally and is another example of European technology leadership in the energy transition. We already see major global interest in this work as countries seek ways to unlock the full potential of their grids to enable the energy transition.”