Actively greening the network

Mar 19 2008 By The Journal

THE days are rapidly passing when an electricity network operator simply had to deliver power from a small number of large power stations through a network of wires to a large number of electricity users.

Not that the job was ever simple, with the requirement to maintain an effective supply to customers and to respond quickly to restore supply when severe weather or other unforeseen events intervene. But the need to tackle climate change has now made the job a lot more complex and CE Electric UK is up for the task.

CE Electric UK is the electricity distribution business for the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, with 3.7 million customers. Its parent, MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, is number one in the US amongst regulated utilities for wind power with over 1200 MW of capacity built or under construction and also has major experience in owning and operating geothermal generating plant in the US and the Philippines. CE Electric owns no renewable energy plant of its own but is actively working with developers to ensure that plant that has received planning permission can be speedily connected to the electricity network and begin to generate electricity.

Wind farms are some of the largest facilities that are connected to the distribution network and designing the connections and ordering the equipment necessary to make the connection can be a lengthy process. Given that planning permission itself can often take a considerable period of time itself, the last thing a developer wants is further waiting for the connection. So CE Electric encourages developers to begin discussions with them at an early stage so that delays can be kept to a minimum.

Local generation, or distributed generation as it is known, is an important part of the Government’s plans for reducing the UK’s carbon emissions. Producing electricity close to where it is consumed reduces the amount of electricity lost when power is sent long distances by cable and can enhance security of supply. It is particularly efficient when generated in a combined heat and power plant where there is a local demand for steam or direct heating. However, it can cause problems for the safe supply of electricity at the correct voltage to nearby customers, particularly if the output of the generator is variable or intermittent, as may be the case with a wind turbine. Anyone thinking of installing local generation, whether at the “micro” level (ie an individual household) or for a district, is encouraged to speak to CE Electric.

Interest in low carbon housing and business developments has grown rapidly in recent months, particularly given the Government’s ambition that the majority of new houses should be zero carbon by 2016. A number of local authorities in the region are actively exploring the concept, as is One NorthEast. While the precise definition of “zero carbon” has still to be pinned down, the broad idea is that developments should aim to be largely self-sufficient in energy terms. In addition to the technical issues that need to be solved, there are a number of complex regulatory issues that need to be successfully negotiated if such projects are to be a commercial success. Many prospective developers hope to replicate the success of Woking Borough Council’s energy initiatives for Woking town centre. But it is not clear that “one size fits all” and Woking’s approach based on the use of a private wire network may not be suitable in all cases, particularly if, as the Government prefers, customers should continue to be free to access the competitive electricity market. CE Electric is happy to explore with developers at an early stage different approaches to zero carbon and find the one that works best in the circumstances.

CE Electric UK has been at the forefront of the distributed generation revolution for a number of years now, helping to solve the problems required to make best use of localised power generation and reduce carbon emissions. It is keen to work with anyone who is considering such a project or development to help bring the project to a successful conclusion. By working together and sharing expertise, we can ensure that the region continues to lead the country in innovative energy solutions.

To contact CE Electric UK about anything to do with distributed generation, speak first to our connections call centre on 08450 702 703. We will then arrange for you to speak to one of our experts.