Transmission network operator Transgrid is counting on technology developed in the United States to increase the capacity for the bidirectional flow of energy between Australia’s most populous states with works on the Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector upgrade project nearing completion.
Nine of the SmartValve units have been installed at the Stockdill substation.
Image: Transgrid
From pv magazine Australia
Transgrid has confirmed its Victoria-New South Wales Interconnector (VNI) upgrade project, which will increase transfer capacity into NSW from Victoria by 170 MW at times of high demand, is now more than 80% complete with the network operator saying it remains on track for completion this year.
The project, identified as a priority by both the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and the NSW government, involves an upgrade of Transgrid’s substations at Yass and Stockdill in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) using SmartValve technology designed by US-based company Smart Wires. Smart Wires’ modular power flow controller technology enables the real-time control of electricity flows along power lines. The SmartValve system detects areas of congestion in the network and automatically redirects flows to less congested lines.
Transgrid executive manager of works delivery Craig Stallan said the system will increase the capacity for the efficient flow of energy across state lines, unlocking spare transmission capacity using existing transmission infrastructure.
“This is clever technology which benefits both customers and the environment and will allow renewable energy from Victoria to flow into NSW and the ACT when demand is greatest,” he said.“We are maximizing the capacity of the existing infrastructure, resulting in a more secure, stable network that will be able to integrate more renewable energy.”
The VNI project is the first large-scale use of the SmartValve technology in Australia but Smart Wires APAC general manager Aidan Lawlor said the technology has been successfully implemented by the United Kingdom’s National Grid, across Europe, the USA and Latin America. “We have worked alongside Transgrid for three years to create the right solution for the VNI project with the use of SmartValve technology,” he said.
Nine SmartValve units have already been commissioned at Transgrid’s Stockdill substation, unlocking an extra 120 MW of additional energy to the NSW grid. Six of the units will be installed at Yass by the end of September with testing to get underway in October. These will unlock a further 50 MW of energy.
Commissioning of the units at Yass substation is expected by the end of 2022. The VNI upgrade is scheduled for completion in December.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
More articles from David Carroll
Please be mindful of our community standards.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.
Legal Notice Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy © pv magazine 2022
This website uses cookies to anonymously count visitor numbers. View our privacy policy.
The cookie settings on this website are set to “allow cookies” to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click “Accept” below then you are consenting to this.
Close
