Powering the renewable revolution

Renewable energy sources have a habit of creating power fluctuations in the energy grid that they’re feeding into. This is because their power sources aren’t consistent - it’s never constantly windy or sunny, for example. As a result, renewable energy technologies vary regularly in how much energy they produce and send to the energy grid.

This is a challenge for grid operators who need to ensure that the supply is meeting demand from energy consumers. Traditionally, when dealing with this problem gas generation and hydroelectric systems are used to avoid power outages. These sources, however, are resource-intensive and slow to power up, making them inefficient at responding to the ever-changing landscape of how people use energy.

New energy storage systems offer a solution to this problem, for example flywheels are often used as short-term spinning reserves, helping to manage the fluctuations in supply and demand for energy. They, along with new storage technology can be brought in as alternatives to the traditional methods helping to reduce CO₂ emissions and moving towards zero carbon electricity. Flywheels can compensate for variances in the power supply down to the second – and this is where effective control systems come into play.

Having an efficient response time requires highly efficient data transmission through a network, to make sure that information is getting where it needs to be as fast as possible. This relies heavily on the fieldbus protocol that communicates the data. To meet the growing need for rapid data transmission, more energy engineers are turning to EtherCAT as the protocol of choice.

EtherCAT gives users a high response speed, which allows for tight control of frequency regulation. Its distributed clocks functionality allows measured values to be synchronised with very high precision of 1 microsecond. This teamed with Beckhoff’s power monitoring terminals recording samples every 10ns and the TwinCAT software running on PC-based control allows accurate measurement and reaction to voltage on the grid.  These speeds mean that systems can respond to a frequency drop in the grid with immediate voltage support, averting potential power outages. Flywheel systems can follow signals from their grid operators without any delay.

But balancing fluctuations in the supply and demand of energy isn’t the only reason fast communication should be a priority for energy engineers. High communication speeds support better health monitoring. Knowing the conditions of systems and generators is essential if maintenance is to be efficient, especially if there is remote equipment that could potentially need to be fixed in-person.

With faster industrial communications protocols and the right supporting systems, keeping the energy grid functioning to meet the needs of consumers has never been more achievable. The demand for reliable energy continues to grow and industry must respond. As countries embrace the renewable revolution, ensuring that the energy grid can cope will have to be a priority. To unlock the potential of renewable energy, engineers need to reap the benefits of high speed fieldbus technology.