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Just ahead of Windaba 2024, the wind energy conference taking place 1 to 3 October in Cape Town, Dr Clinton Carter-Brown, Head of Technical at ENERTRAG South Africa, emphasised the need for a fresh, comprehensive approach to tackling the challenges of the national grid in order to fast-track progress and enable the country to achieve its renewable energy and energy security goals.

Local collector grids can relieve transmission constraints

Dr Clinton Carter-Brown. Head of Technical at ENERTRAG South Africa. 

He highlights that the National Transmission Company of South Africa’s (NTCSA’s) Transmission Development Plan (TDP) points to the need for construction of 14 000 kilometres of new transmission lines, which means we need to build 1 400 kms of transmission lines each year for the next decade. This is essential for the connection of new power generation, to provide energy security and enable South Africa to decarbonise the power system.

Carter-Brown advocates a dynamic approach that includes greater private sector involvement to manage risks and implement innovative financing mechanisms in expanding and strengthening the electrical grid. He sees the possibility to bolster key transmission corridors, develop local grids at the sub-transmission level, and foster collaboration among developers, to optimise the grid and integrate combined power plants to create a more resilient and efficient energy system.

“We need to develop local collector grids that integrate power from multiple projects and, when combined with energy storage systems, provide dispatchable green energy. Leveraging private capital in grid development will strengthen power corridors and create local grids, which evolve into combined power plants. These plants can also include new loads and support deeper decarbonisation through green hydrogen production,” says Carter-Brown.

The transition from individually connected renewable facilities to combined power plants will enhance the integration of various generation sources, energy storage, and new technologies, optimising grid use and offering additional services.

“Developers in South Africa need to collaborate on shared grid infrastructure, moving beyond traditional competition to collectively finance and build these systems equitably. Optimising current and future grids to maximise new generation connections through smart market mechanisms is essential,” he says.

The combined power plant model offers several advantages.

  • Hybridisation effects: Interconnected generators reduce grid capacity needs by basing grid connection capacity on combined and diversified requirements rather than individual plants.
  • Reduced complexity: Fewer connection points simplify grid management, lower costs, and streamline ancillary services.
  • Incorporating additional technologies: Energy storage and other technologies can mimic traditional thermal power plant performance, providing on-demand dispatchability, for example.
  • Shared grid assets: Projects share infrastructure, leading to more effective collective action.

Learnings from ENERTRAG’s international experience where the company has integrated 646 MW of wind, solar, biomass, battery storage and hydrogen production systems, and those of third parties into a collector grid connecting directly to the main transmission system were to be shared and discussed at Windaba.

For more information visit: www.enertrag-southafrica

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