Demand response is key to UK’s energy future, says power manufacturer

Leo Craig, General Manager Riello UPS

Power manufacturer Riello UPS is urging industry to consider energy storage to reduce pressure on the UK’s power grid.

The UK has more than 4GW of stored power in UPS units and this could be a valuable additional resource to tackle the country’s energy trilemma, according to Leo Craig, general manager of Riello UPS.

Leo was speaking following a successful UPS installation at the office of KiWi Power, the UK’s leading demand response aggregator.

The project, funded by Innovate UK and led by GS Yuasa Battery Europe Ltd and Swanbarton Ltd, saw the creation of a ‘Virtual Power Plant’ to support KiWi Power’s 20-strong London office.

Using Lithium-ion battery technology from GS Yuasa in conjunction with the Riello UPS device, the plant works by using power generated from the batteries at peak times instead of using power from energy system operators.

“With electricity demand set to double by 2050, these methods of demand response will become even more crucial to balance the grid,” said Leo.

“This presents new challenges and opportunities for the UPS industry and with the right equipment in place, your UPS can become a vital source for energy trading as well as an insurance policy against power failure.”

Speaking about the Virtual Power Plant, Leo added: “The system has been operating seamlessly to vary the demand on KiWi’s office in a way which is transparent to office operations. By using our highly-developed UPS hardware, KiWi and Swanbarton have been able to focus on the key commercial aspects of how to capture the rapidly growing revenue opportunities for energy storage.”

The Riello unit used is the MCM20NP model which supports power ranging from 5-12kW and has the capabilities to work with deep cycling batteries such as those built by Yuasa.

Peter Stevenson, senior technical co-ordinator at GS Yuasa, said: “This is the first time our batteries have been used in a demand response scenario in the UK and shows how well they suit this type of application.

“Lithium-ion products are based on robust lithium metal oxide chemistry with premium cycle life and high power capability, allowing them to capture surplus power whenever it is available and to supply the load very efficiently.”

Additional commands were added to the UPS’ firmware with modes including ‘discharge’ – removing office load from the mains and supporting with the battery only, and ‘charge’ to allow the office load to be supplied from the mains while the battery is recharged.

The choice of operating mode is made by a Micro Grid Storage Manager (MGSM), developed by Swanbarton. This collects information on the National Grid status, battery state, local load and aggregated load conditions.

In the event of a mains failure, the normal UPS is restored immediately.

KiWi Power partner with system operators such as National Grid and use innovative energy technology to provide cleaner solutions for utilities and businesses to help balance electricity demand and supply. Its clients include Marriott, CBRE, Bournemouth Water and Trinity Mirror Publishing. 

ENDS

Editors notes:

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Background on Riello UPS

Riello UPS Ltd is the UK subsidiary of Riello UPS S.p.A, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of uninterruptible power supplies and standby power systems from 400VA to 6MVA. The company is part of the Riello Elettronica Group, with subsidiary businesses and support offices worldwide.

The award-winning UK subsidiary prides itself in delivering the highest levels of customer service, technical expertise and the most reliable power protection solution. The UK-based team is on call to provide bespoke support and a responsive service every step of the way.

Products can be shipped from its UK HQ within 24 hours and range from small to large scale solutions across any sector requiring critical power back-up.

The Riello UPS premium product range includes solutions such as the award-winning modular UPS Multi Power, the Multi Power Combo and Master HE through to smaller solutions such as the Vision Rack, Sentinel Dual and Multi Sentry.

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