Hitachi Energy is calling for immediate action to expand global energy grids, reduce connection bottlenecks, and accelerate the energy transition by increasing the deployment of innovative power electronics technology.

3,000 GW of renewable projects are currently waiting in grid connection queues, equivalent to five times the amount of solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind capacity added in 2022. It is estimated that 80 million km of grids must be added or replaced by 2040, requiring grid investment to double to more than $600 billion a year by 2030 (IEA).

Higher renewable penetration, decentralization of power generation, and the decarbonization of traditional fossil-based segments lead to weaker power systems due to less predictability, variable power flows and a lack of inertia. Inertia ensures overall grid stability by stabilizing frequency, absorbing disturbances, and providing time for control responses.

To address these issues and the needs of a fast-evolving power market, Hitachi Energy is launching today Grid-enSure – a fully integrated solution portfolio that helps to enhance grid flexibility, resilience, and stability and accelerate the renewable energy transition – at the CIGRE 2024 Paris Session.

The portfolio brings a holistic approach to design, plan and operate present and future power systems, based on grid modernisation advisory and consulting services. Hitachi Energy’s consulting services also help customers understand future challenges and the relevant Grid-enSure solutions to address them. The solutions combine Hitachi Energy’s existing and future power electronic solutions such as high-voltage direct current (HVDC), static compensator (STATCOM and Enhanced STATCOM), static frequency converters (SFC), medium-voltage direct current (MVDC), energy storage solutions and semiconductor technologies.

“With unprecedented levels of renewable power being added globally, we must reconsider how we design, plan, and operate power systems to support the rapid pace of the energy transition,” said Niklas Persson, Managing Director of Hitachi Energy’s Business Unit Grid Integration. “Traditional power technology solutions alone cannot provide the necessary speed and functionalities that our renewable-powered grids require, so a more holistic approach is needed.”

Grid-enSure’s power electronics solutions include advanced semiconductor technology to allow the fast and secure conversion and control of energy flows, due to higher power density and switching frequency. The cutting-edge control systems provide microsecond response to address the needs of the grid, providing flexibility with the help of advanced control functionalities such as grid-forming, synthetic inertia, fast-frequency response, interoperability, and much more.

In Central Europe alone, an estimated 450GW of additional energy is required to support inertia requirements by 20301. In the past, this requirement would have been addressed by large rotating synchronous generators and machines. Hitachi Energy’s Grid-enSure solutions, such as Enhanced-STATCOM, store energy in the form of supercapacitors controlled by high-power semiconductors, doubling the energy utilisation rate and reducing the required installed capacity by 20% or more, compared to conventional solutions2.

In addition, solutions such as HVDC, STATCOM and energy storage solutions can help stabilise voltage and frequency, improving operational reliability and reducing the need to build new power plants. 

Investment in next generation STATCOM technologies worldwide could result in up to 40% lower CO2 emissions over a 30-year lifetime compared to traditional alternatives, while Hitachi Energy’s HVDC Light is claims over 65% carbon footprint reduction compared to traditional HVDC technology.

Grid-enSure in action

Grid-enSure is the solution behind the successful energisation of Caithness Moray-Shetland in Scotland, a multi-terminal HVDC voltage-sourced converter system, integrating wind energy generation from remote islands, enabling fast response to reliably deliver the equivalent power consumption for around 10 million UK homes.

In an initial installation at TransnetBW in Germany, which supplies power to 11 million people and numerous industries, Grid-enSure will improve power quality by contributing almost 2GW to the grid inertia level and helping to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 40% over a 30-year lifetime compared to traditional alternatives. 

The new Waratah Super Battery near Sydney3 is now under construction, supported by Hitachi Energy’s power converter technology. When complete, the Battery Energy Storage System will help Australia meet its renewable energy target of adding 33,000GWh each year through 2030. The 850MW/1680MWh BESS will include 288 Power Conversion Systems (PCS).

Another example is Hitachi Energy’s advisory and consulting work in designing a record-breaking 250km power-from-shore AC connection off the coast of Norway. By integrating SVC Light and thyristor-controlled series capacitors (TCSC) for the first time, the solution supplies hydropower to offshore O&G assets, minimizing their carbon footprint.

Grid-enSure webpage to go live on 27 August at Hitachi Energy.

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