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The Centre of Technological Innovation in Power Electronics and Drives (CITCEA) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) is leading a European project that redesigns the current energy system to stabilise the power grid in the face of high renewable energy penetration. The proposed solutions involve using the loads that consume energy to help balance the grid.
With the increase in solar and wind energy, which have variable and less controllable output, maintaining power grid stability is an increasingly complex challenge in the current context of the energy transition. Traditional solutions, such as batteries or the temporary reduction of renewable generation, are costly and not always efficient.
The European project ‘Grid Forming Loads to provide maximum flexibility and enable future power systems with very high renewable generation penetration’ (GridForLoads) proposes an innovative alternative to address the new power grid challenges arising from the penetration of renewable energy: grid-forming loads.
The project aims to leverage energy-consuming devices on the grid, such as electric vehicle chargers or pump drives, which, thanks to advanced control, can actively help maintain grid balance. This allows renewables to operate at full capacity, without the need to reduce generation or compromise system reliability.
The grid-forming loads developed within the project allow the responsibility for forming and stabilising the grid to shift from generators to consumers, reversing the traditional operation of the power grid, where generators have historically been responsible for stabilising the network. The research team will test this technology through experimental tests and system-scale simulations.
Impact
GridForLoads will lay the foundations for a more reliable, efficient power system, prepared for a future based on clean energy.
UPC has filed the patent 'Method and system for controlling a voltage source converter as a grid forming load' and is promoting the development of the concept and its commercial exploitation and application.
Partners, budget and funding
Led by CITCEA-UPC, the project is funded with €2.5 million under the Horizon Europe programme (HORIZON-101192350-GridForLoads) and involves six European research centres and companies. In addition to CITCEA-UPC, the project team includes the collaboration with the UPC’s Hydrogen Specific Research Centre (CER-H2). GridForLoads has a duration of 42 months (January 2025 – June 2028).
Related Projects
- Researchers from the Architecture, Energy and Environment research group (AiEM) and the Design and Analysis of Architectural Structures research group of the Department of Architectural Technology (DiCEA), which are part of the Centre for Research and Services for the Local Administration (CRAL) at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC), have developed an innovative system for the structural strengthening of ceramic floor slabs using stress-activated timber, designed to intervene in occupied buildings in a fast, sustainable and replicable manner.
- A team of researchers led by the FLUMEN Research Institute at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) has participated in the European ICARIA project. Its aim is to develop tools and risk maps that enable public authorities and infrastructure managers to anticipate the impacts of extreme climate events and make adaptation decisions on a more robust technical basis.
- A research team from the Institut de Robòtica i Informàtica Industrial (IRI, CSIC-UPC), together with the Centre de Disseny d'Equips Industrials (CDEI) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC), are participating in the national CASANDRA project to develop a digital manufacturing solution that will make it possible to establish a bidirectional data flow for continuous digital integration throughout the supply chain across the product life cycle. This integration will be achieved through digital twins and data-based models that are continuously updated thanks to distributed monitoring and control tools.
- The Materials Interfaces and Colloid Engineering group (INTERCOLL) at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC), in collaboration with the Life Cycle Thinking group at the University of the Basque Country (EHU), are taking part in the BIOCHOLESTEROID project to develop new bio-based smart materials with optical response for advanced applications.
