A device capable of enabling enough electricity to power 45,000 households has been successfully tested in the United Kingdom.
The ground-breaking solution, called LoadShare, has been designed by power technology firm, Smart Wires of California and tested by UK Power Networks.
In a single year, UK Power Network discovered the LoadShare trial had saved its customers around £8m and freed up enough renewable power to operate 45,000 homes, and connect safely to a point in the network that had previously been constrained.
An essential “pinch point” on an Essex/Suffolk power line was solved by LoadShare, enabling more electricity to be generated for the system, without the assistance of disruptive and costly construction of new substations and electrical cabling. The devices developed by Smart Wires were fitted at three points between sizeable electrical substations on steel lines overhead close to Lawford.
The cutting-edge technology routes power via cables with available capacity instantly by intelligently selecting them to maximise the existing networks use.
Ian Cameron, Head of Innovation at UK Power Networks, commented:
“LoadShare is truly innovative for the UK energy industry, as we are the first network operator to deploy Smart Wires technology in the UK. At its heart, this is a story of optimisation.”
The successful trial between Lawford and Bramford represents an investment worth £5.5m. UK Power Networks now aims to deploy this technology in further areas in order to continue enabling more renewable energy to be generated and passing the benefit of reduced costs on to customers.
