This document discusses fault current limiters (FCLs) and their potential to extend the capacity of power grids. It notes that renewable energy targets are straining grids and that FCLs can help by limiting fault currents, allowing existing protection equipment to isolate faults and defer costly upgrades. The document outlines different FCL technologies, including Fault Current Limited's novel solid-state design, and estimates significant market potential for FCL deployment in the UK and benefits including savings of £38.4 million in one project. FCLs are presented as a cost-effective way to integrate more renewable energy by overcoming grid constraints.

1. Part of the portfolio
Extending the capacity of the Power Grid
5th Annual Smart Grids & Cleanpower 2013 Conference
5 June 2013 Cambridge
www.cir-strategy.com/events/cleanpower
Martin Ansell
Chairman & CEO: Fault Current Limited

2. Part of the portfolio
The challenge
• Renewable energy targets
• Utility’s statutory responsibility
• Preserve quality of supply
• Minimize disruptive impact
• Connection constraints
• Grid design limits
• Costly upgrades
• Unnecessarily replace network assets
• Renewable energy schemes: financial viability

3. Part of the portfolio
Power Grid complexity

4. Part of the portfolio
Generation dynamic
6 AEA
Electric Cars 0 0 0 0 2 31 72 132 245 544
Totals 26,456 29,798 34,377 44,522 50,072 81,192 120,339 156,774 197,953 244,658
Figure 2.2: Breakdown of UK renewable energy production 2005 – 2009 and forward projection
to 2020 - central estimate
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
RenewableEnergyProduction(GWh)
Historic and projected energy production to 2020 - central estimate
Electric Cars
Biomethane to transport
Second generation biofuels
First generation biofuels
Deep geothermal heat
Biogas injection into gas grid
Biomass district heating
Energy from waste - heat
Biomass boilers(heat)
Ground Source Heat Pumps
Air Source Heat Pumps
Solar Thermal
Wave power
Hydropower
Tidal stream
Solar PV
Landfill Gas
Electricity from waste
Biomass electricity
Offshore Wind
Onshore wind
*Analysis of Renewables Growth to 2020: AEA Technology report to DECC

5. Part of the portfolio
What is a fault?
A fault is any abnormal (unplanned for) flow
of electric current
• Power systems are designed to
accommodate a maximum fault current
• Circuit breakers and protection systems
isolate faults, limiting loss of service and
network equipment damage
• Addition of new power sources changes a
power system’s characteristics
• increasing the maximum fault current,
beyond the system design limits

6. Part of the portfolio
Fault Current Limiter
A FCL limits the maximum level of a fault current when a
fault occurs….allowing the existing power system protection
equipment to safely isolate the fault
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WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS TO UTILITIES?
FCLs offer numerous benefits to electric utilities. For in-
stance, utilities spend millions of dollars each year to main-
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7. Part of the portfolio
Fault event waveform

8. Part of the portfolio
Fault limiting methods

9. Part of the portfolio
FCL technologies
Superconductors FC Limited
Current
dependent
inductor
No Cryostat
Low heating losses
Passive system
Cryogenic = Operational Cost Passive
Autonomous
System
No
OverheadsElectronic control = Operational Cost
Power supplies = Operational Cost
DC bias
Ferromagnetic
DC bias keeps core in
saturation
Variable impedance
Heating losses
DC Magnet

10. Part of the portfolio
Applications & benefits
• Network ‘Meshing”:
Improving network
reliability
• Bus coupling:
Increasing operational
flexibility
• Employing lower rated
equipment: Reducing
network impedance
• Reducing voltage sags:
Improve power quality
• Power generation feeders: Enabling renewable energy
connection
• Defer capital expenditure: Extending useful life of existing
network assets

11. Part of the portfolio
Market potential
• FCLs identified as ‘technology most
likely to realise significant value
from public sector innovation
support’*
• UK Deployment estimates*
• 296 – 406 units by 2020
• 1182 – 1625 units by 2050
• More than 21 SCFCL trials across
the globe
• UK, Germany, China, Japan, Korea,
Spain, USA…..
*Reference: Technology Innovation Needs Assessment: August 2012

12. Part of the portfolio
Deployment benefits
• FLEXGRID (WPD Tier 2 LCNF
project) advanced fault level
management in Birmingham
• Cost to upgrade: £48.4m
• Cost to add FCLs: £10m
• Potential saving: £38.4m
• FCLs are estimated to have an
impact of between £0.8bn - £1.1bn
value in business creation, together
with £200m value in meeting
emissions targets
*Reference: WPD Flexgrid project: LCNF submission
TINA report August 2012

13. Part of the portfolio
Fit & Forget
‘Ideal’ Fault Current Limiter characteristics
ü Lower Capital Costs: compared with replacing
network assets
ü Quick to install: single phase foot-print
ü Performance criteria met (reliability & longevity)
ü Negligible operations & maintenance costs
ü No unusual health & safety issues
ü Fail-safe

14. Part of the portfolio
Next generation FCL
Fault Current Limited
• Spin-off from Cardiff University (Wolfson Centre for
Magnetics):novel concept meets all ‘ideal’ criteria
• Backed by Fusion IP & IP Group
• DECC grant award to build demonstrator
• UK based manufacturing partners

15. Part of the portfolio
Extending the capacity of the Power Grid

16. Part of the portfolio
References
• WPD FLEXGRID project: LCNF Tier 2 submission
• Technology Innovation Needs Assessment (TINA): August
2012
• Analysis of Renewables Growth to 2020: AEA Technology
• Application and Feasibility of Fault Current Limiters in Power
Systems: CIGRE WG A3.23 – June 2012

17. Part of the portfolio
Extending the capacity of the Power Grid