Although heavy weather over December and January caused problems for many in the south, it also ensured higher than expected levels of renewable energy output in other parts of the UK.
December was one of the wettest on record, with high winds on top of all the rain. SSE’s hydro electric stations in Scotland and its windfarms across UK and Ireland worked overtime using the extra energy to generate more renewable electricity.
SSE’s Head of Renewables Central Operations, Martin MacLeod, explains: “Thanks to the rain and the efforts of our staff in capturing water and keeping plant available, hydro output looks likely to exceed the predicted levels for 2013/14. Our wind fleet has also maintained high availability and production levels so increasing the contribution both make to the country’s renewable energy output.
“Before December we thought we would be forecasting a reduced output for the year but with December and January's high winds and rainfall it looks likely we will gain an additional 300GWh, meaning approximately 100,000 extra homes were supplied with renewable electricity made from wind and water.
“To manage this, hydro water levels are kept under close attention by our 24/7 operations team. We maintain regular contact with SEPA who are responsible for managing the national floodline system. We get daily updates on millimetres of rain forecast in our catchment areas which we use to help plan our operations. We also maintain close contact with our neighbours and other authorities.
“Looking ahead we will be watching carefully what the weather fronts are doing and ensuring our turbines are running as much as possible to keep storage space available in the reservoirs.”
One of SSE’s hardest working hydro schemes is Foyers Pumped Storage station at Loch Ness [see picture above]. Foyers Pumped Storage station provides fast response to the National Grid and can generate up to 300MW within minutes, when needed.
Pumped storage stations produce energy quickly and use excess energy from the grid to pump water back to their dams - where the cycle begins again. On a pump, the machines switch modes to draw electricity from the grid and store water for next-day generation. During December and January, Foyers changed modes over 1,100 times.
Major works to replace the main valves took place in 2013 with more work planned to be undertaken in 2014. This will help optimise operations and maintenance at Foyers into the future.
“Today’s electricity system requires more and more flexibility from generators and Foyers is a perfect example of how well this type of technology can perform. The upgrade work will ensure we’re able to produce energy from the site for many years to come”, explained Martin.