Grid

Session A5 | Day 1, Tue 29 June, 16.00-17.00pm

Session Summary
The final session of day one looks at the offshore grid and the OFTO regime – a key challenge going forward.

• Colin Green, Head of Offshore Transmission Policy & Incentives, Ofgem
• Guy Nicholson, Head of Grid and Regulatory Affairs, RenewableUK
• Julian Leslie, Electricity Customer Manager, National Grid
• Richard Cooke, Sales Director Wind, Solar & Biomass Power Generation, ALSTOM Grid
• Thomas Boehme, Senior Engineer, DNV Cleaner Energy

	Chair: Colin Green, Head of Offshore Transmission Policy and Incentives, Ofgem With over 13 years regulatory experience within OFFER and Ofgem, Colin has worked on a number of key projects. These include the introduction of domestic electricity competition, retail and network price regulation, and broader competition policy. Colin is currently the Head of the Offshore Transmission Policy team, which provides policy support to the first tender round as well as developing policy for future tender rounds. He is also a member of Ofgem’s Tender Review Committee. Colin holds a BSc and MSc in Economics as well as a Post Graduate Competition Policy qualification.
	Speaker: Guy Nicholson, Head of Grid and Regulatory Affairs, RenewableUK Grid Update for Offshore Wind The presentation will outline recent developments and highlight key current and future issues for grid connection of offshore wind in UK. Topics will include the Offshore Transmission Regime; options for building and owning assets; transmission charging for these assets; the financial securities required by developers (“final sums”); and the importance of these processes in delivering our offshore ambitions. Biography Guy is Head of Grid at RenewableUK. A Chartered Engineer with 30 years experience in the electrical aspects of renewable energy. His experience includes wind turbine design, remote and island power schemes, wind farm development, transmission connected GW scale offshore projects and distribution network connected PV, landfill gas, marine and hydro. In 1995 he founded Econnect now part of Senergy, which has played a role in around 50% of the renewable generation in the UK, and where he developed operating businesses in the Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the USA. He has pioneered SmartGrid tools such as the gridconnection web site and GenAVC. From January this year his role is split between Senergy Econnect and RenewableUK.
	Speaker: Julian Leslie, Electricity Customer Manager, National Grid Grid Development The presentation will provide a high level overview of the work completed to date and the work to be completed to facilitate the connection of new generation across GB focusing on the developments to enable the connection of Offshore wind. A view on the new IPC planning process, the generic time for building and commissioning Grid Assets and view on Network Access will be given. A brief overview of the new access regime, Connect and Manage and the benefits this brings will also be highlighted.------- Biography Julian heads up the Electricity Customer Services team which is responsible for all new and existing connections to the electricity Transmission networks. Julian joined National Grid in 1992 on the graduate scheme. He initially started in system operations in planning transmission access and generation scheduling at the National Control Centre. He then spent four years in the US creating the first Independent Transmission Company to manage the transmission network for three US utilities. He is a Chartered Electrical Engineer and a Fellow member of the IET and is currently based in Warwick, UK.
	Speaker: Richard Cooke, Sales Director Wind, Solar & Biomass Power Generation, ALSTOM Grid HVDC Standardisation AREVA T&D have been a provider of HVDC converter systems for over 40 years, starting from the mercury arc technology. The team involved in developing and applying HVDC system technology have recently moved from AREVA to ALSTOM as part of the sale of AREVA T&D to ALSTOM and Schneider Electric. Traditionally HVDC systems have been bespoke, each system has been engineered to meet a specific need and to match to specific characteristics of the host networks. The offshore wind market both here in the UK and in other markets has created a large demand for HVDC systems and there is strong pressure on costs. Additionally EU objectives to ensure secure network operation, improve competition in energy markets and to develop energy systems in a sustainable manner are having an impact on the traditional way of designing and delivering HVDC systems. Standardisation is a way to reduce costs, open up opportunities for new entrants in components such as cable and to improve the operability and maintainability of these key assets. The presentation reviews barriers and drivers to standardisation being realised, existing initiatives to develop standards and key missing components with actions underway to address these gaps. Outstanding issues are identified and questions raised as to their suitability for standardisation and possible forums or mechanisms through which this might be achieved if it were desirable. Biography Richard is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer who graduated in 1986 with a BA in Engineering Science. After university and employment with BAE Systems and Rockwell Automation he joined GEC ALSTHOM in 1992, which in 1998 became ALSTOM, to work in their thermal power plant business. Following the completion of an MBA he transferred to the corporate technology function where he was responsible for managing the company’s research programmes in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and Distributed Generation. From 2003 to 2008 he was responsible for business development within the Systems business for ALSTOM, now AREVA, for wind connections in the UK and Ireland. As part of this role he led the team that secured the contract for the electrical connection of the Barrow Offshore Wind Farm, the first offshore wind farm in the UK requiring an offshore substation. In the years since 2003 three further offshore projects in the UK have been secured and a successful know-how exchange was achieved to the AREVA team in Germany who have secured for themselves four further offshore projects. Since Autumn 2008 Richard has had responsibility for establishing the AREVA T&D offering strategy for the wind market as part of AREVA T&D’s central Power Generation Sales Team. Since 7th June 2010 this activity is now part of the new Transmission Activity of ALSTOM.
	Speaker: Thomas Boehme, Senior Engineer, DNV Cleaner Energy Managing Risks of Subsea Cables Cables have been used offshore for more than a century and are a vital element in offshore wind farms. In-field cables at medium voltage level (e.g. 20 to 36 kV AC) interconnect the individual wind turbines while export cables transmit power to the shore. Wind farms located further offshore use export voltages exceeding 100 kV AC or may employ high-voltage DC connections. This presentation will introduce important design aspects of subsea cables including electrical, mechanical and thermal design as well as joints and terminations. Cables need to be designed and manufactured for the specific site conditions and installed by suitable equipment. Recent cases of damages confirm that proper cable fixing and armoring is paramount The presentation focuses on best practice, the “lessons learned” from the industry and the consequences for new offshore wind farms. Biography Thomas Boehme holds a Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering and a PhD in marine renewables. He has more than twelve years of practical experience and has worked as an electronics engineer developing hardware and software and as Head of Service for a German wind turbine manufacturer in the P.R. China, installing and servicing turn-key wind farms across the country. In his current position with Det Norske Veritas (DNV) he is focussed on onshore and offshore wind energy, providing technical advice, conducting risk analyses and investigating incidents. His interests include grid connection of renewables and large-scale energy storage. Thomas was project manager and lead author for DNV-OS-J201, "Offshore Substations for Wind Farms".