Microgrid solutions to support the UK supply chain

Microgrid solutions to support the UK supply chain

The UK supply chain is looking to become greener, investing in sustainable energy solutions to power everything from cargo transport to warehousing. At the same time, recent challenges from Brexit to the COVID-19 pandemic and the temporary obstruction of the Suez Canal have all impacted the import and export of essential products and highlighted inadequacies in national reserves.

All of this has caused a visible change in the UK landscape, with a ballooning demand for storage solutions that are both reliable and sustainable.

Developing a future proof solution

At Symmetry Park Biggleswade, industrial and logistics developer Tritax Symmetry has been working to develop such a solution with BasePower Ltd, a growing energy services developer focused on delivering sustainable, low-cost and high-efficiency solutions that enable the UK’s energy transition.

While strategically located to support customers’ needs, logistics parks are often located in areas where grid capacity is constrained and, in some cases, completely unavailable for new developments.

To future-proof the site and provide renewable, resilient power BasePower selected a Rolls-Royce mtu microgrid solution that includes three mtu CHP units, two mtu EnergyPack battery containers, two mtu emergency gensets and the complete microgrid control system.

Not only does it promise to deliver 2MW of reliable power to the site 99.9% of the time, the solution also delivers on Tritax Symmetry’s net zero commitments and helps its customers achieve their long-term sustainability targets for ongoing operations.

Rolls-Royce motor demonstrator for UAM passed to test

A resilient microgrid solution

BasePower led the detailed work to develop the full solution, including procurement, construction and commissioning and selected Rolls-Royce Power Systems with its brand mtu to deliver a fully integrated microgrid solution. Alongside expertise in enabling a reliable, autonomous and integrated energy solution, Rolls-Royce Power Systems was able to directly supply three of its mtu Series 4000 Combined Heat & Power (CHP) plants, two mtu EnergyPack QL battery storage containers and two mtu Series 2000 standby generators.

Each component asset of the microgrid is controlled by a central smart microgrid control system. Connected through a fibre optic communication network, the controller is able to identify load requirements, calculate the most efficient distribution of power and deploy sufficient assets while keeping enough power in reserve to provide electricity even in the event of utility grid or asset failures.

The microgrid also connects to photovoltaic panels installed on the rooftops of the warehouses themselves, serving as an additional sustainable power generation asset. Designed with future decarbonisation in mind, the microgrid will continue to support larger amounts of solar energy as the number of on-site renewable sources increases.

In addition to this, the three mtu CHP plants installed at the Biggleswade site have the ability to run on hydrogen with only minor modifications, enhancing the site’s ability to run on renewable and low-carbon power once this becomes available.

Motor demonstrator for 150 kW electric propulsion unit

24/7 support

The Energy Centre is covered by a 365/24/7 mtu Value Care maintenance agreement and, if needed, one of our Service team can be on site in as little as 30 minutes. Rolls-Royce’s proactive real-time web-based monitoring system automatically alerts on-call engineers enabling them to diagnose and even resolve system issues remotely. In the event of a site visit, a crash kit of spare components is available on site and carried in the engineers’ service vehicles to facilitate a speedy resolution.

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