1. November 2021

Research substation makes technology comparison possible

REINFELD. A major challenge in the context of the energy transition is to ensure the stability of the public power grid when using renewable energies. Because the share of renewable energies in Schleswig-Holstein is very high, one research focus of the “Field Test eHighway Schleswig-Holstein” (FESH) is on the topics of grid feedback and grid stability.

With a special research substation that has been set up in Reinfeld in recent months, it is now being investigated after successful commissioning how the overhead contact line system of an eHighway affects the stability of the public power grid and how undesirable fluctuations in the electrical networks can be countered.

In addition to the research substation, there are already two conventional substations on the overhead line route. These use rectifier technology of the type that has been used for decades in the rail sector to convert the AC voltage to the DC voltage of around 700 volts required for the overhead lines.

The research substation, on the other hand, is equipped with a so-called converter. Special switching elements (IGBTs) can be used to regulate the overhead line voltage, which makes it possible to respond to grid fluctuations, among other things. In Professor Hinrichs’ project at Kiel University of Applied Sciences, research is being conducted to determine which technology (rectifier/converter) is more suitable for grids with a high degree of utilization and a high proportion of renewable energy.