Refurbishment of renewable grid for Foula

Hydro, PV, diesel

Malakoff Limited

UK

0.067MW

Refurbishment of the existing electricity scheme on the Island of Foula. A remote community island scheme serving 25 residents.

This work involved:

• Specification of a battery/inverter energy storage system which could energise a high voltage network, and be integrated with several generator types
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• Design of the refurbished network to accommodate the low network fault levels, including protection and earthing requirements, plus specification of replacement transformers for connection into the existing power distribution cable network.
  
  
• Design of a new control and management system which integrates operation of a range of equipment from various manufacturers, and includes load management equipment at consumer’s properties to make use of any surplus renewable energy.
  
  
• Design of replacement hydroelectric equipment and a new pipeline, which takes into account the island’s SSSI status and which is compliant with environmental operating restrictions introduced since the scheme was first installed.

Econnect’s proven track record and broad experience with a range of renewable generation types, high and low voltage networks, off-grid systems and regulatory issues helped to make best use of the different capabilities of the project team. 

A cost-effective system design was provided which would make best use of the limited budget.

The community has been provided with a robust and sustainable source of electricity 24 hours a day.