Resilience for a stable net-zero grid

The need 

The process of moving towards net-zero presents challenges for grid operators, who must balance supply and demand in real time with new supply coming from intermittent green generation through wind and solar, alongside increased demand from electric vehicles and heat pumps.  

Energy start-up Sygensys is developing demand management and energy storage system solutions to ensure a consistent and resilient electricity supply to improve on existing offerings. The novel control system involves making high- quality, time- synchronised grid measurements at many locations around the electricity system. 

Existing solutions typically use GPS as a timing reference, which can be subject to interference, for example, from space weather events. To enable enhanced control and fault finding, Sygensys needed access to continuous, accurate, time-synchronised measurements, which GPS and other similar global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) could not solely provide. 

The solution 

NPL and the University of Surrey worked with Sygensys to help them make the most of the Timing Innovation Node located at Surrey, which was set up through NPL’s National Timing Centre (NTC) programme. The White Rabbit timing connection, installed at the University, offered the accuracy Sygensys needed – to nanosecond levels. NPL provided time synchronisation expertise for the research project. 

Enabled by a grant from Innovate UK, the team investigated the performance of commercial timing receivers used across the grid to understand their limitations, and how this might adversely impact electricity grid measurements now and in the future. 

They needed to compare the commercial, off-the-shelf receivers with a separate timing measurement capability that was highly reliable and independent of satellite systems. 

NPL’s expertise in timing filled a competence gap – it would not be cost-effective for a small start-up like Sygensys to employ someone with these specific skills, yet they were crucial at this stage of their product development. 

Together the team used the specialist facilities, expertise and software at the University of Surrey to successfully make specific measurements and interpret them. They confirmed that the commercial timing receiver did vary in a way which wasn’t immediately obvious from regular, short-term measurement, but was revealed through measurements at the ultra-precise Timing Node. Over time, this variance could have had a considerable, undesirable impact on Sygensys and its customers. 

By conducting this evaluation, Sygensys had confidence that they were identifying a limitation of the timing receiver, rather than a problem with the measurement equipment and system they were using. The results have given them a good understanding of existing products, and, through further research, they have identified alternative mechanisms for generating the precise timing signals they need, which still make the most of off-the-shelf products. 

This progress means they can scale up and offer their technology more widely without resorting to expensive specialist equipment, so they can still take a mass market approach. The door is opened to a wide customer base across all renewable energy generators, rather than being limited to large electricity grid operators. 

The impact 

Thanks to the collaborative work and ongoing use of the Timing Innovation Node, Sygensys have been able to progress from an early feasibility study to a fully functional demonstrator which offers synchronised measurement – the foundation for a stable net-zero power grid.

This has led to commercial opportunities for trials on micro generation sites using thousands of units in the UK, a significant US collaboration and plans for rapid business expansion. 

The project is also helping to highlight the importance of timing resilience within the electricity industry. Despite being a small start-up, Sygensys is engaging with major industry players and helping to inform discussions about the future of secure timing and the need for more diverse timing signals that aren’t solely dependent on satellite systems.