ABB (
www.new.abb.com) has invested £1 million in a ‘digital demonstrator’ launched by Energy Futures Lab at Imperial College London (
www.imperial.co.uk).
This will be used by researchers and students to develop their understanding of possible configurations for low-carbon energy systems.
It will enable teams at the college to test how their ideas for the power grid of the future would work in the real world.
They will be able to see how different elements of the energy system interact with each other and how they are affected by external factors, such as the impact of the weather on renewable-energy production, equipment outages or shifting demand patterns.
Tim Green, co-director of Energy Futures Lab, said: “I am very proud to be involved in bringing this fantastic new facility to the college. We have had a close relationship with ABB for many years, and this is only the first step of what I know will be a very fruitful collaboration.
“The demonstrator is an amazing addition to the research and teaching being done at Imperial, and it will be a key part of our work shaping a future low-carbon energy system.”
The demonstrator will be a central part of the IDLES project, which aims to tackle the issue of the evidence that is used by governments and businesses to formulate their strategies around the long-term evolution of energy systems.
However, it is also a teaching facility, with students having access to investigate ideas from their lectures and coursework.