
National Grid is now rolling out new grid reserve solutions and we have developed StartIQ™, our fast start eCompressor, to enable normal natural gas-fired combustion engine generators to be able to participate. Our CEO, Paul Dowman-Tucker, explains...
It was fabulous to see, earlier this month, that National Grid Electricity System Operator (NGESO) has released final details of its new Quick and Slow Reserve balancing services products. Having been under consultation between NGESO and industry since October 2020, the products will now be rolled out later this year.
These grid frequency management products provide NGESO with a solution to manage frequency fluctuation on the grid by dispatching rapid response generating (or stored energy) capacity.
Quick Reserve capacity is required to be able to ramp to full load within 1 minute of receiving a dispatch command. The 1 minute requirement is driven by analysis on historic frequency data which show that a time to full delivery of 1 minute or less would reduce exposure to grid frequency deviations of ±0.1 Hz from around 8% of the time to around just 3.3% of the time. In absolute terms, this means frequency could be outside ±0.1Hz for around 290 hours per year instead of around 700 hours per year.
Slow Reserve capacity is required to be able to ramp to full load within 15 minutes of the dispatch command and is intended to take the load if capacity is needed for longer than might be able to be supported by Quick Reserve generating or storage assets. The 15 minute requirement is driven by the System Operator Guidelines (SOGL) requirement to restore frequency to within ±0.2 Hz deviation following a contingency, the parameter being in line with maximum delivery duration of Dynamic Containment.
It is generally considered that Quick Reserve is a product targeted at Battery Electricity Storage Systems (BESS), but Bowman has developed the StartIQ™ fast start eCompressor product to enable normal natural gas-fired combustion engine generators to be able to participate. This is a much lower cost option and also represents a considerably more sustainable option in the context that existing grid connected assets can be utilised, avoiding the need for the highly costly and resource intensive battery solutions to be built out. We will write a further article on the opportunity StartIQ™ represents for UK generator operators, later in the year.


National Grid is now rolling out new grid reserve solutions and we have developed StartIQ™, our fast start eCompressor, to enable normal natural gas-fired combustion engine generators to be able to participate. Our CEO, Paul Dowman-Tucker, explains...
It was fabulous to see, earlier this month, that National Grid Electricity System Operator (NGESO) has released final details of its new Quick and Slow Reserve balancing services products. Having been under consultation between NGESO and industry since October 2020, the products will now be rolled out later this year.
These grid frequency management products provide NGESO with a solution to manage frequency fluctuation on the grid by dispatching rapid response generating (or stored energy) capacity.
Quick Reserve capacity is required to be able to ramp to full load within 1 minute of receiving a dispatch command. The 1 minute requirement is driven by analysis on historic frequency data which show that a time to full delivery of 1 minute or less would reduce exposure to grid frequency deviations of ±0.1 Hz from around 8% of the time to around just 3.3% of the time. In absolute terms, this means frequency could be outside ±0.1Hz for around 290 hours per year instead of around 700 hours per year.
Slow Reserve capacity is required to be able to ramp to full load within 15 minutes of the dispatch command and is intended to take the load if capacity is needed for longer than might be able to be supported by Quick Reserve generating or storage assets. The 15 minute requirement is driven by the System Operator Guidelines (SOGL) requirement to restore frequency to within ±0.2 Hz deviation following a contingency, the parameter being in line with maximum delivery duration of Dynamic Containment.
It is generally considered that Quick Reserve is a product targeted at Battery Electricity Storage Systems (BESS), but Bowman has developed the StartIQ™ fast start eCompressor product to enable normal natural gas-fired combustion engine generators to be able to participate. This is a much lower cost option and also represents a considerably more sustainable option in the context that existing grid connected assets can be utilised, avoiding the need for the highly costly and resource intensive battery solutions to be built out. We will write a further article on the opportunity StartIQ™ represents for UK generator operators, later in the year.


National Grid is now rolling out new grid reserve solutions and we have developed StartIQ™, our fast start eCompressor, to enable normal natural gas-fired combustion engine generators to be able to participate. Our CEO, Paul Dowman-Tucker, explains...
It was fabulous to see, earlier this month, that National Grid Electricity System Operator (NGESO) has released final details of its new Quick and Slow Reserve balancing services products. Having been under consultation between NGESO and industry since October 2020, the products will now be rolled out later this year.
These grid frequency management products provide NGESO with a solution to manage frequency fluctuation on the grid by dispatching rapid response generating (or stored energy) capacity.
Quick Reserve capacity is required to be able to ramp to full load within 1 minute of receiving a dispatch command. The 1 minute requirement is driven by analysis on historic frequency data which show that a time to full delivery of 1 minute or less would reduce exposure to grid frequency deviations of ±0.1 Hz from around 8% of the time to around just 3.3% of the time. In absolute terms, this means frequency could be outside ±0.1Hz for around 290 hours per year instead of around 700 hours per year.
Slow Reserve capacity is required to be able to ramp to full load within 15 minutes of the dispatch command and is intended to take the load if capacity is needed for longer than might be able to be supported by Quick Reserve generating or storage assets. The 15 minute requirement is driven by the System Operator Guidelines (SOGL) requirement to restore frequency to within ±0.2 Hz deviation following a contingency, the parameter being in line with maximum delivery duration of Dynamic Containment.
It is generally considered that Quick Reserve is a product targeted at Battery Electricity Storage Systems (BESS), but Bowman has developed the StartIQ™ fast start eCompressor product to enable normal natural gas-fired combustion engine generators to be able to participate. This is a much lower cost option and also represents a considerably more sustainable option in the context that existing grid connected assets can be utilised, avoiding the need for the highly costly and resource intensive battery solutions to be built out. We will write a further article on the opportunity StartIQ™ represents for UK generator operators, later in the year.