A team of researchers has started a substantial new research initiative with Scottish & Southern Energy's power distribution business (Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution Limited) to investigate the options for lower carbon energy provision on the Shetland Isles.
The £1.4m multi-disciplinary research programme is led by Professor Graham Ault of the Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE) department and, in addition to EEE, involves teams from Management Science, Economics, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. The Management Science component is led by Professor Fran Ackermann, Professor Susan Howick, Professor John Quigley and Professor Lesley Walls, and supported by Dr Tom Houghton and others.
NINES (Northern Isles New Energy Solutions), is being developed by SSE in association with a range of local stakeholders, including Shetland Islands Council, Hjaltland Housing Association and Shetland Heat Energy and Power. It aims to support Shetland's sustainable energy future by developing and managing the electricity distribution network more effectively to allow renewable energy to play a bigger part in meeting Shetland's energy needs.
NINES will help SSE plan for the replacement of the existing Lerwick Power Station, which is nearing the end of its useful life, with a smaller station than would otherwise be required.
The Management Science aspect of the project aims to investigate the systemic strategic and operational risks associated with the scheme from both a qualitative and quantitative perspective. The strategic view will consider the wide picture taking into account a comprehensive consideration of risks affecting the organisation and its stakeholders, aiming to exploit the dependencies between these risks to inform effective management solutions. The operational aspect meanwhile will pay close attention to the design options and hence those technical risks that may be more directly controllable by engineering decisions.
The risk model takes inputs from existing data/documentation and extensive stakeholder discussions elicited through workshops, three of which have already been completed, and semi-structured interviews. The quantitative analysis will aim to use computer-based simulation techniques to describe these risks and will be focused on understanding the likelihood of service interruptions.