New PhD Research Project on Renewable Energy in Isolated Electricity Systems

‘Ensuring Grid Stability and Supply Reliability in a 100% Renewable Electricity Sector in the Faroe Islands’ is the title of a 3-year PhD research project that will be carried out by PhD research student Helma Maria Tróndheim in close cooperation with SEV, Aalborg University and the University of the Faroe Islands.

Helma Maria Tróndheim, MSc Energy Engineering – Electrical Power Systems and High Voltage Engineering (EPSH)

Ensuring grid stability and supply reliability is a major challenge in small and isolated systems such as the Faroese electricity system with a high share of renewable and unstable energy sources.

Situated in the North Atlantic the Faroese electrical sector constitutes an isolated electricity system relying solely on its own recourses. At present, approximately half of the electricity generation is based on renewable sources, i.e. hydro and wind. The other half is based on fossil fuel generation.

The vision is to eliminate fossil fuels from the electicity system on land by no later than 2030, and thus the need to find solutions to the challenges of balancing the system is eminent.

Terji Nielsen, Research and Development Manager, SEV

Groundbreaking Research

“This project is of great importance to us. It is groundbreaking research, which will prove to be essential to our effort in reaching our goal of 100 by 2030”, says Terji Nielsen, Manager of Research and Development at SEV. “Although ‘one size doesn’t fit all’, I am convinced that this project will provide valuable knowledge to other isolated islands and communities in their efforts at integrating renewable energy into the energy mix”.

The project work started on 1 November 2018 and is funded by SEV, the Faroese Research Foundation as well as the University of the Faroe Islands.