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With a key objective to accelerate decarbonization, Mutual Energy uses short-run marginal carbon intensity data from Electricity Maps to estimate the CO2 savings obtained through their operations.
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THE CHALLENGE
Mutual Energy owns and operates energy infrastructure in Northern Ireland. Among the assets operated by Mutual Energy is the Moyle Interconnector, a 500 MW HVDC link between the electricity networks of Northern Ireland and Great Britain. This interconnector enables electricity to flow between the networks in order to balance both electricity markets and ensure electricity demand is met.
By transmitting excess wind production to Great Britain or importing cleaner production sources to Northern Ireland, for example, the Moyle interconnector can help reduce grid emissions by causing a dirtier, more expensive production mode to ramp down and cleaner, cheaper production modes to ramp up in another grid.
To more accurately estimate avoided emissions from the operation of an interconnector, average carbon intensity data must be combined with hourly marginal emissions data. Marginal emissions data can quantify emissions derived specifically from the generators which will ramp up or ramp down as a consequence of these operations.
Rowan Tunnicliffe,
Senior Commercial Analyst
SOLUTION
To assess the CO2 impact that the operation of the Moyle Interconnector holds, Mutual Energy needs to develop a counterfactual of what CO2 emissions would have been if the interconnector was not operating. For this, they need accurate and reliable data to quantify the impact their actions have on the electricity network at each hour, and therefore they partnered with Electricity Maps to access granular carbon emissions data.
Electricity Maps provides Mutual Energy with short-run marginal emissions data that estimates the carbon emissions emitted for additional electricity production that covers (in the short-term) any increase in electricity consumption. Marginal emissions data is essential for Mutual Energy as it enables them to quantify emissions of the specific production modes which are ramping up or down. These emissions are calculated with machine learning algorithms combining a wide range of grid data among which weather and market data (Learn more about our methodology for marginal emissions here).
Rowan Tunnicliffe
Senior Commercial Analyst
Today, Electricity Maps data is an important part of the foundation for assessing the sustainable impact of the Moyle Interconnector. The KPIs measured with Electricity Maps data help Mutual Energy to keep in alignment with their strategic objective and to ensure they positively contribute to the energy transition. By using granular carbon emissions data, Mutual Energy is able to quantify their impact and transparently share the contribution of the Moyle interconnector to reduce CO2 emissions from electricity consumption in Northern Ireland and Great Britain
As the development of variable renewable energy is impacting our electricity networks, and as this impact is expected to increase in the following years, the role of interconnectors will grow to ensure the stability of electricity systems. Electricity Maps is happy to partner with Mutual Energy to ensure the operation of interconnectors contributes to more stable and sustainable power grids.
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