AN innovation from Northern Powergrid is helping to keep one of Newcastle’s iconic bridges swinging - and futureproof a tiny village.

The electricity distribution network operator for the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire is to pilot a unique smart-grid programme to futureproof the Swing Bridge over the Tyne and the forest village of Byrness.

It is installing a pioneering technology innovation at the Swing Bridge. The £2.5m programme, known as Microresilience, will use energy storage systems and communications technology to maintain power supplies to the critical infrastructure, as well as to remote communities.

The Northern Echo: Byrness villageByrness village

The Swing Bridge is a Grade II*-listed structure, which spans the River Tyne between Newcastle and Gateshead, and was built by visionary British engineer William Armstrong. It uses hydraulic power to drive its original 19th-century turning mechanism – but the cables that supply the bridge with electricity are dated and need replacing. Microresilience will see Northern Powergrid upgrade the infrastructure, installing a 100kWh lithium-ion battery system to provide power to open and close the bridge, ensuring its resilience to power cuts.

It has been chosen to showcase technology that will:

  • help maintain power to vital infrastructure as our climate becomes increasingly volatile;
  • increase resilience at sites of older infrastructure; and   
  • underpin local power networks as electricity use increases in the national push to net zero.

The Swing Bridge is not the only location chosen for the project. Simultaneously, Microresilience is launching 40 miles away, at the isolated forest village of Byrness. With its 50 homes and the smallest church in Northumberland, Byrness is the last point of habitation on the Pennine Way.

Here, in a landscape populated by roe deer and red squirrels, the electricity network snakes its way to the last point in its route, via a single power line. The vulnerability of this section of network to high winds and storms frequently threatens the power supply to the village, with residents far more likely to be cut off than people in nearby Newcastle. 

In Byrness, Microresilience will switch customers from the local network to a 200KWh back-up battery when there is a power cut, maintaining a seamless connection without so much as a blip. Wi-Fi will stay on, mobiles will keep charging, and customers will remain connected to power for the time it takes for engineers to find and fix faults.

As the UK and Northern Powergrid’s region decarbonise, customers will become increasingly dependent on electricity to power their lives. Protecting people’s power is more vital than ever, but electricity networks are under increasing threat from extreme weather events and cyber-attacks. In June this year, the UK Climate Change Committee highlighted protecting the power system from climate-related failure as an urgent priority.

Newcastle City Council cabinet member for Development, Neighbourhoods and Transport, Cllr Ged Bell, said: "I very much welcome this latest investment in the bridge’s power supply, which will not only keep its streetlights on during a power cut but improve the reliability of the bridge opening on special occasions, which I know caused disappointment recently.

“Hopefully the problems can be addressed and the Swing Bridge, which opened in 1876, will continue to delight people for many years to come.”

Rochester with Byrness Parish Council said: “We are very pleased to be working with Northern Powergrid on this pilot scheme. The Parish Councillors and Byrness residents are excited about the improvements this will bring to the resilience of the network in locations prone to supply fluctuation.

“We are looking forward to strengthening the partnership with Northern Powergrid during construction and installation. It is hoped that the experience gained from this project will improve the supply for many more communities both in the UK and globally.”

 

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