Northumberland residents weigh in on multi-million-pound innovation project

Since 2021, the village of Byrness in Northumberland has been home to a ground- breaking project, designed to give rural communities a more resilient power supply.

The project is Northern Powergrid’s ‘MicroResilience’ trial, in partnership with Smarter Grid Solutions (SGS) and Turbo Power Systems (TPS).

With just 50 homes and the smallest church in Northumberland, Byrness is the last point of habitation on the Pennine Way. Electricity arrives via a single overhead power line, and like all overhead networks, it can be vulnerable to the weather, which can cause damage the line and power outages.

Nearing completion, the MicroResilience project is expected to keep customers in rural areas on supply, even during extreme weather events like storms. It works using battery energy storage technology, so that even if a grid outage does happen, the community continues to have power.

Joe Morris, Hexham resident and Labour MP for the town, recently visited the site.

On the project, he said:

'It was insightful to visit the new Northern Powergrid facility in Byrness and to hear about the work being done to ensure that our rural communities can retain access to vital electricity, even in extreme weather circumstances.

“As the MP for England's largest constituency, I will continue to engage constructively with organisations working across the constituency.”

The MicroResilience project will switch Byrness customers from the local electricity network to a 200kWh back-up battery in the event of a power cut, maintaining a seamless connection.

For vulnerable customers, or those medically dependent on electricity, this technology will provide additional reassurance and peace of mind.

On the project, Northumberland resident Susan Chapman and Chair of Rochester with Byrness Parish Council said:

 “Rochester with Byrness Parish Council is grateful that Northern Powergrid has chosen this rural village to be the first to receive this pioneering technology and substation which will kick-in immediately if power is lost.

“The Parish Council and residents look forward to working with Northern Powergrid to establish other mutually beneficial aspects of the scheme, including the option of linking solar panels and batteries to the substation.”

Andrew Webster, Northern Powergrid’s Innovation Manager, who led the project added:

“We’re passionate about innovation and investing in the communities we serve, we look forward to seeing the results of these trials, and their potential to revolutionise grid power.”

“If rolled out across the country, community microgrids are expected to help catapult the UK to net zero and deliver a more resilient and reliable power supply for consumers.”