Industrial Voltage Resilience
Voltage excursions are instances where the grid supplied electricity goes outside of its specification and 3% tolerance. These can be due to full outages but more frequent instances of very short in duration (i.e. sub 1 second) are causing operational instability at a high-energy demand industrial site. These excursions trip electrical protection relays designed to protect critical process equipment. This results in production losses, mechanical failures, extended recovery period and inefficiencies during restart. The challenge is to identify cost-effective, behind-the-meter solutions that can reduce the frequency of electrical trips in a short duration voltage excursion scenario to improve site resilience and enhance site reliability.
Opportunity
Challenge opens
15/05/2026
Challenge closes
25/06/2026
Benefit
This challenge is part of the Southwest Wales Net Zero Industry Launchpad iX (Innovation Exchange) pilot, enabling selected innovators to access Innovate UK grant funding of up to £25,000 to deliver a 3 month pilot project through the iX programme. An industrial energy user is seeking solutions to improve electrical resilience and mitigate the impact of grid voltage disturbances on critical site operations. This challenge is initially focused on one industrial site. However, voltage excursions and broader power quality issues are an increasing concern for many large electricity users across the UK. A successful, cost-effective behind-the-meter approach could therefore have strong potential for replication across multiple sites and sectors, representing a sizeable market opportunity for solution providers.
Background
The Net Zero Industry Launchpad is using the Innovate UK Business Connect Innovation Exchange (iX) platform to offer an exciting new pilot competition using the iX platform to support challenges that benefit or impact on Southwest Wales.
The aim of this competition is to support outstanding innovation projects that will impact on Southwest Wales.The pilot - Southwest Wales Launchpad Net Zero iX Challenges, aims to foster collaborative partnerships between a challenge holder & solution provider to deliver a project that that will accelerate the adoption of industrial circular economy, net zero or decarbonisation innovations within and across sectors for the Net Zero Industry launchpad in Southwest Wales.
An industrial site with high energy demand is being increasingly exposed to power supply issues, specifically voltage excursions. These occur when the incoming power supply falls outside acceptable tolerance ranges (±3%) causing protective equipment to trip and the power circuit to open. These events cause loss of power, leading to processes halting, extended restart times, and reduced operational efficiency.
Importantly, some voltage excursions can be extremely brief (sub 1 second) but still sufficient to trigger trips in protection relays causing major operational disruption. Protection settings and equipment tolerances for major assets are typically defined by the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and associated standards.
The site is experiencing an increase in frequency as the electricity system evolves and becomes more decentralised, meaning distribution network operators (DNOs) must manage an increasingly complex set of factors to maintain voltage within acceptable limits. With renewable integration and dynamic grid conditions, industrial users must enhance their ability to operate reliably under variable power conditions.
This is a fluid and evolving environment. While UK network operators are exploring mitigation measures on the grid side, the timing and nature of any changes are uncertain. This challenge therefore focuses on behind-the-meter (on-site, within the customer’s electrical system) solutions that provide an effective layer of protection now, and that can continue to deliver value as an additional layer of resilience if future network mitigations are introduced.