The grid is swapping spinning turbines for grid forming inverters, and something is getting lost in the trade. A turbine could always throw 5 times its normal output to clear a fault, for free, using nothing but physics. Inverters can only manage around 1.5 times theirs. So if renewables are going to take over, where does that missing strength come from instead?

Ben Braun is Chief Engineer at Fluence, where he's spent his career working on power electronics - from batteries to the grid. In this episode, he breaks down grid forming vs grid following inverters for everyone without an electrical engineering degree.

They cover:

- Why "grid forming is slower" than grid following - and why that slower response is actually what makes it more stable in a fault.

- Why NESO in GB and AEMO in Australia are chasing completely different things from grid forming batteries.

- Why grid inertia disappears as spinning turbines retire, and how a sudden burst of power from a battery can fake it.

- Why volatile AI training loads are turning data centres into miniature grids of their own, and how batteries are used to stop that volatility ever reaching the wider network.

- Why Ben's biggest concern isn't too little fault current on the grid, but too much of it - and why that could force a wave of grid upgrades most people haven't priced in

Want to see which grids are paying for inertia and fault current today, or where the next stability tenders are opening? Ko, Modo Energy's AI analyst, is built for exactly these questions. Free sign up: https://modoenergy.com/product/ko?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=ben_braun&utm_content=ko_signup

📄 Related article: [companion article link]

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⏱ CHAPTERS

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00:00 – Why the Grid Needs More Than Power Flow
01:31 – Grid Forming Inverters: Common Misconceptions
04:51 – Grid Forming vs Grid Following Speed Explained
07:16 – Bathtub Analogy for Grid Forming Batteries
11:44 – NESO Stability Pathfinder and Global Grid Forming Numbers
14:11 – AEMO's System Strength Charge Explained
16:28 – Inertia and Short Circuit Level for Beginners
17:10 – Grid Inertia Explained With Lorries and Cyclists
21:44 – How Batteries Replicate Grid Inertia
23:03 – Fault Current Basics: Fuses and Circuit Breakers
26:16 – Fault Current Math and Retiring Turbines
28:52 – Voltage Stiffness and System Strength
39:07 – Reactive Power Explained With a Circus Tent
42:23 – Black Start and Grid Restoration Explained
46:57 – Grid Forming Inverters for Data Centres
53:30 – Contrarian View: Too Much Fault Current
61:18 – Grid Upgrades for High Fault Current Levels

You can watch or listen to new episodes every Tuesday. Transmission is a Modo Energy production. Your host is Ed Porter - Director EMEA & APAC at Modo Energy.

Music licensed via Artlist.

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What's Really Holding The Grid Together - Fluence

Transmission

What's Really Holding The Grid Together - Fluence