With the urgent need for decarbonisation, global offshore wind capacity is expected to increase dramatically.
Innovation is required to facilitate the rapid rollout of non-synchronous renewable generation and prevent grid balancing and stability challenges. Inertia in the GB grid is falling, which is already leading to curtailment of renewable generation. Without innovative, low-cost solutions, onshore grids will become weaker, which will lead to issues in system operation, and the curtailment of renewable generation, which will slow down the transition to net-zero. The issues presented by this problem include:
- Increased likelihood of instability events;
- Increased need for imported electricity;
- Maintaining reliance on synchronous fossil fuel generators on stand-by.
Preliminary work conducted within the Offshore Wind Accelerator, identified an opportunity to enable offshore wind farms to play a role in stabilising the onshore network using innovative technologies.
The INCENTIVE project was set up to build on this opportunity and has been competitively awarded funding. This project is funded by energy network users and consumers through the Strategic Innovation Fund, a programme from the UK’s independent energy regulator Ofgem managed in partnership with Innovate UK, and via the Offshore Wind Accelerator. The project is investigating how the electrical grid can be strengthened by installing innovative energy storage and converter technologies at the point of onshore grid connection of offshore wind farms.
To build commercial confidence in the technologies, the project is being conducted in phases.
- The Discovery Phase - this was successfully conducted in early 2022, shortlisting technology solutions.
- The Alpha Phase - in late 2022, the selected technology solutions underwent further business case development, technical testing, and selection in this phase.
- The Beta Phase - this phase was completed in 2024 and investigated three offshore wind farms on the GB network, using them as case studies to build technical confidence and workable business models to build commercial confidence in the solutions' ability to provide stability services to the GB onshore network.
- Stage 4 – This phase is running throughout 2025 and is continuing to de-risk the INCENTIVE STATCOM solution while additionally following a first-of-a-kind demonstration on the German network.
Project publications
In April 2025, the INCENTIVE project published a summary report of its findings up to the Beta phase of the project. As detailed in the report, the project found that both the INCENTIVE BESS and INCENTIVE STATCOM, in conjunction with offshore wind installations, could provide cost-effective stability services to the grid.
A step-change for offshore wind: Securing onshore grid stability report
Project end dates
June 2022 (Discovery Phase)
January 2023 (Alpha Phase)
January 2025 (Beta Phase)
May 2026 (Phase 4)
Project lead
SSE Networks Transmission
Project partners
SSEN Transmission, National Grid Energy System Operator, University of Strathclyde, The Carbon Trust, bp, EnBW, Equinor, Ocean Winds, Ørsted, RWE, ScottishPower Renewables, Shell, SSE Renewables, TotalEnergies and Vattenfall, together with funding from Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fund.
