UK Power Networks has begun a tender process for up to 35.4MW of demand-side response for delivery starting in January next year. Following an expressions of interest call launched today, the network operator will invite firms to tender early October. UK Power Networks seeks assets that can increase exports (generate) or reduce imports (consume less) Read more…
Energy Institute: Policymakers must prioritise ‘poor child’ energy efficiency
Energy efficiency should be prioritised and supported by government, according to a comprehensive survey of Energy Institute (EI) members. Yet it remains the “poor child” of energy policy, according to Institute vice president and former National Grid CEO, Steve Holliday. Policymakers should also listen carefully to industry, “those who understand how policies will be delivered Read more…
Italian utility Enel buys DSR aggregator Enernoc
Demand-side response (DSR) aggregator Enernoc is to be acquired by Italian utility Enel in a deal that values the company at around $300m (£236m). The utility’s North American subsidiary Enel Green Power North America will buy the firm at $7.67 per share in an all-cash transaction. “After a comprehensive review of strategic options, during which we evaluated a Read more…
Energy storage ‘will wipe out battery storage’
There are quick bucks to be made from battery storage. But in three or four years, many assets will be in the bin, reckons redT chief Scott McGregor. He claims sustainable energy storage that can handle multiple functions for decades without degrading is now viable. Brendan Coyne reports Predictions for battery storage penetration vary wildly. Read more…
Smart Meter Bill: Wiggle room for rollout deadline?
Energy suppliers may have been given wiggle room to complete the rollout of smart meters after 2020. The Smart Meter Bill, contained within the Queen’s speech, reiterates that the requirement to offer a smart meter to all households and business by 2020 remains in place. However, it will also “extend the Government’s ability to make changes Read more…
Ofgem confirms deep cuts to Triad payments
Ofgem has confirmed that it will implement steep cuts to small generators’ Triad payments. The regulator suggested its move would save consumers billions in the longer term. The changes come as part of a larger overhaul of network charging. Ofgem’s review of embedded benefits – the rates of charges and rewards for distribution connected generators – Read more…
National Grid plots major overhaul of balancing services with frequency response first to change
National Grid has outlined plans for a major overhaul of balancing services over five years. The System Operator will start with frequency response, pledging to have a new product in market by next March. National Grid said it needs to procure faster frequency response closer to real time and wants views on its proposals. Within Read more…
Battery storage: Finance and revenues challenging but businesses predict 3-7 year payback
Three quarters of companies considering battery storage projects predict payback periods of between three and seven years, according to early findings of a survey by The Energyst. However, when it comes to securing funds, predictability of revenue is a concern for almost two thirds (62%) of those surveyed, while stability of policy worries almost half Read more…
Demand-side response and battery storage: Give us your views
Are you involved in demand-side response provision; are you considering how to monetise flexible energy consumption, or whether to invest in battery storage? The Energyst needs your views, positive and negative, for its 2017 Demand-Side Response report. Please take this short survey and help us compile a snapshot of DSR and battery storage from an Read more…
Swedish giant Vattenfall enters UK business energy market
Swedish utility Vattenfall has entered the UK business energy supply market. The state-owned firm will start supplying wind derived power from October this year and is now stepping up UK customer acquisition. Vattenfall currently operates over 500MW of offshore wind in UK waters, as well as around 110MW of onshore wind. It aims to have 1GW Read more…
WPD launches local demand-side response aggregator business
Western Power Distribution has launched a demand-side response business to sell flexibility both into National Grid’s schemes as well as balance its own local networks It will now begin to woo medium and large businesses with onsite generation and flexible energy consumption profiles. The Flexible Power project initially focuses on the East Midlands. If successful Read more…
As solar generation makes history, National Grid starts to feel the burn
Sunny weather on Saturday made history, according to National Grid. Solar PV connected to the distribution system reduced the draw on the main transmission system in the afternoon to a lower level than it had been overnight on Friday. That has never happened before, said the system operator. “On Saturday 25 March 2017 transmissions system demand in Read more…
Energyst Media launches The Energyst Event
Energyst Media has today launched The Energyst Event, a trade show focusing specifically on business energy issues, rather than broader sustainability and environmental concerns. The show will further the remit of The Energyst magazine and theenergyst.com in providing essential information to cater for the needs of the modern energy professional. It will take place at Read more…