UK Power Networks maintains the grid across London, the South East, and East of England. This is a major economic hub, with huge potential worth exploring. The company is seeking innovative ways to deliver extra grid capacity. Excitingly, it may have opened a door for batteries and solar panels.
A Flexibility First Approach
The utility published a proposal on the 21st of August 2018, in which it described plans to “supercharge local markets for flexibility services, possibly by creating them itself.” This is an interesting intervention, and very different from relying on large base load stations.
UK Power Networks hopes to cut consumer costs by delaying or avoiding these expensive options. Because it wants to “increase the resilience of the network and provide new sources of revenue for flexibility providers, including generators, storage operators, major energy users, and aggregators.” Moreover, the flexible sphere could exceed 200 megawatts by 2023.
Why is UK Power Networks Making This Bold Move?
The UK is in a state of economic flux, depending on how the Brexit negotiations with Europe pan out. Since leaving the European Union could create an economic surge, or a cliff. But one thing is certain though:
The 8.5 million people in South East England and the London population of a similar number offer superb potential for shared home electricity generation. Therefore, opening a door for domestic batteries and photovoltaic panels seems an obvious part of the solution. UK Power Networks spokesperson and director of asset management appeared upbeat when he said:
“We strongly believe our role is to be a neutral facilitator of market-based solutions that provide the lowest cost option for our customers, not to prescribe them.” The utility held a consultation through to the 8th of October 2018. Thereafter, it will announce a new dispensation effective 2019.
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Preview Image: Electricity Distribution in South of England
