Electricity networks face new challenges from electric vehicles, heat pumps and solar. These low-carbon technologies are vital for net zero but can strain local grids --- high voltages waste solar energy, while low voltages trip EV chargers.
Project SOLVE builds on Ofgem's and NESO's innovation programmes, using open standards and smart meter data to provide real-time visibility of low-voltage networks. By combining this with real-time, appliance-level forecasting, SOLVE enables networks to predict local demand and flexibility, plan ahead, and make better use of existing assets --- reducing costs, avoiding curtailment, and delivering a more reliable, fairer energy system for consumers.
Electricity demand from heating could quadruple by 2050 to over 100TWh per year, almost a third of GB's current annual electricity demand.
Hot Chips will demonstrate how data centre surplus heat could reduce the energy demand of district heat (DH) networks and explore how DNOs and data centres can work collaboratively to decarbonise DH networks.
Using water-sourced heat pumps in an ambient loop array, this project will reduce electrical demand and increase system efficiency. Coupled thermal storage will provide thermal flexibility for homes as well as electrical demand flexibility for DNOs.
Cross-Vector Energy Hubs can leverage the flexibility of both Electrical and Gas technologies to support the electricity system and release grid capacity via coordination of these parallel energy vectors. The project builds and demonstrates a planning and simulation toolset that evaluates the Cross-Vector Energy Hub, allowing both DNOs and prospective Energy Hub developers/owners to simulate the coordination of electrical and gas technology components. The toolset models the control of device portfolios as configured by user, quantifying the value of constraint-limitation and feasible device coordination (_technical_), which can then feed into assessment of the commercial value for such coordination (_economic_).
Fractal Flow (FF) addresses challenges for both the National Grid Electricity System Operator (NGESO) and Distribution Network Operators (DNOs). NGESO currently has limited visibility of aggregated demand forecasts, services availability, and headroom at and below Grid Supply Points (GSPs). As DNOs shift to flexible demand and supply services, FF provides crucial insights to manage network dynamics and avoid conflicts caused by Active Network Management (ANM) systems. By enhancing real-time data access and network visibility with accompanying data analytics, FF aims to better utilise Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), promote low-carbon technologies to reduce CO2 emissions and optimise operations reducing curtailment costs.
Research and development into the use of gamification (competitions, games and virtual rewards) and other methods to engage ULEV owners with V2G technology and incentivise behaviours such as the discharging/charging of their EV batteries to support the energy system.
This project brings together five organisations to deliver technology that addresses key factors currently slowing the uptake of Electric and Hybrid vehicles. This will be achieved by integrating and improving the function of the battery management system and the on-board charger. The work to be carried out accelerates the development of an innovative product and takes a significant step in addressing the ‘hollowing out’ of the UK automotive supply chain.
Hyperdrive are leading the consortium, applying their technical expertise in Electric Vehicle engineering and drawing on their project delivery capability, gained from many automotive, marine and defence applications.
The project is a natural progression of the energy storage and Battery Management System products that Hyperdrive currently supply. The new product will reduce charge time and extend battery pack lifetime, in a smaller, lighter package. iEV CaB FAB will meet all automotive industry expectations of product robustness, manufacturing quality and specific safety requirements.
If the UK is to achieve its carbon reduction targets then radical changes are needed to the electricity markets to accommodate the forecast increase in electrical load due to the electrification of heat and transport and the intermittency of supply caused by the closure of traditional power stations and the increase in renewable generation such as wind and solar.
One possible solutions to address the issues that this may cause this is to utilise any flexibility that customers have in how they use electricity. This 3 year project will explore the long term opportunity for domestic householders to trade appliance load curtailments in an online game. It will trial gaming options with 2000 customers to test ease of recruitment, the size of load response available and whether this can be reliably sustained to be of use to distribution network operators and other potential users of demand-side reduction services.