This feasibility study looks at how new digital value chains arising from interconnected managed smart energy clusters in rural areas can stimulate economic development and commercial diversification. This includes incentives for supply and demand side efficiencies. Innovation comes from new cross-industry services stimulated by a combination of local energy assets and rural “interconnectedness” which can support new highly disruptive supply chains.

This project will deliver a novel low cost intelligent building energy control system integrated with a peer-to-peer energy market that will enable small to medium enterprises to control and automate energy production and consumption while participating in a localised energy market. This project will also facilitate new sectors of the economy to participate in demand response and time of use electricity pricing programmes. The project aims to create a pilot programme for 1 year where successful operation will optimise energy system efficiency and ensure that clients are paid for what they generate, only pay for what they use, reduce energy bills and are offered a new way to earn money by taking an active part in managing supply and demand.

The objective is to demonstrate how demand side resources can participate in a capacity market in the UK. Specifically, we will simulate a capacity market mechanism in which demand resources are aggregated and dispatched in response to tightening capacity markets. This product would have operational parameters which are typical features of capacity markets, including a 24 hour “standby” notification, and a 2 hour ahead “go”. The assessment of avoided transmission and distribution losses will be based on a pilot Willingness to Accept study which will measure both the price per MW/h at which customers and aggregators will be willing to participate in a capacity market and the market conditions for them to join in.

A project to leverage existing open source hardware, software and protocols to develop an ultra-low cost metering, control and communications unit to enable end user inclusion in a peer-to-peer (P2P) micro grid, to allow consumers to control and automate energy production and consumption at the domestic and residential level. This unit will also facilitate clients taking part in residential demand response programmes. The project aims to create a prototype unit and develop the designs and plans for a mass manufacture version. Succesful operation will reduce energy bills and offer a new way to earn money by taking an active part in managing supply and demand. Micro grids, smart grids at the neighbourhood level, offer benefits to both the energy user and the environment through localisation of energy, reduction in transmission and distribution losses, savings in infrastructure investment and community based demand response.