Global engineering and sustainability consultancy Arup, Energy Systems Catapult, and Electron in partnership with the University of Edinburgh, Piclo, and GreenSync, have joined forces to combine their expertise in digitalisation and flexibility markets, to develop solutions which will boost the flexibility of the UK’s energy system.
Flexibility markets enable price signals to be established at the distribution level to provide greater options for network operators so they can help bring down costs for consumers. These markets integrate smart meters, smart appliances, renewable energy resources, and energy-efficient resources.
This project is Phase 2 of the Flexibility Markets Unlocked competition for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), which is part of the government’s £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP).
The consortium will bring together and develop three components of the solution which will benefit organisations and consumers seeking to best utilise their flexibility by offering it into different markets efficiently. This is whilst helping to develop thorough standardisation and interoperability, with consistent data governance and a methodology for defining primacy rules:
Universal Market Register (UMR)
The UMR creates a universal identity for Flexibility Service Providers (FSPs), enabling identity portability across multiple market platforms with ease. The UMR integrates with existing registers providing a service that shares relevant registration details seamlessly throughout the flexibility ecosystem
Flexibility Data Standards (FDS)
FDS enables users to digitally engage with flexibility markets in a consistent and interoperable way, underpinning the FSP’s entire customer journey. The UMR requires FDS to address the challenge of information transparency through a common data model and schema within the Enterprise Data Architecture
Primacy Rules Test Bed (PRTB)
PRTB will serve as a shared framework and digital toolkit for testing different algorithmic primacy rules and their impact. It will extract flexibility market data from data sources across the flexibility ecosystem into a cloud-based analytics platform where the primacy rules implications can be assessed.
Simon Evans, Global Digital Energy Leader, Arup commented: “Through our collective expertise, the consortium intends to build a proof of concept and test solutions for the Universal Market Register, Flexibility Data Standards, and Primacy Rules Test Bed during Phase 2. This includes integrations with the Electron’s ElectronConnect and Piclo’s PicloMax platforms and with Greensync’s Central Asset Register for low carbon technology devices. We look forward to working together to boost flexibility of the UK’s energy system through digitalisation.”
In 2023, the consortium successfully secured funding from the DESNZ for Phase 1 of Flexibility Markets Unlocked, where they carried out a feasibility study assessing the development of innovative technical solutions to facilitate system-wide integration of multiple flexibility markets.
Dr Richard Dobson, Head of Digital and Data, Energy Systems Catapult said: “We’re very excited to continue working with the great team on Flexibility Markets Unlocked. We will build on the Data Sharing Infrastructure blueprint to develop and test the shared digital infrastructure that will support a future flexible digitalised energy system and accelerate net zero energy innovation”.
Jo-Jo Hubbard, CEO of Electron added: “Electron stands for driving flexibility at scale. This means simultaneously unlocking more value for volume in flexibility market services, to create a flywheel effect, as value drives further volume and volume drives further value. However, the friction around market entry is holding back that flywheel and slowing scale. We’re excited to continue working with the Flexibility Markets Unlocked consortium, as we continue to remove that friction, lower barriers to entry and open flexibility to everyone through an open ecosystem.”
About Arup
Dedicated to sustainable development, Arup is a collective of designers, consultants and experts working globally. Founded to be humane and excellent, we collaborate with our clients and partners, using imagination, technology and rigour to shape a better world.
About Electron
Electron’s vision is to unleash renewable abundance by connecting millions of distributed energy resources to thousands of coordinated markets using ElectronConnect. This highly configurable Software as a Service platform allows electricity system operators, network utilities and municipal suppliers, to launch, operate, and coordinate local flexibility markets at scale.
Electron also provides trade execution services and full life-cycle support to flexibility service providers, thus enabling our customers to play a leading role in enabling Net Zero Energy – delivering a reliable and safe network, at the lowest cost, and with industry leading customer experience.
About Energy Systems Catapult
Energy Systems Catapult is an independent research and technology organisation. The Catapult’s mission is to accelerate Net Zero energy innovation. Launched in 2015 by Innovate UK, the Catapult has built a team of more than 250 people, with a range of technical, engineering, consumer, commercial, incubation, digital, and policy expertise. The Catapult draws on sector-leading test facilities, modelling tools, and data collected from its back catalogue of more than 500 research projects.
The Catapult uses that ‘whole energy’ system capability to support innovative companies – small and large – to test, trial and scale new products and services. Impact comes when those innovators attract new customers, new investment, and new grants so they can thrive in the future energy system. Based in Birmingham, Energy Systems Catapult is part of a network of nine world-leading technology and innovation centres, established by Innovate UK. The Catapult Network fosters collaboration between industry, government, research organisations, academia, and many others to transform great ideas into valuable products and services.
For media requests, please contact Emma Lovell at emma.lovell@electron.net.
