A consortium of companies from the energy, flexibility, technology and engineering worlds has been formed in a bid to bring a flexibility trading platform to market.
Companies including Baringa, EDF, Flexitricity, KiWi Power, Northern Powergrid, Open Energi, Shell, Statkraft, UK Power Networks and Electron will collaborate to develop and commercialise a flexibility trading platform.
The consortium aims to harness the experiences and knowledge of its members to develop the framework which will allow for co-ordinated trading of balancing and other grid products, with a view to helping maintain its frequency.
Last September Electron confirmed that it had received funding from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for the platform, which is also supported by system operator National Grid and engineering giant Siemens.
It is not the only consortium piecing together a flexibility trading platform however. Open Utility, the company behind the Piclo energy trading software adopted by Good Energy and other European utilities, is also pursuing a flexibility tender platform utilising its existing product suite.
Electron chief Paul Ellis said the forum of industry participants would aim to make transactive flexibility “something that is real and relevant”.
“By working together, we recognise the current system needs to be changed and we are designing a system for present and future market participants,” he added.
Dale Geach, technology and innovation manager at Siemens, added that the platform held the potential to “unlock real value for stakeholders”.