Quality assurance firm Resillion has launched the UK’s first demonstrations of interoperable demand-side response (DSR) and energy smart appliance (ESA) technologies designed to enhance grid stability.
Alongside a consortium of partners, including the University of Strathclyde, ScottishPower Energy Retail, and QualityLogic, Resillion has successfully demonstrated its technologies in environments replicating real-world conditions.
The project, which received funding from the UK Government’s Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, brings together a range of smart appliances from various international suppliers in an attempt to demonstrate how these technologies work together to optimise energy usage and enhance demand management efficiency. Resillion aims to prove the DSR system is ready to meet the challenges of the modern energy grid.
Testing is being undertaken at the University of Strathclyde’s Power Networks Demonstration Centre (PNDC) testing facility, with ScottishPower providing real-world context and technical support.
Bill Chard, energy business manager at Resillion, commented: “Demand Side Response, and Energy Smart Appliances, will be an important part of managing growing overall energy demand as the electrification of heat and transport grows over the coming years. Additionally, these technologies will enable consumers to better manage their energy usage and reduce costs.
“Our DSR demonstration lab is an important step in proving the interoperability between products from a range of manufacturers, within an ecosystem based on a new technology standard. The project will provide data that will indicate how real-world deployments will perform, and will inform the ongoing development of technology and policy in the energy sector.”
DSR and the modern grid
The challenges of the modern grid—namely, the fluctuating output of renewable energy generators—require an extremely agile and flexible system to keep the lights on.
Several major players in the sector have noted that the current system is not fit for purpose at present. A coalition of battery storage developers recently wrote to the UK government, arguing that the system chronically underuses battery storage assets as a solution to energy oversupply, driving up consumer bills.
Meanwhile, a report from the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has called on the UK government to set clear expectations for electricity firms and other key infrastructure providers to maintain service during extreme events, noting that demand side flexibility services could be used to help lessen strain on the grid during emergencies.
In response, several solutions are emerging. The UK’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) recently funded a project trialling lower cost technology for vehicle to grid (V2G) charging, which could prove to be a vital tool in grid balancing, while National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) has begun offering its first demand turn up, generation turn down contracts to enhance its flexibility services for the winter.
