Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution has established several partnerships with Councils to trial an innovative technology as part of its Regional Energy System Optimisation Planning (RESOP) project.
Having partnered with Dundee City Council in July 2020 for the RESOP project, SSEN are expanding by trialling a technology with Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council via the County Council’s spatial mapping work in Project LEO (Local Energy Oxfordshire).
The Councils will trial an innovative tool that draws together data from multiple sources into a single database. This can then be used to rollout out low carbon technologies such as charging points.
The RESOP project also supports knowledge sharing between network operators and stakeholders, in an effort to help the government in reaching its decarbonisation targets.
“The RESOP project is the first of its kind, showcasing the benefits of data sharing and collaboration between utilities and local councils to produce cost effective energy solutions that will help pave the way to net zero,” said Rhys Williams, Innovation Project Manager for RESOP.
“As the operator of electricity distribution infrastructure, our work sits at the heart of the transition to net zero. SSEN is focused on sharing the data that allows the best ‘whole system’ solution to be identified that supports local communities in their transition to net zero.”
The RESOP project’s technology provides a means to rollout charging infrastructure in line with Project LEO.
Having launched in April 2019, Project LEO includes participants such as SSEN, Piclo, Origami, Nuvve and EDF Energy and comprises EV charging, different energy storage technologies and smart grid capabilities to test the possibilities of similar projects on the UK’s power network.
The project moved into a secondary phase in May 2020 and was last year given the green light to participate in flexibility market trials.
Project LEO recently completed its first live flexibility trade with an external partner in what had been hailed as another landmark for the project.
While flexibility trading has been trialled with project partners before, the new milestone – which saw Project LEO trade flexibility with EV charging provider ev.energy – is the first time the trial has been widened to external participants after opening up to third parties.
