The UK Power Networks (UKPN) distribution system operator (DSO) arm has announced it is celebrating a significant milestone in flexibility, as over 100,000 live assets have been registered on its platform.
UKPN, which manages the grid in London, as well as the southeast and east of England areas, dispatched 7.8GW of flexibility across 2023/2024, a seven-fold increase from the previous year. The 100,000 flexible assets hosted on UKPN’s Localflex platform comprise a wide variety of market participants, ranging from electric vehicle (EV) smart charging, renewable generation sources like solar and wind farms, and domestic and commercial energy management assets.
UKPN moved to the Localflex platform, which is hosted by power marketer EPEX SPOT, in January of last year, in an effort to save its customers £410 million by 2028 through using flexibility. Since April of 2024, the DSO’s day-ahead planning has enabled an additional more than 160GWh of renewable power export onto its network, a success which UKPN credits to its specialist DSO Data Science team.
“We have a responsibility to empower a diverse range of customers to contribute to our energy flexibility efforts,” said Alex Howard, head of flexibility markets at UK Power Networks’ DSO.
“With the launch in April of the first day-ahead flexibility market and our transition to Localflex, we’re enabling consumers and businesses of all sizes to engage and deliver flexibility where it’s needed most.”
Flexibility on the rise
In December last year, UKPN announced that it had awarded energy supplier EDF flexibility contracts that will reward EV drivers who choose to take part in grid flexibility events. EDF will now begin a trial of the new system with its customers who have EV chargers from Pod Point installed at home, with those who choose to take part being paid to allow EDF to use their EV to balance the grid during times of significantly high or low demand on the network.
The face of demand flexibility in the UK is changing, with the updated version of the Demand Flexibility Service (DFS) launching at the end of November 2024. Unlike the previous DFS, the updated version will run year-round, allowing the system to be compatible with the capacity market and opening the door to wider participation across the UK.
Meanwhile, clean power provider Good Energy is trialling a new service in which its customers can automate flexible heat pump and home battery use, allowing customers to earn between £5 and £20 per month without actively adjusting their energy usage.
