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| Reference Number | ENA_10070764 | |
| Title | Crowdflex - Beta | |
| Status | Started | |
| Energy Categories | Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research (Demographics) 10%; Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research (Energy system analysis) 20%; Other Power and Storage Technologies (Electricity transmission and distribution) 70%; |
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| Research Types | Applied Research and Development 100% | |
| Science and Technology Fields | ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) 100% | |
| UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation | Not Cross-cutting 60%; Systems Analysis related to energy R&D (Energy modelling) 20%; Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Consumer attitudes and behaviour) 20%; |
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| Principal Investigator |
Project Contact No email address given National Grid plc |
|
| Award Type | Network Innovation Allowance | |
| Funding Source | Ofgem | |
| Start Date | 01 December 2023 | |
| End Date | 01 January 2026 | |
| Duration | 25 months | |
| Total Grant Value | £22,530,137 | |
| Industrial Sectors | Power | |
| Region | London | |
| Programme | ||
| Investigators | Principal Investigator | Project Contact , National Grid plc (99.999%) |
| Other Investigator | Project Contact , Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution plc (SHEPD) (0.001%) |
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| Web Site | https://smarter.energynetworks.org/projects/ENA_10070764 |
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| Objectives | ||
| Abstract | "CrowdFlex will meet the aims of the SIF Innovation Challenge by developing digital tools to help unlock full chain flexibility. Following the successful world-first Demand Flexibility Service (DFS) trial, we will be further exploring domestic flexibility as a novel, reliable flexibility resource of national significance, capable of competing alongside BAU alternatives in system balancing services, generation capacity, or network reinforcement. Our objective is to build a forecasting model of domestic demand and flexibility, informed by large-scale consumer trials, to validate domestic flexibility as a firm resource and inform new product design. This will feed into the Virtual Energy System (VirtualES) programme.VirtualES will enable secure and resilient sharing of energy data across organisational and sector boundaries, facilitating complex scenario modelling for optimal whole-system decision making. Whole-system decisions will result in better societal, economic, and environmental outcomes, balancing the needs of users, electricity/gas systems and other sectors.Since the original CrowdFlex:NIA (2021), CrowdFlex has been aligned with SIF Whole System Integration innovation challenges. Earlier stages proved fundamental principles, clarified the opportunity, developed the scope, and de-risked Beta plans, which aim to:Develop a comprehensive understanding of domestic flexibility by building forecasting models of domestic demand and flexibility, integrated into the VirtualES, and improve ESO confidence in domestic demand and flexibility, advancing ""coordination of emerging innovations across the system.""Demonstrate that simple incentives, reflecting whole system challenges, can ""reduce complexity, bureaucracy, and barriers to entry"" for aggregators to deliver domestic flexibility.Trial consumer interventions (financial and informational) targeting different system challenges to ""clarify consumers preferences and inform future market designs.""Trial the service primacy rules developed with ESO and DSO stakeholders in previous phases to ""Improve coordination between networks and other system participants.""CrowdFlex:Alpha laid the foundations, scoped and de-risked Beta, by clarifying the immediate market opportunity:Identified Thermal Constraint Management (transmission and distribution) and Energy Balancing as key Beta use cases.Tested primacy and stacking implications for domestic consumers participating in flexibility in constrained areas of the distribution network.Furthering innovation:Developed a specification for predictive models of statistically expressed domestic demand and flexibility, to be developed in Beta within the VirtualES framework, to ensure interoperability.Identified how the full value of statistically declared flexibility can be recognised by the ESO, to be pursued in Beta.Focussing the scope:The consumer segments and key behavioural research questions to be investigated.Identified white goods, electric vehicles (EVs), and electrified heat as the project technologies (and their technical requirements).Confirmed the inclusion of manual and automated response.Developed a trial specification to ensure that consumer incentives reflect system requirements and balances cost and statistical power to give significance at good value for money.The Alpha phase responded to insights generated by CrowdFlex:NIA, CrowdFlex:Discovery, and the outcomes from the Demand Reserve Scarcity Trial and DFS. The apparent success of theDFS has confirmed the potential of domestic flexibility to address system scarcity stress events. DFS was an enhanced action for winter 2022/2023 and not a full commercial service, meaning more work through CrowdFlex is needed to support full adoption in both system stress and routine events.CrowdFlex:Alphas work on the statistical nature of domestic flexibility has highlighted the opportunity for, and commercial value of, probabilistic forecasting to increase reliability. This is critical to the VirtualES and will improve the economics of existing network assets and target future system investments through reliable modelling of domestic demand and flexibility.The requirement for domestic flexibility is increasingly apparent. The Ukraine invasion led to increasing energy prices, highlighting the precariousness of international gas trade and the need for alternative flexibility sources. FES 2021 projects a 19% system peak increase from 2020-2030. Domestic flexibility has a vast potential (~7GW turn-down and \>10GW turn-up, CrowdFlex:NIA) to offset this increase and address operational challenges as well as capacity and network investment planning.CrowdFlex brings together partners spanning the energy system, from system and network operators to energy suppliers and technology providers, directly interacting with consumers who will be the users of the services emerging by CrowdFlex. The CrowdFlex consortium has experience working together and is best placed to address whole system challenges. The consortium partners are (the Project Management Book provides further details on partners and subcontractors):ESO: system operator for the GB transmission network.SSEN and NGED: DSOs with \>1GW of flexibility services contracted.Octopus and OVO: energy suppliers offering customers innovative tariffs and services encouraging flexibility.Ohme: home EV Charge-Point Operator providing smart charging and flexibility services.CNZ: NfP consultancy providing expertise in modelling, data science, and consumer engagement.Element Energy: leading low-carbon energy consultancy, providing subject matter expertise and analysis on energy system needs.ESO/DSOs can use the new flexibility resources and the associated modelling to lower operational costs and reduce capacity and network investments. Benefits will be passed down to consumers via energy bill reductions." | |
| Data | No related datasets |
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| Projects | No related projects |
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| Publications | No related publications |
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| Added to Database | 11/09/24 | |
