UK Power Network’s Flexibility Market Offers New Revenue Stream for Customers & Enhances Active Operation of the Distribution Network

Abstract

As UK Power Networks continues to operate and invest in the network to accommodate the new low carbon world, we will need to use smart, flexible, and innovative techniques to ensure delivery of our outputs, minimise the cost impact on consumers, and manage the uncertainty and complexity of this new world. Flexibility is the future for electricity networks. The UK Power Networks Flexibility Roadmap looks at radical proposals to drive the market for flexibility services and helping to reduce our customer’s bills. UK Power Networks is proposing to adopt a ‘flexibility first’ approach to delivering additional network capacity, which we believe will lead to lower costs and increased renewable energy on the network through more competition. UK Power Networks flexibility programme is looking to utilise response from generators, demand side providers, and electricity storage resources connected to our networks to support efficient network planning and operations. There can be various applications of flexibility, from facilitating outages to managing demand growth uncertainty on our investment decisions.