Keeping you updated with the latest releases, updates, events and opportunities we're working on to improve competitive innovation for our customers.
Keeping you updated with the latest releases, updates, events and opportunities we're working on to improve competitive innovation for our customers.
Britain used 6 giant batteries manufactured by Tesla to help balance the supply and demand in the electricity market this week. The batteries are able to store energy from renewable sources that can then be tapped in at times of high demand. Battery technology is likely to become the standard for power grid backups and will help manage the demand on the grid.
Social Energy recently won the first ever fully domestic weekly Firm Frequency Response (FFR) contract with National Grid ESO and this has shone a light on the potential of domestic batteries in balancing the demand on the grid. Social Energy has a project pipeline that includes connecting flexibility assets such as EV chargers,hot water tanks or heat pumps. If managed correctly they can help contribute to a truly low carbon grid.
Energy UK will be hosting their first ever virtual conference on the 15th October and we are proud sponsors and participants of this new and exciting format. The bespoke online platform will provide attendees with an immersive virtual experience complete with lobby, auditorium and exhibition hall. Confirmed speakers for the event include Ofgem, Citizen's Advice and the Committee on Climate Change.
Zero Carbon World has set a new electric vehicle charging record after driving from John O'Groats to Lands End with only 1 hour, 32 minutes and 32 seconds of charging. The entire trip in the Tesla Model 3 Performance vehicle took 15 hours and 32 minutes with charging stops made at only 4 locations: Perth, Gretna Green, Cullompton and a Tesla Supercharger in Staffordshire. The team drove 855.2 miles which beats current Guinness World Records for both the shortest charging time and the shortest time in an EV.
Today marks World EV Day and with it brings news on how the UK plans to accelerate it's move to a cleaner, greener transport future. The UK government and Innovate UK have announced groundbreaking projects including batteries that could charge in 6 minutes and Highways England will implement a £9.3m scheme allowing businesses to try electric vehicles before they buy.
Vehicle to Grid technology offers significant benefits to help reduce demand on electricity networks. According to National Grid ESO's Future Energy Scenarios V2G charging will be more effective than smart charging and will act like a huge decentralised power station, allowing EV drivers to use greener, cheaper electricity. We're empowering key players in this area and encourage your engagement today to help build the future of energy. Understand more about our involvement from our insight paper 'Press Accelerate'.
A new independent study reports that the UK's electricity system was cleaner and cheaper throughout the Coronavirus lockdown but more difficult to control. The report states that due to businesses closing and more people working from home, the demand for electricity decreased. Carbon emissions were one third lower than this time last year and May 2020 was the first ever month when no electricity was generated from coal. New methods of grid management have also benefited the UK electricity system as valued customer Social Energy recently won their first fully domestic FFR contract
Our friends at Cornwall Insight highlight the recommencement of activities and forthcoming obligations on Suppliers in the Ofgem Switching Progranne. Read their article by Emma Bill at this link. Utiligroup has taken a proactive, leading position for its customers in delivering the programme, supporting their readiness and minimising the solution complexity so that they continue to focus on customer benefits. We welcome your contact about this important programme. Ofgem's programme page is available to read here.
The Energyst has an excellent article by Paige Mullen of Nuuve about the commercial opportunity and considerations of Vehicle To Grid (V2G) technology that we're sure our readers will enjoy. Energy, mobility and optimisation through flexibility are converging to create new business models with revenue streams for innovators. We're empowering energy leaders already creating the new platform eco-systems of future energy. We encourage contact to help empower your innovation. Read the article & Kaluza integrated flexibility progress plus our own insight feature 'Press Accelerate' too.
The Local Government Association has published a new report that highlights the economic opportunity available through infrastructure and EVs in the transition to a Net Zero society. We are pleased to share the report to read at its link https://www.local.gov.uk/charging-green-recovery.
With the majority of attended events cancelled, engaging and effective webinars have become an essential part of the agenda for many businesses. We'd like to take this opportunity to mention BrightTALK - where you can find diverse, interesting topics being explored every day. We're delighted to see some of our valued customers and industry colleagues speaking across the energy efficiency category - which covers sustainability, green energy, new technology and much more. It's free to join BrightTALK and offers unlimited access - and definitely worth a visit!
The CoronaVirus pandemic has seen the number of people working from home exponentially increase, leading into a 37% rise in domestic energy bills. However, this energy use could be reduced with smart home energy management - by saving power usage with smart thermostats and lightbulbs. Combining this granular level of information with Smart meters allows for a more 'connected living', opening the potential for energy demand management and better energy engagement. In fact, Samsung Electronics believe the vast majority of their SmartThings Energy Control users look at their energy usage five times a week. You can learn more about Smart homes and shifting the demand by reading the full article at Power Energy.
Energy UK have published Electricity Switching figures for July which show the number of customers switching supplier continues to rise. This continued increase comes after an initial decline in switching since the start of the pandemic. 2020 has seen a total of 3.4 million customer switches, which is 4% lower than this point in 2019. In July a total of 519,700 customers switched, which is a 17% increase of switching in June - and only 1% less than the same month in 2019. You can read more statistics in Energy UK's July report, or view their library of switching reports on their website.
The research and Information Service 'The Commons Library' has published a new report that summarises modern UK energy policy to date. 'Energy policy: an overview' is a 22 page document and webpage that highlights policy in areas such as government strategy, support for small and large-scale energy, transport, climate change, consumer bills and Brexit. The briefing paper also provides background on energy in UK and a timeline of significant developments in energy policy. This article was sourced from Cornwall Insight's Daily Bulletin and the Energy Policy overview is available at the Commons Library website.
The Data Communications Company (DCC) outlines how its secure data network may be harnessed to provide an interoperable standards basis for electric vehicle charging and wider green infrastructure in its new five year development plan. Currently the DCC supports 4.7 million SMETS2 smart meters growing by around 20,000 installs by Suppliers each day. Read the full story at Energy Voice or download the plan directly. Utiligroup is engaging extensively to scope solutions for standards based EV data exchange, vital to the full EV roll-out by the 2030s.
