Multi Asset Demand Execution (MADE)
| Funding mechanism | Network Innovation Allowance (NIA) |
|---|---|
| Duration | Mar 2019 - Dec 2020 |
| Project expenditure | £1.655M |
| Research area | Transition to Low Carbon Future |
| Regions |
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Objective(s)
Gain insights into the means of balancing the interests of the consumer, supplier, and network operators when seeking to derive value from the demand flexibility.
The Project Objectives are:
1. Use the ability of managing multiple energy assets (EVs, hybrid heating systems and solar PV) to switch between gas and electric load to provide fuel arbitrage and highly flexible demand response services.
2. Demonstrate the potential consumer, network, carbon and energy system benefits of large-scale deployment of in-home multi-energy assets with an aggregated demand response control system.
Problem(s)
Following the publication of the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) report promoting hybrid heating systems as a “low regret” option, DNOs should be considering the network implications of CCC’s call for 10 million hybrid heating system installations across GB by 2035. Many of these installations will be in homes that have also adopted electric vehicles. Understanding the interplay between these two primary drivers of electrification is essential to plan future network developments. The third factor that the project will explore is the impact of domestic solar PV and storage installations on these. During the same timescale as hybrids and EVs are being adopted, solar PV costs will fall to a level that makes subsidy free installation an economic reality for homes that wish to save on the cost of their grid supplied electricity.
Several innovation trials have highlighted the possibilities for individual LCTs to provide flexibility to the DNO: EV-Electric Nation, HP- Freedom, PV and Storage-Sola Bristol. However, each of these investigations has looked at a single technology type in isolation. As such DNOs do not have sufficient understandings on how such systems may interact and whether the flexibility is complementary, optimal, or counter-acting.
Method(s)
The research objective is to better understand the feasibility of managing and aggregating multiple energy assets (EV, hybrid heating system and solar PV) affordably through the use of advanced algorithms to unlock value from energy markets. Through customer research we will also evaluate consumer trust in new technology that is taking greater levels of EV charging, heating system control, and design appropriate user interfaces and information systems to help drive adoption.
Based on the lessons learned from previous NIA trials (FREEDOM, Electric Nation and SoLa Bristol), MADE will carry out micro-economic and system-level analysis to extrapolate previous trial findings in order to:
- Build a microeconomic model for domestic multi-asset, multi-vector flexibility for GB today, this will: Identify the most attractive customer types; Identify the high potential service stacks; Quantify the value (£); Include a particular focus on DSO services.
- Understand how the combined operation of residential solar PV generation, heat pump systems and smart EV charging may provide benefits to the consumer;
- Assess the whole-energy system benefits (including network infrastructure) and carbon benefits of large-scale deployment of the MADE concept;
- Consider conflicts and synergies between local community and national level objectives, in the context of the flexibility enabled by the MADE concept.
- Estimate consumer benefits of the MADE concept and inform the design of the market framework that would enable consumer to access the revenues that reflect the benefits delivered.
A 5 home technology trial in South Wales will be used to validate the modelled learning.