Learning outcome 2
To what extent are customers are flexible in their load and generation, and what is the cost of this flexibility?
Learning Outcome 2 will establish the extent to which customers are flexible in their load and generation, and the cost of this flexibility.
To do this, we will offer a number of different types of proposition (incorporating time-of-use tariffs, restricted hours tariffs and direct control tariffs) to the following customer groups:
- A group of 1,800 regular domestic customers (with discretionary load);
- A group of 450 regular small commercial customers (with discretionary load);
- A group of 900 domestic customers with heat pump installations; and
- A group of 150 domestic customers with electric vehicles.
For a group of approximately 600 customers with
photovoltaic installations, we will be looking to test a proposition to test the concept of within-premises balancing whereby these customers’ hot-water heating and storage systems may be powered by the electricity generated on the premises.
In addition, we will be working with a small number (approximately five industrial and commercial, and 10 large distributed generators) to test the concepts of responsive load and responsive generation on a larger scale. We will also be looking to link the control signals for the direct-control demand response elements of this learning outcome to those generated by the real-time thermal rating and enhanced automatic voltage control technologies that we are trialling as part of
Learning Outcome 3.
The outputs from
Learning Outcome 2 will comprise:
- Understanding of the degree to which customers accept propositions for flexibility, from time of use tariffs to direct control; and
- Understanding the degree to which customers who have accepted a proposition for flexibility then respond.
This will allow us to compare cost and effectiveness of non-network (ie demand response) and network solutions to providing increased electricity distribution network capacity.
For more information on the project’s approach to testing and evaluating network solutions see
‘Learning Outcome 3’