Wednesday 3 April 2019
Four new smart energy demonstrator projects launched across UK
Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry has announced four projects to demonstrate the viability of smart energy systems across the UK.
The £102.5 million Prospering from the Energy Revolution Challenge aims to provide cleaner, cheaper and more resilient energy through linking low carbon power, heating and transport technologies with energy storage and smart software to create intelligent local energy networks.
The government says the demonstrators will show how businesses can develop local energy approaches at scale, helping consumers and promoting economic growth.
Oxford's Energy Superhub, led by Pivot Power LLP, will install what it claims is the world’s first transmission-connected lithium ion and redox-flow hybrid battery and deploy a network of 320 ground source heat pumps to support social housing tenants.
ReFLEX Orkney, led by the European Marine Energy Centre, aims to demonstrate a Virtual Energy System (VES), which will connect local electricity, transport and heat networks into a single controllable system that could reduce and one day eliminate the need for fossil fuels altogether.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks will lead the creation of a local energy marketplace called Project Leo, which will enable virtual aggregation of loads, the ability to dispatch flexibility and enable peer-to-peer trading.
The final project, called the Smart Hub SLES in West Sussex, will be led by Cloud Infinity Projects and will integrate energy management across council housing, private residential properties, transport infrastructure and commercial properties.
Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry said: "We are at the start of a green revolution, as we move to more digital, data-driven smart systems that will bring us cleaner and cheaper energy.
"These projects, backed by government funding, are set to spark a transformation and change the way we interact with energy for the better as part of our modern Industrial Strategy."
