The UK’s energy landscape is changing
Today, most of our electricity is generated in large, centralised power stations and distributed around the country across vast networks, managed by the Transmission System Operator, National Grid ESO. The Grid is very sensitive to supply and demand differences and if NGESO doesn’t keep it balanced, power outages can occur. If a power station trips out for example, NGESO must either turn on back-up generation to make up the shortfall or turn down demand.
To reach Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050, we are decarbonising the power infrastructure, largely by moving to more renewable forms of generation such as wind and solar.
However, weather-dependant generation can be highly variable in output. To keep the system balanced, NGESO manages these by paying for flexible resources including Demand Side Response (DSR) from Aggregators such as OakTree Power to keep the grid stable and keep the lights on.
The path to Net Zero
To achieve its Net Zero ambitions, the UK has committed to having 40GW of offshore wind operational by 2030, 30GW more than today! As a result, far more flexible resources will be required by NGESO to balance their intermittent output.
The good news for building owners is that they can allow the Flexible Load in their properties – an untapped asset that has no value on its own - to be managed in a controlled and secure manner by OakTree Power.
This allows them to reduce their buildings’ CO2 and be rewarded financially to do so and, in this way, provide the critical DSR which will be increasingly needed by NGESO to manage the growth of renewable generation.
And importantly, organisations contributing their Flexible Load to the fast-developing Flexibility Markets will confirm their status as environmentally engaged and responsible corporate citizens.
Download our white paper
Download our white paper now to understand the full picture. The UK energy sector is decarbonising with renewable technology quickly replacing old-style coal and gas-powered generation. Green Demand Side Response is part of the change that will help us achieve Net Zero and your organisation can be part of that evolution.