Going green: New curtailment service launched for renewables industry
UK Power Networks’ DSO has launched a new service to help new renewable energy providers with more data and support through the connections process.
The new Advanced Curtailment Report leverages technology and data to help customers make more informed decisions about how and where to locate new energy assets like solar, wind and battery storage.
Alongside these benefits to future connections customers, UK Power Networks believes the service will ultimately get renewable energy onto the network more quickly and at lower costs, paving the way for a grid that can more readily accommodate the growth in renewable energy.
The development of this service involved extensive consultations with customers, including a joint consultation with fellow distribution network operator, National Grid Electricity Distribution.
From May, all customers receiving a flexible connection quote will automatically be given an Advanced Curtailment Report, which provides a breakdown of curtailment for each of the different network constraints which could impact on their site, and how much impact their potential asset could have on each of the each of the network assets.
The report will also provide more information about the other sites ahead of them in the connection queue, including the capacity, technology and application date, as well as the ratings of the constraint linked to the site. To further aid developers’ understanding about each site, UK Power Networks will provide detailed, half-hourly data on exactly when and by how much their site is forecasted to be curtailed.
Sotiris Georgiopoulos, director of DSO at UK Power Networks, said, “We are making the connections process clearer, simpler, and faster for customers, whilst providing the support they need to make informed decisions around where and when they might be able to take advantage of earlier energisation.
“Using real-time data, we are enabling customers to make more informed decisions about the location and scale of new projects. They can confidently embark on their journey towards a sustainable future, supported by UK Power Networks DSO every step of the way.”
Following the testing of this service with an example report, Ed Birkett, new projects director at Low Carbon, said, “These new curtailment reports are a step change in the data that UK Power Networks is providing to its customers. The new data will definitely allow customers to make a more informed choice on whether or not to accept and progress with connection offers.”
Published: 10/05/24
