Low Carbon London
An overview
Low Carbon London is a £30 million project, largely funded by
the industry regulator Ofgem, to explore how best to tackle the
challenges that London's electricity network will face in helping
London to meet its tough carbon reduction target: a 60% reduction
on 1990 levels by 2025. London currently has the highest carbon
emissions in the UK.
Low Carbon London is led by UK Power Networks, who run London's
electricity network. Smarter Grid Solutions is one of a number of
project partners: others include the Mayor of London's Office,
Transport for London, Siemens and Logica.
New low carbon technologies, such as electric vehicles and heat
pumps, will have a significant impact on the way London - and other
large cities - consume electricity in the future. Low Carbon London
will monitor these technologies to better understand customer
behaviour and the potential impact on electricity
consumption.
The project will also monitor renewable energy technologies, such
as solar panels and combined heat and power plants, to evaluate
their influence on the electricity network and the challenges
associated with supporting sustainable, low carbon electricity
generation.
Our role in Low Carbon London
Low Carbon London involves a series of trials of new smart grid
technologies and operating practices, such as Active Network Management and
Demand Response.
The trials will demonstrate how these technologies and operating
practices can provide electricity network operators with
cost-effective and sustainable ways to manage electricity networks
in a low carbon future. They will also give UK Power Networks, and
other electricity network operators, practical experience of how to
integrate such technologies and practices into their future network
management strategy.
Low Carbon London is offering developers and owners of
distributed generation groundbreaking incentives to take part in
Low Carbon London's distributed generation trial.
What is the distributed generation trial about?
In a low carbon economy, electricity network operators must look
for new and sustainable ways to continue to offer cost-effective
connections and a safe and secure electricity supply to
customers.
One of the challenges is how to accommodate increasing
amounts of distributed generation while still operating within
regulatory limitations or 'network constraints'.
Today this commonly involves expensive network upgrades, the cost
of which is eventually passed on to customers through their
electricity bills. In the future, Active Network Management
solutions will provide a more sustainable and cost-effective
solution.
Smarter Grid Solutions' real-time Active Network Management
technology uses IT, automation and control technologies to manage
network constraints.
These solutions, which will be trialled as part of the Low Carbon
London project, allow UK Power Networks to interact with its own
controlled devices and those of its customers to provide more
cost-effective connections by making better use of existing
electricity network infrastructure.
Low Carbon London will monitor and enable distributed generation
connections to the low voltage and high voltage electricity
networks in London. It will also investigate how active management
of distributed generation can ensure a secure supply of electricity
and reduce the reliance on network upgrades.
What are the benefits of taking part in the trial?
Companies taking part in the trial will lead the way in building
a smarter electricity network to power a low carbon London.
Benefits to participants include:
More cost-effective connections to the electricity network.
Another source of revenue to help offset capital costs, for
example payment made when the available generation capacity is
utilised (subject to yearly utilisation limits).
Increased industry understanding of how these incentives can help
electricity networks operate more effectively in a low carbon
future.
Association with cutting-edge smart grid technology and an
internationally renowned low carbon project.
Support for your own corporate sustainability objectives: helping
reduce the carbon footprint of the electricity distribution system
and contributing to the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan, and London's
60% carbon reduction target on 1990 levels by 2025.
By 2020 more efficient energy use will be part of every company's
agenda. Taking part in the trial now means that you'll not only
help ensure London's electricity network can support your future
need for secure, affordable low carbon energy, but also gain
valuable insight into how your company can build a more sustainable
energy strategy for the future.
Companies participating in the distributed generation trial will
help to assess the benefits of Active Network Management as
an alternative to expensive network upgrades, building the case for
low carbon technology as a more cost-effective way of running the
electricity network.
Knowledge sharing
The results of the Active Network Management
trials, along with the outcomes of the other Low Carbon London
trials, will be shared through a series of reports and learning
initiatives in 2014. These will be led by Imperial College London,
another Low Carbon London partner.
For more information about the Low Carbon London project,
including the other trials, please visit www.lowcarbonlondon.info and here.