The practice and potential of renewable energy localisation: Results from a UK field trial

TY - JOUR

T1 - The practice and potential of renewable energy localisation

T2 - Results from a UK field trial

AU - Boait, Peter

AU - Snape, J. Richard

AU - Morris, Robin

AU - Hamilton, Jo

AU - Darby, Sarah

N1 - Funding Information: Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Innovate UK for providing the financial support for this study as part of the CEGADS project (EP/M507209/1 and EP/M507210/1), including funds for covering the costs to publish in open access. The project implementation was also part funded by Energy Local (Development) Ltd., Exergy Devices Ltd., Moixa Technology Ltd., Westmill Sustainable Energy Trust, and Co-Operative Energy who provided the supermarket vouchers to participants reflecting their benefit from the simulated tariffs. Funding Information: Conflicts of Interest: Two authors (Boait and Morris) have roles in the enterprises acknowledged above that provided match funding and technology for the project. None of the other authors has a conflict of interest which could inappropriately influence this work. The results reported were generated and reviewed by all the authors. This work (i.e., the data analysis and drafting of the manuscript) was funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Innovate UK. They had no role in the collection of data or in its analysis and interpretation in the paper and none in the decision to submit to this journal. Publisher Copyright: © 2018 by the author.

PY - 2019/1/4

Y1 - 2019/1/4

N2 - The adaptation of electricity demand to match the non-despatchable nature of renewable generation is one of the key challenges of the energy transition. We describe a UK field trial in 48 homes of an approach to this problem aimed at directly matching local supply and demand. This combined a community-based business model with social engagement and demand response technology employing both thermal and electrical energy storage. A proportion of these homes (14) were equipped with rooftop photovoltaics (PV) amounting to a total of 45 kWp; the business model enabled the remaining 34 homes to consume the electricity exported from the PV-equipped dwellings at a favourably low tariff in the context of a time-of-day tariff scheme. We report on the useful financial return achieved by all participants, their overall experience of the trial, and the proportion of local generation consumed locally. The energy storage devices were controlled, with user oversight, to respond automatically to signals indicating the availability of low cost electricity either from the photovoltaics or the time of day grid tariff. A substantial response was observed in the resulting demand profile from these controls, less so from demand scheduling methods which required regular user configuration. Finally results are reported from a follow-up fully commercial implementation of the concept showing the viability of the business model. We conclude that the sustainability of the transition to renewable energy can be strengthened with a community-oriented approach as demonstrated in the trial that supports users through technological change and improves return on investment by matching local generation and consumption.

AB - The adaptation of electricity demand to match the non-despatchable nature of renewable generation is one of the key challenges of the energy transition. We describe a UK field trial in 48 homes of an approach to this problem aimed at directly matching local supply and demand. This combined a community-based business model with social engagement and demand response technology employing both thermal and electrical energy storage. A proportion of these homes (14) were equipped with rooftop photovoltaics (PV) amounting to a total of 45 kWp; the business model enabled the remaining 34 homes to consume the electricity exported from the PV-equipped dwellings at a favourably low tariff in the context of a time-of-day tariff scheme. We report on the useful financial return achieved by all participants, their overall experience of the trial, and the proportion of local generation consumed locally. The energy storage devices were controlled, with user oversight, to respond automatically to signals indicating the availability of low cost electricity either from the photovoltaics or the time of day grid tariff. A substantial response was observed in the resulting demand profile from these controls, less so from demand scheduling methods which required regular user configuration. Finally results are reported from a follow-up fully commercial implementation of the concept showing the viability of the business model. We conclude that the sustainability of the transition to renewable energy can be strengthened with a community-oriented approach as demonstrated in the trial that supports users through technological change and improves return on investment by matching local generation and consumption.

KW - Business model

KW - Community energy

KW - Demand response

KW - Energy storage

KW - Home battery

KW - Renewable energy

KW - Time of use tariff

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85059512314&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/su11010215

DO - 10.3390/su11010215

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85059512314

SN - 2071-1050

VL - 11

JO - Sustainability (Switzerland)

JF - Sustainability (Switzerland)

IS - 1

M1 - 215

ER -