A team of delegates from the Japanese energy industry has visited a cold storage site in the UK to learn more about demand response.
The group of experts were given a tour of the Norish storage and distribution center in Wrexham, which is playing its part in reducing carbon emissions and helping to balance the energy needs of the UK.
A leading cold storage and logistics company Norish operates six storage and distribution centres across England and Wales, providing 60,000 temperature-controlled pallet spaces.
Four of the sites are connected to demand response specialist Flexitricity’s 24/7 manned control room in Edinburgh, which provides the expertise to generate revenue from flexible cooling. Flexitricity is able to turn down Norish’s cooling for short periods to reduce the stress on the grid.
The partnership enables Norish to earn revenue through Short Term Operating Reserve (STOR) with no disruption to their operations. Norish’s Gillingham site also recently earned revenue for participating in National Grid’s Enhanced Frequency Capability Control (EFCC) project, which aims to aide the growth of renewables on the grid by tackling frequency containment issues associated with their intermittent output.
Flexitricity has pioneered the demand-response industry in the UK, generating over £20million in revenue and savings for its energy partners since it started live operations in 2008.
The business now has over 450 MW under management – a virtual power station helping the National Grid meet the energy demands of the UK.
Andrew Langlands of Flexitricity took part in the educational tour with the Japanese team.
He said: “It was a real privilege for Flexitricity to meet with the Japanese delegates to share our expertise on how demand response is working to balance the energy demands of the UK.
“Demand response is an attractive prospect for sites like cold storage and manufacturing, where they have flexibility in their processes.
“We have the capability to continuously monitor the energy markets – and the site’s capabilities and needs – every second of the day from our 24-hour staffed control room in Edinburgh.
“This expertise means we can always seek out the most profitable activity for the site – bringing Norish the power to drive revenue and make more efficient use of energy consumption across its estate.”
Stuart Lloyd Chief Engineer at Norish, said: “We were pleased to meet with the Japanese team and to help them learn about the transformational benefits of demand response.
“Norish is a leading UK based cold storage company and control of energy costs is a major priority for us. Electricity costs have risen sharply over the last few years and this increase in cost is a concern. Norish have invested heavily in energy saving technology such as LED lighting, Lithium Ion batteries for fork trucks and Variable Speed Drives on our compressors. Working in partnership with Flexitricity allows us full access to their expertise & further enhances our understanding. Clearly the Japanese delegation recognized Flexitricity’s leading role in demand side response when they arranged to meet with both Flexitricity and Norish.
“By partnering with Flexitricity we are able to alleviate pressure on the grid by turning down our plants for short periods of time. This is carried out without affecting product temperatures or freezing cycles.
“Through Flexitricity’s equipment our engineers can monitor the plant at all times which gives security of temperature and control, however the whole demand response process is automated and managed by Flexitricity, bringing us revenue and allowing us to do our bit in reducing carbon emissions.”
ENDS
The Japanese delegates included:
- Hiroshi Yoshimura. Energy Policy Researcher from the Institute of Applied Energy New York USA
- Shigeru Bando PhD. Associate Professor Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry Tokyo University Japan
- Tomoharu Ono. Research Scientist Central Institute of Electric Power Industry, Tokyo University Japan
Issued by Media Zoo on behalf of Flexitricity.
For more information please contact:
Neil McDonald: neil@mediazoo.tv / 07428 398 402 / 0141 471 8399
Ross Henderson: ross@mediazoo.tv / 07954 995 104 / 0141 471 8399
Notes to Editors:
About Flexitricity
Flexitricity created and now operates the first, largest and most advanced demand-response portfolio in GB and has unsurpassed knowledge of the market and its requirements.
Headquartered in Edinburgh, Flexitricity partners with businesses throughout Great Britain to provide reserve electricity to National Grid. The word “Flexitricity” means “Flexible Electricity”. The company looks for flexibility in electricity consumption and generation, creating revenue for energy users and generators as well as reducing national CO2 emissions and helping to secure energy supplies.
Their team is fully engaged at industry and regulatory level and has a track record that demonstrates innovation and delivery success.
Flexitricity is part of the Alpiq Group, a leading Swiss electricity and energy service provider with a strong presence across Europe.