Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 6TH - 12TH JULY 2018 | 5 WATER United Utilities taps into flexible energy with artificial intelligence United Utilities is using artificial intelligence to manage electricity demand and generation across its sites. The technology, from Open Energi, will help the water company reduce costs, increase self- generated renewable power use, and provide flexibility for the future. Eight United Utilities sites with 8MW of demand flexibility will be connected over the next 12 months. The project is expected to cut elec- tricity costs at the company's sites by 10 per cent a year. Open Energi's platform, known as Dynamic Demand 2.0, will manage biogas combined heat and power engines, pumps and motors to optimise total energy demand. United Utilities generates 21 per cent of its electricity with its renew- able fleet and plans to install 30MW more capacity by 2020. ELECTRICITY China's Taishan 1 becomes the first EPR connected to the power grid China's Taishan 1 has become the first European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) in the world to be success- fully connected to the power grid. The EPR was designed by EDF's subsidiary Framatome. Two of the reactors will be installed at Hinkley Point C in Somerset and EDF plans to deploy two more at its proposed Sizewell C nuclear plant in Suffolk. Construction on Taishan 1 started in 2009, and work on its sister, Taishan 2, started in 2010. Fuelling started at Taishan 1 in early April. The first reaction took place towards the beginning of June and at the end of the month, main generator and grid connection tests were completed. The first four reactors are all being delivered behind schedule and over budget. Concerns have been raised that the pattern will be repeated in the UK. Northern Ireland Water (NI Water) has thanked the public for their help cutting water use to bring down demand during the hot weather. On Monday (2 July) the company said demand had fallen but remained 25 per cent higher than normal. The company has imposed a hosepipe ban until it is confident there is enough treated water to meet the required water demands. Pictured is an NI Water staff member engaged in a tanker refill to support the replenishment of supply at one of the company's reservoirs. "We hope ministers will listen to their own experts and take swift action to lift the block on future onshore projects." RenewableUK's executive director Emma Pinchbeck calls for the government to heed the Committee on Climate Change's advice that the block on onshore wind development should be relaxed. 34% Only a third of energy bill payers have a smart meter in their home, according to a survey published by Igloo Energy. £17bn Ofgem expects consumers to save more than £17 billion due to actions it has taken during the 2017/18 financial year. ANNUAL SUBSIDY SPENDING TO MEET THE 80 TWh GAP IN 2030 The 2030 target of reducing the carbon intensity of the power grid to 100g of CO2 per kWh could be met without any further subsidies beyond those already promised by the government, accord- ing to a report from Aurora Energy Research. However, for this happen, renewable costs would have to fall quickly or the government would need to allow onshore wind and solar to compete in future contracts for difference auctions. Optimistic cost reduction Conservative cost reduction 880 400 190 550 Further CfD spending committed = £557m £m, 2011/12 prices -38% (-330) -53% (-210) Scenario 1 (Offshore wind only) Scenario 2 (Mix portfolio) Scenario 1 (Offshore wind only) Scenario 2 (Mix portfolio)

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