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CASE STUDY – CANNOCK CHASE TRIAL A smarter prosumer trial will take place in Cannock Chase, Staff ordshire, where many local residents are considered to be at risk of fuel poverty. The aim is to op mise exis ng community solar PV energy installa ons and reduce energy costs for tenants. The trial seeks to benefi t both the customer and network operator by allowing consumers to further reduce energy use and costs through energy storage systems in the home. The network operator can benefi t from the availability of excess power at peak periods to support and balance the local network. In 2016, Cannock Chase Community Solar was established to supply and install 313 roof mounted solar systems. Homes selected for the smarter prosumer trial had these exis ng solar systems installed as part of the 2016 ini a ve. Helping to deliver be er balanced networks will reduce opera onal costs and relieve the pressure on system loadings, freeing up capacity for more renewable energy connec ons, ba ery storage solu ons and provisions of EV charging infrastructure to meet future demand. The trial started in January 2019 and will run un l July 2020, including tenant engagement and site surveys. energy networks (62.5 per cent) and water companies (62.1 per cent), the overwhelming majority have a posi ve percep on of their regulator. However, just 36.1 per cent of the supply chain and 21.9 per cent of energy genera on and retail businesses voiced confi dence in their regulator. The survey ques oned whether current regulatory regimes off er suffi cient freedoms and incen ves to foster innova on. Interes ngly, 41.1 per cent either strongly or somewhat agree, while just 12.4 per cent strongly disagree that today's regula on facilitates innova on. There are myriad examples of the posi ve impact regula on can have in terms of encouraging innova on and new technologies across the industry. For example, the essen al work on hydrogen blending for the HyDeploy project, supported by Ofgem innova on funding, is laying the founda ons for decarbonised heat in the UK. "That's a good example of what regula on should encourage," says Mike Foster, chief execu ve at the Energy and U li es Alliance. "We have seen RIIO driving change within networks and their supply chain. It is important to keep this momentum hi ing poli cal narra ves, new technologies and the evolving role of consumers con nue to shape the way u li es view the state of transi on across their sectors. For u li es, drawing successful outcomes from this period of change and uncertainty is largely dependent on the regulatory frameworks that impact their business. While successful regula on encourages innova on and the prolifera on of new technologies, poorly placed regula on can hamper innova on and benefi t no one. According to the U lity Week Live survey, carried out by Insight Advantage in the build-up to this year's show, just 6.4 per cent of u li es professionals strongly agree that the regulatory regime under which their business operates is currently fi t for purpose. The majority of respondents (29.7 per cent) neither agree nor disagree, while 10.9 per cent strongly disagree. When asked if they have confi dence in their business' regulator, 31.7 per cent somewhat agree, while 10.4 per cent strongly disagree. There is also some disparity across diff erent sectors in terms of how much confi dence businesses have in their regulator. For P R E S E N T S IN ASSOCIATION WITH IN ASSOCIATION WITH REGULATION AS A DRIVE FOR CHANGE U lity Week Live at the NEC on 21-22 May will be exploring transi on in the sector in all its guises. In the third of a series of monthly reports Nadine Buddoo turns her a en on to regula on and asks is it fostering transi on or hampering it? NETWORK / 29 / APRIL 2019