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NETWORK / 31 / APRIL/MAY 2020 smart energy devices into 100 homes across the county free of charge. Local businesses are also involved, with around 125 firms, including both industrial and commercial customers and renewable generators, receiving grants, deep energy monitoring systems and investment in flex - ible generation solutions. Grid and system operators use price signals on the LEM platform to indicate when they will need power, which local homes and businesses can then provide. It aims to help flatten energy demand so that a larger amount of renewable electricity can be accommodated on the grid, thereby reducing carbon emissions from other forms of generation. Cornwall's energy profile made it the perfect choice for the trials, explains Nicholls. "In the summer there's a peak of "In terms of renewable resource, we're abundant in it all. It's the grid that's holding it back." GARETH DAVIES, INNOVATION LEAD, CORNWALL COUNCIL Construction is now underway to build the 2.3MW Ventonteague wind turbine HPV no Bleed.indd 1 HPV no Bleed.indd 1 24/04/2020 10:09 24/04/2020 10:09 solar generation corresponding with low demand when every- one is on the beach. The distri- bution network is not designed for this situation." Since the LEM began in De- cember 2016, nearly 80MWh of flexible clean energy has been dispatched through the plat- form, with 200MWh of capacity reserved until March 2020. Some 5MW of renewable energy has been installed. "In terms of renewable resource, we're abundant in it all. It's the grid that's holding it back," says Gareth Davies, inno - vation lead at Cornwall Council. "That's where the LEM will open up a lot of doors. Dynamic grid connections, of which flexibil - ity is a key part, is going to be necessary to unlock renewable generation at scale in locations like Cornwall." Avoiding T&D conflict While other flexibility trial pro- jects are matching businesses that have flexibility with distri- bution network operators, there is none involving a platform such as the one Centrica has built, he says. The fully-automated platform- based market has been designed to encourage flexibility at the LOCALISED ENERGY