Utility Week - authoritative, impartial and essential reading for senior people within utilities, regulators and government
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32 | DECEMBER 2020 | UTILITY WEEK Operational Excellence Companies across the utilities sector continue to demonstrate agility and a willingness to innovate in response to Covid-19. Here are some highlights from the cover- age in our Operational Excellence hub on utilityweek.co.uk over the past month. WPD begins domestic flexibility pilot A Western Power Distribution trial will see households paid to keep their electricity usage at or below a pre-agreed level during weekday peaks in demand. This is in contrast with most previous flexibility services, which usually require providers to reduce their consumption. WPD said Sustain-H is the first flex- ibility service that WPD has designed specifically for domestic customers. https://utilityweek.co.uk/western-power- distribution-begins-domestic-flexibility- pilot/ South West brings 'cutting edge' treat- ment plant online South West Water is switching off a water treatment site that has served Plymouth for six decades in favour of a state-of-the- art facility from Dutch water technology company PWNT. The Mayflower site, which cost £60 million, will replace the company's Crownhill works. https://utilityweek.co.uk/south-west- brings-cutting-edge-treatment-plant- online/ Centrica concludes local energy market trial Centrica has completed a £16.7 million three-year trial in Cornwall that saw local and national network operators simulta- neously buy flexibility for the first time. Participants, which included 200 homes and businesses, successfully traded 310MWh of flexibility over its course. https://utilityweek.co.uk/centrica- completes-local-energy-market-trial-in- cornwall/ UK's largest battery powers up A facility with a maximum power output of almost 50MW and a storage capacity of 75MWh has begun operating at Thurcro in South Yorkshire. The battery storage system is owned by Gresham House Energy Storage Fund and is being traded in wholesale and balancing services markets by Flexitricity. https://utilityweek.co.uk/uks-largest- battery-powers-up/ Analysis Creating virtual driveways on London's streets I f electric vehicles (EVs) are to dominate the UK's high- ways and byways then it is essential the charging infrastructure is accessible to all. That means finding a solution for the estimated eight million drivers drivers in the UK who do not have access to off-street parking. Figures show that in London 60 per cent of the population do not have a driveway or garage, yet according to UK Power Networks (UKPN), which distributes power around the capital, 80 per cent of EV charging activity currently happens at home. Dr Giulia Privitera, low carbon technologies delivery manager at UKPN (who recently moved to a new role as social sustainability strategy and programme manager), sees this as one of the key issues to tackle if the distribu- tion network operator is to fulfil its mission of being an "enabler of EV charging". UKPN currently services almost a third of the EVs registered in the country – 100,000 across London, east and southeast England. However, it expects this to grow to 3.6 million by the turn of the next decade. This rate of growth will only be possible if the charging infrastruc- ture is in place for everyone – and quickly. Element Energy and UKPN are trialling a new system of roadside charging points in the capital. The views of non-drivers must be given equal prominence to motorists Op Ex Round-up