Utility Week

26 | FEBRUARY 2023 | UTILITY WEEK Energy networks Flexibility coming to the fore in 2023 The ENA's Open Networks programme has set a global standard for specifying a fl exible, smarter energy system - this year the initiative will accelerate with the focus on practical delivery. Opinion T he past 12 months have been a momentous year for the UK energy sector – though as the sector continues to respond to the international pressure on energy suppliers, we cannot lose sight of the need to create a smarter, greener and more resilient grid. For me personally, 2022 also marked the point when the Open Networks programme prepared to kick into high gear. Now in our • • h year, Open Networks is a major industry programme run by Energy Networks Association (ENA). We work with all UK energy networks and industry to lead the transition to a smarter and more … exible national energy system. I believe … exibility is a low-key but vital success story for the UK's power grid, because we have the largest local … exibility energy market in the world. However, there's still much work to do in stitching these local … exibility markets together into a seamless nationwide whole. Open Networks aims to bring together industry, government, regulators and other stakeholders to support the transformation in how our networks oper- ate, including standardis- ing the customer experi- ence and making access- ing the … exibility market easier for every- one. In 2022, the programme looked at how best to overcome barriers to creating a smarter, more … exible grid. This included how best to align data management processes to ensure anonymised data can more seam- lessly be shared across partnerships. We also looked at how service delivery and contracts for … exibility services could be brought together to create interoperability between grid systems. Standardised network develop- ment plans (NDPs) were rolled out, along with whole electricity system coordination registers, to allow those making the decisions around network development to have a fuller understanding of the impact of invest- ment. We are also prepared to help resolve potential service con… icts by developing primacy rules between providers. These initiatives, and many more like them, helped to establish the groundwork that we're now set to build'on. In 2023, we will overhaul and restructure the pro- gramme, making it more focused on practical delivery. It's set to be our busiest year ever. By listening to our stakeholders we know we need to focus on issues like improving market liquidity to unlock further saving for consumers. We also need to focus on improvements including creating a more consistent user experience and increasing market transparency. These measures aim to bring more people and businesses into the … ex- ibility market, driving its fast adoption. The next big practical steps will be on launching our primary rules and, separately, developing technological solutions to overcome interoperability challenges. All this will be underpinned by the introduction of a common system- wide framework for … exibility. As the pressures on the UK's energy market grow, so does the pace at which the Open Networks programme intends to deliver. We want the UK to continue to set the gold standard for … exibility. I would be keen to hear from anyone in the sector or beyond, on how they might contribute to the programme's future work. Dr Avinash Aithal, head of Open Networks, Energy Networks Association major industry programme run by Energy Networks Association (ENA). We work with all UK energy networks and industry to lead the transition to a smarter and more … exible national energy system. I believe … exibility is a low-key but vital success story for the UK's power grid, because we have the largest local … exibility energy market in the world. However, there's still much work to do in stitching these local … exibility markets together into a seamless nationwide whole. Open Networks aims to bring together industry, government, regulators and other stakeholders to support the transformation in how our networks oper- ate, including standardis- ing the customer experi- ence and making access- ing the … exibility market easier for every- one.

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