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Network March 2017

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NETWORK / 24 / MARCH 2017 D emand-side response is an great idea. Con- sumers save money by shiing their consumption to times when demand is low, and those on the supply and network operation side can minimise peaks and troughs in the demand curve. It could mitigate intermittent renewable generation and help distribute electricity across networks in a smarter way. But little is known about its effectiveness in practice. The Sunshine Tariff trial was an exercise to address that. Steered by not-for-profit Regen SW, it pooled the expertise and resources of distributor WPD's Sunshine Tariff innovation project reveals demand-side response could have a bright future – but some big clouds must clear first. Cloudy forecast for DSR SyStem balancing key points • Project ran from July 2015 to February 2017. • Location: Wadebridge, Cornwall. • Participants were offered cheaper electricity between 10am and 4pm from April to September using smart meter technology. • Project objective was to allow WPD to offer WREN a timed connection for a megawatt-scale solar farm by shifting customer demand to the period of peak solar output. • Customers shifted their demand either by manual intervention at pre-arranged times or using automated timers. Western Power Distribution (WPD), supplier Tempus Energy and community energy co-op Wadebridge Renewable Energy Network (WREN) to offer domestic customers in a rural Cornish town the chance to switch to a time-of-use tariff and to shi their use to times of low demand – and pay less. The primary objective was to assess the feasibility of an "offset connection agreement", under which enough demand would be shied into the peak PV generation period of 10am to 4pm from April to September to make it cost effective for WREN to build, and WPD to connect to, a proposed 250KW solar farm.

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