Smart charging specialist helps to balance the UK grid

Smart charging solutions company, ev.energy and demand response energy specialist Flexitricity are collaborating  to integrate more consumers and small-scale resources into the power system.

The companies are utilising EV charging flexibility in National Grid ESO’s (NGESO) Short Term Operating Reserve (Stor) service. It builds on the UK’s work in opening up power markets to aggregated distributed energy resources.

The companies stress that this participation in power reserve markets is not an innovation or pilot project, but part of business-as-usual commercial flexibility.

Virtual power plant

Flexitricity has enrolled 500 ev.energy users in its virtual power plant (VPP) participating in the Stor service. NGESO calls upon the Stor when demand is greater than expected or when generation capacity has gone offline unexpectedly. 

When this happens, Flexitricity will request ev.energy’s users to temporarily reduce their charging. ev.energy’s smart charging platform will respond to the request while also ensuring that drivers will have enough charge in their car when they need it.

“By joining Flexitricity’s virtual power plant, more organisations can now contribute to GB’s largest VPP, which has recently surpassed the impressive 1GW milestone”

“Flexitricity is now the first organisation to participate with 500 EV charging points in Short Term Operating Reserve,” said Andy Lowe, CEO at Flexitricity. “This milestone marks another industry first and showcases Flexitricity’s commitment to innovation in the energy sector. By joining Flexitricity’s virtual power plant (VPP), more organisations can now contribute to GB’s largest VPP, which has recently surpassed the impressive 1GW milestone.”

Nick Woolley, CEO at ev.energy added, “ev.energy is participating as many EV drivers into grid services programmes as possible and is a leader for independent EV charging flexibility.”