Working with community energy experts Regen and Community Energy England, ENA's Community Energy Forums brought together community groups from across the country to learn more about the transformation of the energy networks.
ENA's series of Community Energy Forums kicked off this week with community energy groups letting ENA know their collective view on flexibility, forming a community energy collective response to the Open Networks project consultation. The community groups in attendance also heard about the Gas Goes Green project, innovation, and the Data Working Group.
The attendees gave their view on how Open Networks has standardised flexibility markets, the procurement processes for flexibility, residential flexibility, and how to work together to reach net zero. Community energy groups are passionate about securing a low carbon future, and the networks want to get them more involved in the projects that will help the UK deliver on our climate objectives.
Two initial roundtables were held by the Open Networks project in summer 2019 and community groups wanted to learn more about the projects focus on flexibility and how they can get involved in local flexibility markets. This community energy forum was scheduled to be within the consultation period so a collective community energy consultation response could be fed directly into the project.
Working on the events with community energy experts Regen and Community Energy England, ENA was able to bring together community representatives from across the country and representing a mix of projects and groups in all DNO license areas. The decarbonised energy future is as much local as it is national, and network companies are already working with local homes, businesses, and communities to ensure a lower cost, resilient, zero carbon energy system that leaves nobody behind. These forums provide a further chance for this key part of the industry to be a part of Britain’s vital energy transition to a smart grid.
Two more Community Energy Forums are planned for October, with more community energy groups providing their thoughts and expertise to the networks.
Press contacts for journalists
Daniel Clelland
Communications Manager
Energy Networks Association
020 7706 5186
+44 (0) 7885 998360
daniel.clelland@energynetworks.org
ENA Press Office
Notes to editor
- Energy Networks Association’s Open Networks Project brings together electricity transmission and distribution network companies with industry stakeholders, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the energy regulator Ofgem, to lay the foundations for the smart grid in Great Britain and inform future developments in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
- The flexibility consultation document has been published on our website, and more information including detailed product information is available on our public consultations page.
- To complement the consultation, the Project is holding two webinars. The second flexibility webinar is on 9 September, 14:00 - 15:00, register to attend
- The new interactive DSO Implementation Plan is available to view here.
- The latest round of collated flexibility procurement figures is available on our Flexibility in GB page
- Examples of flexibility services include:
- Households charging their electric vehicles at off-peak times or when it is sunniest, whilst other households’ domestic solar panels are generating electricity.
- Businesses striking demand-side response agreements to adjust their electricity use at the times of day when they least need it, helping reduce the need and cost of building new infrastructure.
- Using battery storage to help network operators proactively manage a rapidly changing electricity grid where electricity now flows in many different directions, rather than in just one as it has done in the past.
About Energy Networks Association
Energy Networks Association (ENA) is the industry body representing the electricity wires, gas pipes and energy system in the UK and Ireland.
ENA helps its members meet the challenge of delivering electricity and gas to communities across the UK and Ireland safely, sustainably and reliably.
Its members include every major electricity and gas network operator in the UK and Ireland, independent operators, National Grid ESO which operates the electricity system in Great Britain and National Gas which operates the gas system in Great Britain. Its affiliate membership also includes companies with an interest in energy, including Heathrow Airport and Network Rail.
What are energy network operators?
Energy network operators manage and maintain the wires, pipes and other infrastructure which delivers electricity and gas to your home, business and community. They are private companies which are regulated by Ofgem and employ around 40,000 people in Great Britain.