The demand for electricity in the UK is rapidly increasing, driven by various factors such as population growth, technological advancements, and the rise of electric vehicles (EVs). To ensure the stability and reliability of the power grid, it is crucial to effectively manage and balance supply and demand. This is where demand response programs come into play. Demand response - also referred to as Demand Side Response, DSR or Demand Management, provides an opportunity for consumers to actively participate in the operation of the electric grid by adjusting their electricity usage during peak periods.
Who can participate?
Any business, factory, school, commercial or retail property, or energy user with the ability to occasionally switch to a back-up power source, reduce some non-essential loads or ramp up or down power generation assets when there is an imbalance of supply and demand on the grid, such as:
- Turning down or switching off equipment to reduce electricity use. This could include reducing lighting, adjusting thermostat levels, pausing production, or scheduling maintenance.
- Shifting to back-up generation, such as a Combined heat and power (CHP) plant, back-up generator, or onsite renewables.
- Switching to onsite UPS and battery storage assets.
How does it work?
Upon notification of exceptionally extreme events on the electricity grid, many participants simply choose to turn off non-essential lighting or adjust thermostat levels. Manufacturing facilities often choose to suspend production, using the time to conduct equipment maintenance. Others use backup generators, onsite energy generation assets or battery energy storage systems to continue powering their essential operations. Whichever way you choose to participate, you always remain in control of your energy assets.
Can this be automated?
Yes! by combining MobiusFlow middleware with the OpenADR - a worldwide adopted internet messaging protocol used by many utilities to communicate with equipment at customer facilities to automatically drop demand during DR program events. MobiusFlow can act both as the openADR client and the control element of your building or facility. By maintaining an ongoing connection to the notification centre MobiusFlow can automatically reduce power consumption by turning down the heating, lighting systems or any other non-crucial connected devices you as the owner are happy to control.
How can i find out more about OpenADR?
The OpenADR Alliance was created to standardise, automate, and simplify Demand Response (DR) and Distributed Energy Resources (DER) to enable utilities and aggregators to cost-effectively manage growing energy demand & decentralised energy production, and customers to control their energy future. OpenADR is an open, highly secure, and two-way information exchange model and Smart Grid standard.
Visit the openADR website here to find out more.
If you have any questions for us please get in touch via the contact page, our engineers will be more than happy to demonstrate the capabilities of MobiusFlow to Connect, Control and Communicate.