Championing flexibility - industrial competitiveness in a low-carbon world
EDF Energy were proud to sponsor Industrial flexibility and competitiveness in a low-carbon world at the Houses of Parliament on 6 June.
We were delighted to speak at the launch event for the white paper, Industrial Flexibility and Competitiveness in a Low Carbon World report, produced by Renewables UK and The Association for Decentralised Energy and sponsored by EDF Energy. The event took place at the House of Commons on a beautiful summer’s evening beside the Thames. Vincent de Rul, Director of Energy Solutions, spoke alongside James Heappy MP, Dr Tim Rotheray, Director, ADE, Centrica Corporate Affairs Director Nick Baird and Hugh McNeal, Chief Executive, Renewables UK.
The focus of the event and report is to show how renewables and business competitiveness are aligned, disproving the notion that they are in conflict. This alignment is nowhere more apparent than in the need to create a more flexible power system; a system that is adaptable to our changing energy mix and one where flexible business energy use is key in managing energy costs and enabling greater renewable uptake.
The low carbon transition offers the opportunity for British businesses, Government, the Regulator and the System Operator to come together and use energy flexibility to deliver a low carbon economy while giving UK businesses a competitive edge in the global marketplace.
The report presents the business case for flexibility- the potential for all players –not just those participating and being financially rewarded for doing so but also the System Operator, industry and ultimately all energy users.
Innovative industrial energy users are already playing a critical role in this transformation and, as this transition gathers pace, the ability of industrial energy users to provide more flexibility will become even more important.
Vincent De Rul emphasised that low carbon is key to EDF Energy’s strategy and that innovation and innovative solutions are already in progress. I&C oragnisations can trust their energy providers to bring useful low carbon solutions to optimise their operations, including EVs, Storage, Efficiency tools and DSR. And they aren’t limited to large business. We have recently installed a 50kw battery at our own site, Cannington Court, a relatively small size compared to others on the market. Size doesn’t matter, we can all contribute to grid flexibility and reap the rewards.
The report provides a 360 degree set of recommendations to business, the Government, Regulator and System Operator as to how it can support them in doing so, as well as actual case studies, which demonstrate that this is already happening. The low carbon transition offers the opportunity for British businesses, Government, the Regulator and the System Operator to come together and use energy flexibility to deliver a low carbon economy while giving UK businesses a competitive edge in the global marketplace.
