Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) to host webinar to discuss opportunities in Wester Ross communities for smarter energy systems; Ullapool and Aultbea among villages being looked at
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EFFORTS to better manage electricity demands during power grid maintenance or faults have prompted calls for Wester Ross communities to join a special webinar and see how they can get involved.
Scottish and Southern Electrcitiy Networks (SSEN) has identified 11 areas across the far north – including two Wester Ross communities – which could benefit from low carbon smarter energy solutions.
And it is calling on interested stakeholders to attend a webinar on Friday, July 10, to discuss opportunities to play an active role in the delivery of such a system.
Ullapool and Aultbea are among the 11 Highland and Island communities which SSEN believes could benefit from smarter systems, known as Constraint Managed Zones.
Flexibility services from renewable energy generators and battery storage, including hydro, solar and wind, can opt in to being paid to provide power to support SSEN’s network during maintenance and faults on the network.
SSEN says this reduces its reliance on fossil-fuel based energy generation and prevents overloading of the system. Providers can also opt in to be paid to turn down their electricity demand to support SSEN’s network operations.
The webinar will cover an overview of the services SSEN is seeking, and will provide further detail on the upcoming procurement process which will soon go live on Piclo Flex, the independent marketplace for buying and selling smart grid flexibility services.
Alex Howison, Flexible Solutions Manager at SSEN, said: “As we develop a smarter, more flexible, energy system to support the UK’s net zero ambitions, customers and communities now have new opportunities to play an active role in the energy system.
“Following great success from our first Constraint Managed Zone on the Scottish islands where we avoided carbon emissions equivalent of taking 971 cars off the road for a year, our ambition is to increase flexibility across our networks, delivering cost-effective solutions and significant carbon reductions to help meet the UK’s climate action commitments.
“I’d encourage anyone interested in providing flexibility services across our network areas in the north of Scotland and central southern England to join the webinar, where our teams will provide further information on the opportunities available to get involved.”
The webinar will take place on Friday 10 July from 10am – 11.15am. To find out more and register, click here.
To read more on how a local hydro-electric generator recently worked alongside SSEN to keep power flowing across Islay, Jura and Colonsay, avoiding 2,450 tonnes of CO2 emissions, click here.
