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National Energy System Operator and Regional Energy Strategic Plan
This subject now needs it's own Topic, but it's picking up from previous discussions where we discussed the Energy Act (Nov'23) and the Independent System Operator and Planner (ISOP) and Regional Energy Strategic Planner organisations.
Background:
The Future Systems Operator (FSO) was the generic name given to a concept to have an independent organisation which would take over the role of National Grid Electricity Systems Operator (NG ESO). After all, NG ESO is a private company which creates profit for the National Grid Group.
When the Energy Bill was being debated in 2023, there was a public consultation to give the FSO a proper name. Thus the Energy Act refers to the Independent System Operator and Planner (ISOP). The role of ISOP was to be extended beyond electricity, to include gas, heat networks, and possibly transport. That's important because Transport in UK is the largest energy sector by far, but accounts for only 3% of electricity demand (DUKES 2024 report).
Once the Energy Act became law, NG ESO took the dominant role in recruiting relevant staff and morphing into the new role. However, it has decided that it doesn't want to be ISOP, and has named itself National Energy System Operator (NESO)... so much for months of 'public consultation'!
The existing ESO website has a nice glossy page describing how it sees its own transition into NESO.
And if you want to comment on that change, there's an email link at the bottom of the page.
Ofgem, the Energy Regulator, issued a Decision Notice in Nov'23 which formally allowed ISOP (now NESO) to be created.
That document, called The Future of Local Energy Institutions and Governance, contains extensive detail and maps on the forthcoming Regional Energy Strategic Planning groups (RESPs).
Staff within NG ESO have spent the first half of 2024 devising the remit and governance for those RESPs, which will be created in 2025. The outcome is a public consultation on The RESP Policy Framework, which closes on 8th October.
The intention is to create organisations which represent roughly the same population size in each RESP, and will interact with NESO to implement progress towards Net Zero.
A RESP will 'embrace' the various local governments within its geographical region, although it is unclear how much influence they will have.
The boundaries are not well founded on energy resources.
Nor does the remit proposed for the RESPs appear to involve the wider public or community energy initiatives.
That suggests Ofgem sees the RESPs as politically-based.
Save energy... recycle electrons!
There are comments elsewhere on this Forum about NESO and energy strategy.
See here to read about an Ethics Committee idea
Here's a discussion on using excess generation from Wind-farms in the North Sea to produce hydrogen as an interim storage product.
The concept relies on resources which would only be available in a geographical region.
I'll add more URLs here when I find them!
Save energy... recycle electrons!
@transparent Does anyone remember the ‘Adapta Plug’? 15, 13 and 5 amp plug top in one configurable body - I still have one somewhere - might be needing it perhaps? Toodles.
Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.
The new NESO website is now live.
A lot of pages have simply been moved across from the old National Grid ESO website.
The Electricity Ten Year Statement (ETYS) is an example.
But beware that it will take some time to link to all these through the new page hierarchy on the NESO site.
So don't discard any of your old ESO tabs until you're sure you can still find the data again!
Save energy... recycle electrons!
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