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We’re interviewing a development manager from National Grid's System this week where we’ll be discussing the uptake of heat pumps across the UK and how the National Grid is ensuring the network is able to facilitate a wide range of low carbon technologies. 

As always, I’m welcoming any questions you may have and out them to the development manager.

Posted by: @editor

We’re interviewing a development manager from National Grid's System this week where we’ll be discussing the uptake of heat pumps across the UK and how the National Grid is ensuring the network is able to facilitate a wide range of low carbon technologies. 

As always, I’m welcoming any questions you may have and out them to the development manager.

Stats on uptake vs rest of Europe in case it is useful

EHPA.ORG "https://www.ehpa.org/press_releases/record-growth-for-europes-heat-pump-market-in-2021/"

Posted by: @editor

We’re interviewing a development manager from National Grid's System this week where we’ll be discussing the uptake of heat pumps across the UK and how the National Grid is ensuring the network is able to facilitate a wide range of low carbon technologies. 

As always, I’m welcoming any questions you may have and out them to the development manager.

Hi Mars,

You could ask if he or she is aware of the grid.iamkate.com website and if so could they explain the large fluctuations in wholesale price during periods of the day. Today for example the price shown at midnight on the 30th October was £32.05/MWh, it then jumped to £175/MWh at 00:30, fell back to £36/MWh at 01:00, fell further to £15/MWh for the period 01:30 and 02:00, and then jumped back up to £160/MWh at 02:30. If correct, this would seem rather strange since this is supposedly during the low demand period of the day?

Could you also ask want NG are doing to store renewable energy when it is in abundance?

How they intend to cope with greater load and phase imbalance caused by more and more heat pumps, EV chargers and battery storage systems being connected as single phase loads?

Posted by: @derek-m

Posted by: @editor

We’re interviewing a development manager from National Grid's System this week where we’ll be discussing the uptake of heat pumps across the UK and how the National Grid is ensuring the network is able to facilitate a wide range of low carbon technologies. 

As always, I’m welcoming any questions you may have and out them to the development manager.

Hi Mars,

You could ask if he or she is aware of the grid.iamkate.com website and if so could they explain the large fluctuations in wholesale price during periods of the day. Today for example the price shown at midnight on the 30th October was £32.05/MWh, it then jumped to £175/MWh at 00:30, fell back to £36/MWh at 01:00, fell further to £15/MWh for the period 01:30 and 02:00, and then jumped back up to £160/MWh at 02:30. If correct, this would seem rather strange since this is supposedly during the low demand period of the day?

Could you also ask want NG are doing to store renewable energy when it is in abundance?

How they intend to cope with greater load and phase imbalance caused by more and more heat pumps, EV chargers and battery storage systems being connected as single phase loads?

This is the source for nearly all the data on iamkate and all the similar services. BRMS Balancing Mechanism Reporting Service.

https://www.bmreports.com/bmrs/?q=help/about-us

The imbalance prices come from here. 

https://www.bmreports.com/bmrs/?q=balancing/systemsellbuyprices

Following the end of each Settlement Period two Imbalance Prices, known as System Buy Price (SBP) and System Sell Price (SSP) respectively, are calculated and published on the BMRS. These prices are purely indicative, as they are calculated before all the necessary information for definitive calculations, such as actual transmission losses, is available. The definitive calculations for Settlement purposes are carried out separately, several days later. These definitive calculations may also include amendments to the Balancing Mechanism data following post event analysis.

You will see on the website the indicative SBP and SSP are the same. There is now only one price. 

The Imbalance Prices are used for the settlement of the energy imbalances incurred by participants - that is to say, the differences between the volumes of energy which a participant contracts for (in all trading, not just in the Balancing Mechanism) and the volumes actually generated or consumed. A participant whose imbalance is a net spill on to the system will be paid for the energy which is put on to the system, at the System SellPrice. A participant whose imbalance is a net shortfall will have to pay for the volume of energy which is in deficit, at the System Buy Price. It is thus equally possible for generators or consumers alike to be out of balance in either direction in a given half hour.

More info here

https://www.elexon.co.uk/operations-settlement/balancing-and-settlement/imbalance-pricing/

So you will notice these costs aren't the same as the Octopus Agile day ahead prices for example.

And then of course a lot of electricity is bought and sold well in advance

@jeff

I have already had a look through the BMRS data, but not in great detail. I was more interested to see how the NG participant would explain the large fluctuations.

I may be wrong, but the present system could possibly be open to manipulation by some of the participants, which I do believe has occurred in the past.

@derek-m, good questions. I’ve added them to the list.

The interview is on Friday morning so if anyone else has questions to ask the National Grid, please pop them below.

Current thoughts on  LDES Long Duration Energy Storage in the UK

- How many GW will we need, i have seen 24GW quoted for example for net zero?

-  What technologies do they think will be popular?

- What financial incentives will be needed to get it built?

LDES is 4 hour plus. 

@editor

Hi Mars,

Earlier today the wholesale price of electricity went negative, dropping as low as -£59.17/MWh at one point. The wholesale price was negative from 00:00 to 06:00, so not for a brief period. For all this period the UK was exporting to France approximately 3GW each hour, and at the same time was producing over 3.5GW from fossil fuel generation.

Whilst I am in favour of the UK helping out our neighbours during this energy crisis, should we actually be paying for the privilege? 🙄 

Posted by: @jeff

Current thoughts on  LDES Long Duration Energy Storage in the UK

- How many GW will we need, i have seen 24GW quoted for example for net zero?

-  What technologies do they think will be popular?

- What financial incentives will be needed to get it built?

LDES is 4 hour plus. 

Hi Jeff,

Is that 24GW or 24GWh?

LDES at 4 hours and 24GW, would require 96GWh of storage. Which would equate to approximately 120GWh of battery storage at 80% discharge.

Posted by: @derek-m

Posted by: @jeff

Current thoughts on  LDES Long Duration Energy Storage in the UK

- How many GW will we need, i have seen 24GW quoted for example for net zero?

-  What technologies do they think will be popular?

- What financial incentives will be needed to get it built?

LDES is 4 hour plus. 

Hi Jeff,

Is that 24GW or 24GWh?

LDES at 4 hours and 24GW, would require 96GWh of storage. Which would equate to approximately 120GWh of battery storage at 80% discharge.

It is a good question. Search LDES. Quite a bit going on. 

24GW came from this work. You would need to dig to answer the question. I haven't looked 

SSERENEWABLES.COM "https://www.sserenewables.com/news-and-views/2022/02/new-report-calls-for-urgent-investment-in-long-duration-electricity-storage/"

New report calls for urgent investment in long duration electricity storage | SSE Renewables

This is some of the government work going on

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/longer-duration-energy-storage-demonstration-programme-successful-projects

Also work going on with funding via cap and floor scheme. 

https://www.sserenewables.com/news-and-views/2022/04/sse-renewables-renews-call-for-policy-action-on-long-duration-energy-storage/

Big players getting involved in LDES generally

https://www.ldescouncil.com/

Overall i am quite positive about storage. Given the right incentives i am sure it will be built.

Am also quite positive about generation, there is a huge amount of new offshore wind at various stages while the country chats away about new on shore wind. There is a possibility new onshore wind may simply become irrelevant as time ticks on as offshore races ahead.