Honeywell, a developer of energy efficiency promoting technology, is working with power management company Stor Generation on a novel smart grid programme in the UK. The initiative will utilise excess energy from industrial or commercial facilities— which have opted into the scheme— for grid stabilisation.
It will work by Stor Generation paying the industrial and commercial users to reduce their power consumption at peak times. Honeywell will supply automated demand response (ADR) devices to these companies that will allow short-term reductions in power consumption such as changes to lighting and heating of the buildings.
Stor will alert the participating facilities when they should reduce energy usage and that power can then be supplied to the National Grid under its short term operating reserve (STOR) initiative.
“The technology required to avoid a megawatt of consumption costs a fraction of that needed to pump out an additional megawatt,” said Jeremy Eaton, vice president of Honeywell Smart Grid Solutions. “From a cost-benefit standpoint, ADR is the most prudent option for reducing energy use and is the most clean, sustainable path to energy reliability.”
This will be the first time ADR will be used to compensate the National Grid and the first example of ADR being used in place of back-up generators to lower the strain on the electricity grid.
The benefit to the participating companies is a revenue stream from existing buildings, which will have minimal impact on the running of the business. Site load flexibility can highlight usage and reduce energy costs.
