Energy regulator gives green light to low carbon usage research
13 Dec 2012
Ofgem, the regulator of electricity and gas markets, has approved £45.5 million for five innovative projects which aim to make the electricity distribution network smarter and meet the challenges of moving to a low carbon economy.
Two of these projects involve the Electrical Energy and Power Systems Group at the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and account for £11.4 million of the total fund.
The funding comes from the LCN Fund, which supports projects that could accelerate the development of a low carbon energy sector, provide value for money to customers and deliver financial benefits to consumers.
- Electricity North West's CLASS (Customer Load Active System Services) project – worth £7.2 million –looks at investigating how reducing voltage on the distribution network can reduce peak demand.
- Southern Electric Power Distribution and EA Technology's Innovation Squared project – worth £4.2 million – will trial a technology to allow a cluster of electric vehicles to recharge without stressing the distribution system and also trial the delivery of a network project by a third party.