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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/W019795/1
Title: Modelling aggregate demand-side flexibility in distribution networks with electrified heat and transport
Principal Investigator: Ponocko, Dr J
Other Investigators:
Martinez Cesena, Dr EA
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Electricity North West Northern Powergrid Upside Energy Ltd
Department: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Organisation: University of Manchester, The
Scheme: New Investigator Award
Starts: 01 October 2022 Ends: 30 September 2024 Value (£): 237,922
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Energy Efficiency Sustainable Energy Networks
Sustainable Energy Vectors
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Energy
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Panel DatePanel NameOutcome
08 Feb 2022 Engineering Prioritisation Panel Meeting 8 and 9 February 2022 Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
This project aims to model demand-side flexibility coming from aggregation of a large

number of residential and small and medium-size commercial end-users in the distribution network (DN). The

algorithms developed through this project will facilitate more flexible operation of the DN by assessing the time

varying capacity available from flexible loads, in response to flexible services currently procured by the

distribution system operator (DSO), namely: Sustain, Secure, Dynamic and Restore. The aggregate flexibility will

be described as the amount of available capacity and its duration, as a result of aggregating individual loads with

different operating modes, start times, maximum deferral times, etc., driven by the end-users' daily behaviour

and constrained by their comfort. Such flexibility profiling, corresponding to that of larger flexible resources

already employed in practice (e.g., distributed generators or storage), will make provision of multiple flexible

services accessible to small and medium-size end-users. This will result in increased flexibility of the DN as a

whole. Furthermore, harnessing flexibility potential of residential and commercial users would have significant

environmental implications, as these contribute to a large share to both, electrical usage and global greenhouse

gas emissions. The findings of the project could be further complemented with smart meter data to develop

tariffs and incentives for residential and commercial users, supporting more coordinated procurement of

flexibility by reducing uncertainty of efficiency and outcome of the demand response (DR) programmes.

The main beneficiaries of the research would be DSOs, aggregators and other DR responsible parties at the DN

level. The question of flexibility modelling is not only important for reporting DR potential at the demand side

(commonly, an aggregator's role), but also for more confident estimation of the outcome of DR programmes, tariff design and flexibility assessment, which are highly relevant to DSOs. One of the main benefits for DSOs

brought by this project would be in supporting decision making when investing into incentives and infrastructure

allowing network-wide control of flexible loads.
Key Findings
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Potential use in non-academic contexts
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Impacts
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Summary
Date Materialised
Sectors submitted by the Researcher
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Project URL:  
Further Information:  
Organisation Website: http://www.man.ac.uk