PRESS RELEASE: Demand Response aggregator Open Energi announces its partnership with Hanson UK, one of the country’s largest suppliers of heavy building materials to the construction industry.
The two businesses are working together to install Open Energi’s Dynamic Demand technology at 29 sites UK-wide, delivering around 2MW of flexible capacity to National Grid.
To date, Hanson UK has installed the technology at 14 sites across the UK, and is targeting a total of 29 sites through a phased rollout. Bitumen tanks and pumps used to dewater quarries are being fitted with Dynamic Demand, enabling them to intelligently shift their demand for energy in real-time, reducing their consumption when UK electricity demand exceeds supply and increasing consumption when electricity supply exceeds demand. This flexible demand helps National Grid to manage the system and supports the integration of more variable power sources such as wind and solar.
The technology has no impact on equipment performance, and in return, Hanson UK is paid for providing this service which offers a cleaner, cheaper and smarter approach to grid balancing than peaking power stations. In addition, Dynamic Demand provides sub-second metering data on equipment performance, providing new insight to drive operational efficiencies. Via Open Energi’s customised portal, Hanson UK is able to monitor, manage and compare the performance of sites and assets, helping it to spot maintenance issues, identify energy cost reductions and optimise site resources.
David Weeks, PR & Communications Director, Hanson UK said “Our vision is to be recognised as a leading force in the delivery of a low carbon built environment. Adopting Dynamic Demand is an important part of our drive to embed energy improvements across the business and is helping to build the smarter, more responsive energy system the UK needs to support our transition to a low carbon economy.”
Chris Kimmett, Commercial Manager at Open Energi added “Demand Response is a game changing evolution in the way we manage energy which gives businesses the insight and control they need to decide how, when and from where they consume their energy. We’re delighted to be working with Hanson UK to help it adopt a smarter approach to energy management.”
Demand Response has been identified as a key solution for future proofing the UK’s electricity grid, and National Grid has launched Power Responsive to help deliver Demand Response at scale by 2020.
