Energy storage and flexibility

  • Announcement

    The Energy Security Bill explained – from the Queen’s Speech

    On Wednesday 11 May, the Queen's Speech was delivered which announced that an Energy Security Bill will be introduced at some point over the next parliamentary session. What is the Energy Security Bill and what does the Government state the benefits will be? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLfmkM0mAqc What are the main elements of...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Dynamic Regulation launches

    National Grid ESO (NGESO) launched the Dynamic Regulation (DR) service on 8 April, with the first auction held at 14:30 on the EPEX auction platform. DR is the second new product that the ESO has introduced to manage frequency on the system, as the system operator introduces a suite of...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    All-Island Power Market Outlook to 2030

    This report provides an annual overview of trends for the All-Island Power Market out to 2030 using outputs from Cornwall Insight’s latest forward curve for the All-Island (AI) Single Electricity Market (SEM) covering Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. This publication is based on comprehensive market and asset-level power...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    The changing face of flexibility markets

    Flexibility markets are undergoing a period of evolution in Great Britain, as the electricity system operator (ESO) looks to transition away from the legacy response and reserve services to a new suite of faster-acting services which are designed to support a zero-carbon grid. We saw the first of these new...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Unlocking routes to market

    On 19 January 2022, a webinar hosted by Cornwall Insight in partnership with the law firm Weightmans focused on routes to market for renewable projects that may not secure a contract during the fourth allocation round of the 'Contracts for Difference' (CfD) auction, which opened in December 2021. In the...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Emerging utility business models

    This article is from our latest Energy Spectrum and the January 2022 issue of EEnergy Informer, a newsletter edited by Fereidoon Sioshansi of Menlo Energy Economics and editor of Variable Generation, Flexible Demand. As numerous prior articles have pointed out, the traditional utility business model seems to be on its...

  • Business supply and services

    2021 top energy insights

    View our 2021 top insights; the top podcast, insight paper, 'Chart of the week' and blog. Click the boxes below to read the full articles. You may need to log in or create a free Cornwall Insight to continue reading. Download

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Cornwall Insight Australia develops 5-minute model for Benchmark Power Curve

    Cornwall Insight Australia has developed a 5-minute model for their Benchmark Power Curve (BPC), improving the granularity of their price forecasts from 30 minutes to 5 minutes dispatch for the first five years of the 30-year forecast. Cornwall Insight Australia’s BPC helps market participants understand trends in future prices and...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    The new face of frequency response – 1 year of Dynamic Containment

    In October 2020, National Grid Electricity System Operator (NGESO) implemented the soft-launch of the Dynamic Containment (DC) service, the first in a new suite of faster-acting frequency response services. Since its launch, the DC service has been the most lucrative response service and has grown considerably in the past year....

  • Announcement

    FCAS price curves extended to meeting increasing battery asset technical life

    Research from Cornwall Insight Australia shows that the pipeline of proposed storage projects is growing substantially to over 26GW of announced projects in the market and that the expected technical lifetime of those assets is increasing. As a result, Cornwall Insight Australia has announced an increase in its Frequency Control...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Batteries, the Capacity Market and the challenge of Extended Performance – Part 2

    In a previous blog published on Monday 25 October, we discussed the issue of Extended Performance Tests within the GB Capacity Market (CM). In summary, due to degradation overtime it is currently not possible for batteries to be paid for their full capacity in the CM without risking significant fines....

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Five highlights from our latest PPA market research

    Recently, as part of both our Renewable PPA Market Share and Green Power Forecast reports, we have undertaken research into the renewables PPA market, hearing views from generators, offtakers and other renewables PPA market participants. Our recent Chart of the Week detailed the latest research from our Renewable PPA Market...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Batteries, the Capacity Market and the challenge of Extended Performance – Part 1

    Optimising site configuration and trading strategy for battery assets is a challenge, developers need to consider access to different markets, trading capabilities and risk appetite. These are in addition to physical and location considerations such as technical limitations and network charging. However, one thing that has always been taken as...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Investor optimism sparks PPA competition

    In recent months, Cornwall Insight has issued several of our regular subscription reports from our PPA Insights Service covering both renewable and flexibility Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) markets, namely the Green Power Forecast, Renewable PPA Market Share and Flexible PPA Market reports. As part of these reports, we conduct surveys...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    How nuclear energy can help the UK reach its net zero goals

    This article was originally written in Energy Spectrum on 21 March 2021. To find out more about a subscription to Energy Spectrum, please contact Nick on n.palmer@cornwall-insight.com. There are several challenges to reaching net zero, where its proponents believe nuclear could add value. Some of tomorrow’s main issues concern: How to provide low...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Glory Days – T-1 auction clears at £45/kW

    To say the T-1 Capacity Market (CM) auction clearing at £45/kW per year was a surprise feels like an understatement. It looks like a major windfall for successful participants in the auction –  many are asking just what happened? Easy money Until February, it looked like prices would clear at...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    DNO to DSO: A work in progress

    Last month the Electricity Network Association (ENA) published updated figures regarding the procurement of Distribution Network Operator (DNO) flexibility services. This is the latest update from the ENA since April this year, with the document highlighting the historical uptake of services across the DNO regions. The publication also provides projections...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    System operators warn of System Alerts risk this winter

    EirGrid and SONI issued their Winter Outlook for 2020-21 on 15 October in which they warned that if high generator forced outage rates continue over the winter period there is a risk of System Alerts. The transmission system operators (TSOs) said the all-island capacity margin this winter is predicted to be 929MW...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Imbalance prices rise for sixth consecutive month

    This week we delve into system imbalance pricing, and look at the latest movements from the Balancing Market (BM). The BM ultimately reflects the actions taken by the transmission system operator to keep the system balanced. These actions determine the Imbalance Settlement Price (ISP) for each of the half-hourly settlement...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    The Rewire-NW project: delivering a Smart Local Energy System

    The Rewire-NW project was launched in spring 2020. Led by Pure Leapfrog, the project is developing plans to create a Smart Local Energy System (SLES) with a focus on leading the town of Warrington towards Net Zero. Cornwall Insight is a key project partner in the project, providing regulatory and...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Network innovation: coordinating Active Network Management schemes and Balancing Services

    The volume of generation connected to the distribution networks is increasingly rapidly. Cornwall Insight is part of a consortium developing an innovation project focusing on specific conflicts which this can create in the market, with the aim of developing learnings which can be applied in a broader context. Over 30GW...

  • Business supply and services

    COVID-19: A collection of resources

    This year has seen Governments, businesses and industries coming to terms with the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. The arrival of the pandemic shook the energy market across the value chain. Throughout, our experts have provided the industry with coverage of how COVID-19 has impacted the energy market. We analysed...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    EirGrid and SONI assess future demand and generation landscape

    Transmission system operators (TSOs) EirGrid and SONI have issued the All-Island Generation Capacity Statement 2020-29 that sets out expected electricity demand together with the level of generation capacity that will be required over the next ten years.  Issued on 27 August, the Statement said RoI demand is increasing, and is forecast...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    The future of power prices: Black swans and dragon kings

    Understanding the long-term trajectory of the wholesale market is critical to new generation assets and their investment viability. Here at Cornwall Insight, we support market participants in assessing the potential outlook for wholesale power markets through our long-term market Benchmark Power Curve service. We’ve just updated our latest curves out...

  • Business supply and services

    All mod cons: Routes to market for household flexibility

    According to National Grid’s 2019 Future Energy Scenarios[1], meeting decarbonisation targets could require deployment in GB of 13GW of flexibility from commercial and industrial consumers by 2050, compared to around 1GW currently available. While there are currently no comparable forecasts for domestic demand-side response (DSR), energy suppliers and technology companies...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    SEM Focus: Day-ahead power turns negative to record low

    Last weekend saw the day-ahead power price average negative for only the second time since the new trading arrangements commenced back in October 2018. The first such negative pricing event occurred on 5 April, when the day-ahead power price averaged -€2.5/MWh. Saturday 23 May saw the power price outturn lower...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    CRU implements COVID-19 supply suspension scheme

    On 1 May, the CRU set out the details of its decision to implement a temporary supply suspension scheme for eligible SME electricity and gas customers due to the impact of the pandemic. It said that the unique and extraordinary circumstances of the current situation require a modification to the current approach...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    FiT costs to reach all-time high amid COVID outbreak

    Energy Third Party Charges (TPCs) have certainly been in the limelight recently, and rightly so as less consumption from non-domestic sectors is resulting in a greater recovery of money from domestic households amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Several measures have been taken to date to protect domestic suppliers and consumers from...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    BSUoS in COVID-19

    This week National Grid Electricity System Operator (“the ESO”) released its latest forecast of Balancing Services Use of System (BSUoS) charges – levied on suppliers and large generators to recover costs incurred by the ESO in managing the system on a second by second basis. In this blog we look...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Tootsie slide: Demand drop

    Since both governments of Ireland have restricted movement in the light of COVID-19, we have observed changes to working patterns. This has subsequently resulted in a reduction and shift in demand profile for the island of Ireland. This week's blog looks at demand reduction since COVID-19 restrictions have been in...