Limejump’s ‘virtual power plant’ (VPP), has gone live on the Balancing Mechanism (BM) market – the first time an aggregated unit has been admitted to the balancing market.
Previously, the BM has largely been the domain of large power plants and specific distributed single large sites that have a generation licence. National Grid’s drive for wider access to the Balancing Mechanism has allowed Limejump to enable smaller generators, such as wind, solar, batteries and industrial electricity users, to directly compete in this £1 billion a year market.
Among the assets used were Anesco’s Clayhill hybrid solar and battery storage site, the UK’s first subsidy-free solar farm where 6MW of energy storage is co-located with 10MW of solar power. Breach Farm, Anesco’s 10MW battery storage site in Derbyshire, is also among the assets used.
Erik Nygard, chief executive of Limejump, said: “Limejump’s entry into the Balancing Mechanism is another step in our efforts to disrupt the conventional operations of the UK energy market. This move means that a farmer with a solar installation or a supermarket with excess energy from its cooling units will be on the same footing as a giant power station. Just as importantly, our move increases competition, enabling a cleaner, more sustainable energy future that benefits both the environment and the end consumer.”
Limejump said its technology platform uses big data analytics, trading ability and machine learning to connect distributed storage or generation assets, such as batteries, solar, wind, CHP and flexible demand assets (such as pumps and lighting) to act as if they were one large power station. Connecting to a communication platform developed by Siemens, Limejump offers this to the market as single, flexible power source that helps balance the system. It also supports the transition to TERRE (Trans European Replacement Reserves Exchange) which will further lead toward establishing a pan-European market for balancing energy in 2019.
Further reading
The New Power Interview: Erik Nygard, Limejump
European reserve auction platform ‘could cut balancing costs by a quarter’