EDF Energy will provide Anesco with a guaranteed minimum revenue to give income certainty
EDF Energy – in partnership with technology partner Upside Energy – has signed a deal with Anesco, the UK’s leading energy storage provider, to optimise a combined 16MW of solar and battery assets at the Clayhill solar farm. This unique deal will see EDF Energy providing a guaranteed floor price for storage – a first within the sector.
EDF Energy will work with Anesco and Upside to enhance the efficiency and profitability of the Clayhill assets, securing contracts with grid operators and generating revenue through direct access to wholesale markets. Due to its expertise in trading and dispatching assets in the UK energy market, EDF Energy has been able to offer Anesco a guaranteed ‘floor price’ for this project, marking a significant step forward for UK renewables.
The deal will see EDF Energy operate Clayhill’s portfolio of assets through their proprietary demand-side response platform, PowerShift. This platform enables industrial or grid-scale customers to benefit from EDF Energy’s 24/7trading capabilities, choosing to consume or sell energy based on real-time pricing from every available market source. The partnership will now see the three firms work together to connect additional Anesco assets to the PowerShift platform.
Anesco’s Clayhill solar farm opened in September 2017 and was the first subsidy-free solar development in the UK. Situated in Bedfordshire, the 44.58 acre site houses 31,240 solar panels, totalling 10MW of solar PV, and is co-located with five 1.2MW batteries.
Anesco is the UK’s leading storage developer with over 100MW of storage completed and a pipeline of some 380 MW by 2020. Anesco’s asset management team have been working with EDF Energy’s team and Upside’s technology developers to analyse all aspects of the revenues available to the site and understand how to precisely optimise the assets to their full capability.
At Clayhill, EDF Energy will work alongside Upside Energy as controls partner. Upside Energy, a UK based energy technology provider, has developed an advanced platform using algorithms and artificial intelligence systems to match energy demand with available supply. The platform is capable of managing demand response across 100,000s of devices running in parallel. Upside’s unique mix of advanced technology and commercial intelligence ensures that renewable assets achieve the greatest return on investment.
EDF Energy is the largest producer of low-carbon energy and is seeking to support the development of renewables in the UK as part of an energy mix. Last year, its parent company, EDF Group announced its ambition to become a European leader in energy storage by 2035 to help ensure the smooth running of a balanced electricity system.
Together, EDF Energy, Upside and Anesco aim to test new business models and provide demand-side response services that help the grid deal with fluctuations during times of peak usage and make maximum use of available renewable energy.
Vincent de Rul, Director of Energy Solutions at EDF Energy, says: “EDF Energy is thrilled to announce its partnership with Anesco, helping to maximise the profitability of its Clayhill site by providing access to the wholesale market. We have worked closely with Anesco over the past few months to develop a unique and innovative contract structure that will be crucial if we want to balance renewable generation on the grid and work towards a low-carbon energy mix.”
Steve Shine, Executive Chairman at Anesco, says: “At Anesco we are always looking for new and innovative ways to maximise the return on our assets and provide more certainty to our investors. The floor price and 24-hour trading capability provided in this deal are crucial new developments for storage. This is a partnership between three fantastic organisations, we’re already achieving great results and I am sure we will be working together ever more closely in the future.
Devrim Celal, CEO at Upside Energy, says: “We are very proud and happy to work with our partners at EDF Energy and Anesco. We are organisations that know each other well and our positive working relationships reflect that. Shaping the future of energy by pioneering digital solutions that support the management of smart energy is at the core of Upside Energy’s business. This is an exciting, new opportunity at Clayhill to further enhance the business case for renewable energy and play a central role in the future of energy in the UK.”
EDF Energy is the UK’s largest producer of low-carbon electricity, meeting around one-fifth of the country’s demand and supplying millions of customers and businesses with electricity and gas.
It generates electricity with eight nuclear power stations, more than 30 wind farms, one gas and two coal power stations, as well as with combined heat and power plants.
EDF Energy is leading the UK’s nuclear renaissance with the construction of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C. This will provide low carbon electricity to meet 7% of UK demand. The project is already making a positive impact on the local and national economy, British industry, as well as boosting skills and education. EDF Energy also invests in a range of low carbon technologies including renewables and battery storage. It is applying research and development expertise to improve the performance of existing generation and developing the potential of new technologies.
The company provides gas and electricity for more than 5 million customer accounts and is the biggest supplier of electricity by volume in Great Britain and the largest supplier to British businesses. It offers innovative energy systems for commercial customers and digital innovation for customers at home. EDF Energy has also launched its own innovation accelerator, Blue Lab, which focuses on making customers’ lives easier.
The Better Plan is EDF Energy’s framework for being a sustainable and responsible energy business and is an integral part of EDF’s 2030 vision to be the efficient, responsible electricity company, and champion of low-carbon growth. The Better Plan is underpinned by comprehensive environmental and social programmes which have been recognised by a wide range of organisations.
EDF Energy is part of EDF Group, the world’s biggest electricity generator. In the UK, the company employs around 13,000 people at locations across England and Scotland.
To find out more about the UK’s energy challenges visit: www.edfenergy.com/energyfuture/
About Anesco:
Anesco is a global leader in renewable energy and recognised as one of the top cleantech companies in the world. Its specialist team manages the funding, development, operation and maintenance of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.
As the UK market leader in energy storage, Anesco commands the industry’s most accurate revenue modelling tool and its portfolio is on track to exceed 380MW by the end of 2020. The company has constructed over 100 solar farms, while its O&M service, AnescoMeter, is monitoring over 21,500 sites.
Anesco was the first in the UK to achieve subsidy-free solar; first to introduce utility-scale energy storage; and first to co-locate energy storage with existing solar sites. To date, the technologies the company has deployed and managed are generating over 1GW of renewable energy.
For further information visit www.anesco.co.uk
About Upside Energy:
About Upside Energy
Upside Energy’s cloud-based platform uses advanced algorithms and AI to coordinate devices based on commercial and industrial sites as well as in domestic homes – including battery storage systems, electric vehicles, hot water tanks, and heating and cooling systems. The software then matches demand for energy with the available supply leading to significant savings in costs and emissions.
Upside creates value for both the energy system and for energy users.
For more information, visit www.upsideenergy.co.uk
