Flexitricity has partnered with the vertical farming firm Jones Food Company to work on a “ground-breaking” demand-side response (DSR) trial.
The aggregator said it has previously been prohibitively expensive for them to provide DSR due to the high costs of hardware, communications and implementation.
The trial will begin shortly at Jones Food Company’s 5,000 square metre facility in Scunthorpe. The firm uses hydroponic vertical farms to produce leafy salads and herbs for the UK market. The plants are grown in a tightly controlled environment, with LED lamps providing a specific spectrum of light that optimises growth.
Jones Food Company says by growing food locally using “cutting-edge” techniques it is able to reduce its environmental impact.
Its partnership with Flexicitrity will allow the firm to earn money by providing balancing services to the electricity system operator at National Grid.
“We are an energy intensive site and the trial is enabling us to be smarter about our consumption whilst providing a sustainable revenue stream that improves our operational costs and bottom line,” said managing director James Lloyd Jones.
He continued: “The sky is the limit and we are very much looking forward demonstrating the potential for smaller commercial users throughout the country to earn revenue and help the UK achieve net zero.”
Flexitricity founder and chief strategy officer Alastair Martin said: “The ongoing drive towards a low carbon economy and the UK government’s net-zero 2050 emissions targets means that small businesses will have an important role to play in helping shape the energy infrastructure of the future.
“The era of the passive energy user is over. Not only is a smarter energy system essential for tackling climate change, it is also fairer and will allow everyone to benefit – from businesses of all size to domestic energy users.”
The trial is part of Flexitricity’s Quickturn project, which is being supported with £500,000 of funding from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The findings are expected to be shared in 2020.
Other partners include Scottish Water Horizon, Veolia, Norish, Glasgow City Council and Northumberland City.