Post: What do demand side response and world class Olympians have in common?

What do demand side response and world class Olympians have in common?

As supply of energy to the national grid continues to become more complex and unpredictable, grid balancing schemes form a fundamental service to ensure grid frequency remains stable and security of supply to the entire UK network is maintained. To safeguard the network and keep it balanced at all times the national grid rewards high energy users that can offer flexibility of load to help keep grid frequency at the all-important 50hz, the more flexible and responsive the load the more lucrative for end users.

One of the most common concerns for business energy users is the perception that they would have to turn off machinery and key processes in order to take part in grid balancing schemes, however, this simply isn’t the case and small manageable changes are the order of the day.

So, what has that got to do with Olympians?

We can use British cycling as a leading example of what can be achieved by making small changes. British cycling have made huge strides over the past decade, which is not due to a single change but through the concept of marginal gains.

The doctrine of marginal gains is all about small incremental changes in any process adding up to a significant change when they are all added together. Any project that implements this doctrine is far more likely to succeed and deliver real sustainable benefits.

Using the marginal gains doctrine has dramatically changed the fortunes of British cycling from also-rans to world beaters. In the last three Olympics, Team GB has captured 23 gold medals which is more than 3 times any other nation.

British cyclists have won the Tour de France four times in the last five years when previous to 2012 no British rider had ever won the prestigious event. Some turn around, I’m sure you’ll agree.

A result greater than the sum of its parts

At GridBeyond we have been using the marginal gains principle for years to generate significant revenue for our customers. By taking a holistic view of a buildings energy usage we can assimilate lots of small flexibilities within your load, which when added together can make an impact and create significant new income streams for customers. This approach causes less disruption and can achieve far more when the sum of the parts are added together.

By connecting your assets to our unique platform and slightly altering loads and usage profiles Endeco Technologies can unlock significant revenues from numerous National Grid demand response schemes, on many occasions even without the customer being aware an event has even happened.

Don’t be afraid of engaging with grid balancing services, small changes to load at the right times can make a difference to the UK’s security of supply while generating new revenue streams for your business.

This article was written by GridBeyond’s account director, Matt brindle, and first appeared on LinkedIn