Flexitricity's goals are to make electricity greener and business more profitable

UK carbon commitments might seem ambitious now, but there’s much more to come. Business energy users who are smart about their electricity use and generation are better placed to benefit from the drive for ever higher energy and fiscal efficiency. Working with Flexitricity makes sense today and is a prudent approach to the changes in energy policy and economics which many are predicting.

Flexitricity’s answer to a national challenge  

Electricity consumers don’t ask permission every time they turn on a light. Large power stations can fail suddenly and wind turbines can only generate when there’s wind. This means that National Grid must always keep something in reserve to keep the electricity system in perfect balance as both supply and demand vary.

A large volume of reserve always comes from part-loaded fossil fuelled power stations, even though it is inefficient to burn gas and coal at part load. Additional reserve is provided by warming older coal and oil power stations, which can take twelve hours or more. Often, this reserve is not needed in the event and the stations are switched off without generating anything.

It’s more efficient for electricity users and small generators to provide some of the flexibility that National Grid needs to balance the system – this is where Flexitricity comes in. Standby or combined heat and power (CHP) generators, or opportunities to reduce load for a short period, don’t emit CO₂ when waiting to be called-upon, and Flexitricity’s smart grid can access them extremely rapidly if needed.

The Flexitricity smart grid

Flexitricity monitors the status of clients’ equipment from its Edinburgh control room. If a national demand peak is higher than expected, or if a large power station or interconnector fails, Flexitricity receives an electronic instruction from National Grid. Flexitricity’s smart grid system then communicates directly with clients’ equipment via a Flexitricity outstation located on each site, starting generation or turning down consumption within minutes. This delivers reserve energy to the system and gives National Grid time to put other measures in place.

On most sites, Flexitricity restricts delivery to a maximum of 130 minutes. All sites can ‘opt out’ manually or automatically if they need to. If Flexitricity detects a problem on a site, it won't attempt to use the equipment, but will instead make sure the client's staff are aware.

Corporate social responsibility

By working with Flexitricity, UK businesses can demonstrate to their stakeholders that they are using their assets in the most cost-effective and environmentally beneficial manner. Flexitricity uses small generators and flexible electricity loads to reduce both costs and carbon emissions for everyone.