Energy UK Response to DESNZ Call for Evidence: Improving the visibility of distributed energy assets

Executive Summary

Energy UK strongly supports Government’s work to improve the visibility of distributed assets, as it will help with electricity system optimisation reducing costs to consumers. This will be increasingly important as the number of distributed energy resources (such as heat pumps, electric vehicles, solar panels etc.) increase. Energy UK would note the following positions:

• Energy UK supports any outcome which eases the administrative burden on installers, and would point to learnings from the Automatic Asset Registration and Central Asset Register (AAR/CAR) work on how to deliver this.
• Given the extensive work currently underway through the SSES programme to define the exact data items required for assets, it is difficult at this stage to determine what will be appropriate before those decisions are finalised.
• Energy UK would therefore urge alignment between the two processes and recommend establishing a clear single point for industry engagement once the data requirements for ESAs have been confirmed.
• The most effective solution is likely to combine improved asset visibility with further improved low voltage network monitoring by DNOs.
• The value of asset data for its intended use case depends on the quality of data gathered. Key factors include accuracy, validation, verification, and standardisation – all of which is particularly important for system interoperability.
• The development and timescales should be highly visible to the market to avoid the risk of it stifling innovation in surrounding areas.
• A clearer understanding is needed of how Regional Energy System Planning (RESPs) will interact with asset visibility initiatives.