Large Energy User | UK Networks Services

Reducing Costs and Carbon for a Large Energy User

155 acre smart food production facility with 40MW electricity connection, 9.8km district heating network removing cost and carbon from the UK food supply chain - with UK Networks Services help.

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Our client - a large industrial business park with an extensive heating and cooling network, and bold sustainability targets - asked us to help reduce its energy costs and carbon emissions.

Fortunately, the company was already equipped with substantial onsite solar generation, existing renewable generation connection offers and one of our bespoke export control systems. So the infrastructure to support energy optimisation was already in place. Now the business park needed insight to:

Manage the complexity of balancing energy consumption with fluctuating grid prices
Deploy renewable energy generation at the right times to optimise beneficial energy pricing periods

5 MW Energy Centre

The growing share of renewable generation in the GB grid has made energy pricing more volatile. High levels of demand and complex geopolitical issues have caused significant price peaks, while periods of renewable oversupply increasingly result in negative pricing.

The business park was on the wrong end of both of these fluctuations. Located in a congested area of the grid, it was unable to export its excess solar energy, wasting a valuable surplus. Meanwhile, electricity from the grid had to be purchased at higher prices during peak periods.

To reduce costs and carbon emissions, the business park needed the tools to align peak consumption with periods of low electricity prices and high solar output.

Food facility under construction

Ultimately, this project was about investment. The leadership team needed to be able to explore various energy management scenarios in support of sound decision-making. This is where our proprietary Energy Management with Predictive Control and Simulation system came in.

Plugging into the business park’s sustainable infrastructure and onsite solar generation capabilities, the system allows advanced forecasting in a number of areas:

Predictive control of energy use forecasts solar generation alongside day-ahead energy price signals, allowing the park to consume more energy generated onsite and reducing dependence on the grid.
Optimising for energy costs forecasts high-cost periods, enabling the park to schedule energy-intensive activities during lower-cost periods.
Leveraging heat storage onboards the park’s heating and cooling network as an energy storage medium. By using stored heat/cool during high-cost periods and replenishing it during low-cost periods, energy consumption is optimised and bills come down.
Maximising value from negative pricing uncovers further opportunities to reduce operating costs.

Energy simulation in progress

Even in its simulation stage, the Energy Management with Predictive Control system has given the park’s leadership team the insights it needs to inform decision making, optimise existing infrastructure and plan for future market conditions.

Through detailed modelling and calculations, we’ve been able to demonstrate significant cost and carbon savings:

29% reduction in onsite energy bills
25% reduction in carbon emissions

These are substantial savings today. And as the grid sees further penetration of renewables and more periods of negative pricing, our client will be equipped to benefit exponentially from low-cost and low-carbon electricity over the coming decade.

Complete food facility with wind turbine

Installing UK Networks Services 4G IoT metering network on site which is used for energy metering as well as our Energy Management System

Reducing Costs and Carbon for a Large Energy User

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