Combined Heat & Power, District Heating & Cooling, Demand Side Services, Energy Efficiency

ADE Smart Energy Conference Success

5 May 2020

Wednesday 29 April saw the ADE host our first fully online sector conference!

The Smart Energy Conference, hosted in partnership with Osborne Clarke, attracted over 150 attendees, with presentation from key players from across the flexibility and DSR sector.

The event was opened by Simon Hobday of Osborne Clarke, followed by a fantastic opening keynote from Jim Skea (Chair of Scottish Just Transition Commission and CoChair of IPCC Working Group III), speaking on how delivering net zero could affect places, prices and people, in the context of a just energy transition.

The first panel session of the day explored ideas around building the markets for net zero, and was chaired by James Watson (Osborne Clarke). We heard from:

  • Elizabeth Allkins (Ovo Energy) - Domestic flexibility: Opportunities, benefits and vulnerability       
  • John Twomey (National Grid ESO) – Net Zero-enabling balancing services
  • Kyle Martin (LCP) - A net zero wholesale market
  • James Johnston (Piclo) - The future of DSO flexibility and links to national services

Following a quick break, the second panel was chaired by ADE Head of Policy, Caroline Bragg, looking at new flexibility innovations to deliver net zero, with presentations from

  • Javier Cavada (Highview Power) - The role of long -duration cryogenic storage
  • Chris Cox (Cenex) - The emerging role of transport in local energy systems
  • Claire Addison (Flexitricity) - Boosting real-time flexibility in the system

ADE Policy Manager, Rick Parfett, then went on to launch the ADE's newest report "Let's talk about flex: Unlocking domestic energy flexibility", which explores the barriers to commercialisation of domestic DSR and lays out clear pathways to overcome each of these. Through building supportive policy and regulatory frameworks, domestic demand side response (DSR) will play a leading role in the shift to a net zero system by 2050.

Read the full report here.

The conference was brought to a close by ADE Director Ian Calvert.

We would like to extend our thanks to Osborne Clarke for their support in organising the event, all of our fantastic speakers, and to everyone who joined us online. Resources from the conference can be found below:

Event Recordings:

Watch the ADE Smart Energy Conference Session 1.

Watch the ADE Smart Energy Conference Session 2.

Download Smart Energy Conference Presentations:

Session 1

Session 2

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