Flexibility market for congestion management in smart grids

Mención Internacional en el título de doctorCurrent power systems are facing several sustainability challenges to meet the increasing demand of electricity. In addition, there is a global direction to increase the share of renewable energy sources in the power generation mix and energy efficiency. In the face of all such challenges, smart grids were incepted. Smart grids are modernized power systems that integrate state-of-the art communication and information technology to facilitate the bidirectional flow of information and electricity between the supply and demand sides. The resilience of smart grids can pave the way for having more flexibility at the distribution level of the power systems. Demand response (DR) programs are considered one of the sources of system flexibility and it is one of the main components of smart grids. DR can be defined as the willingness of customers to alter their electricity consumption profile in response to price signals. Transmission system operators have been implementing demand response programs in a straightforward fashion for several years now. For example, by having energy prices that are expensive during on-peak periods and low-priced at off-peak periods. Other type of DR programs introduces price signals when grid reliability is compromised and a reduction in energy consumption is necessary. In this way, customers can plan their activities accordingly in order to save money. Now, a new era of technology, artificial intelligence and the so-called “internet of things”, have provided new ways to explore the full potential of demand response, by allowing to alter loads in a much more dynamic and precise manner, thus optimizing the operation of grid assets. This thesis focuses on one of the main types of DR programs which is demand flexibility. Demand flexibility is the ability of the demand-side customers to adjust their load profiles in response to an external market signal. On the short- and medium-term periods, distribution system operators (DSOs) can take advantage of the flexibility of demand to mitigate network congestions caused by increased peaks or high penetration of renewable energy. On the long-term period, DSOs can include demand flexibility in their network expansion planning process for future demand growth. The optimal usage of demand flexibility can help in postponing needed investments for upgrading the networks’ capacity. Demand flexibility can be acquired through market-based solutions which can deliver cost-efficient flexibility services for several market agents by facilitating competition between different flexibility providers. Market mechanisms are considered by policy makers as the optimal solution for flexibility access. With respect to that, this thesis proposes a comprehensive framework for a distribution-level flexibility market, called “Flex-DLM” that enables and facilitates the trading of demand flexibility between the distribution system operator, as the main buyer, and aggregators, as sellers representing flexible consumers. Two types of demand flexibility services were modelled, which are: 1- Up-regulation flexibility (UREG), which corresponds to load decrease volumes, and 2- Down-regulation flexibility (DREG), which corresponds load increase volumes. In addition, the payback effect, which is a common event to the activation of demand flexibility, is considered for both types of flexibility services. Also, the distribution network constraints were modelled, which represents the power flow constraints of the network, which is key to present a realistic model for the flexibility market. In the Flex-DLM, the DSO is considered as the market operator who is responsible of clearing the market, while making sure the network congestions are mitigated. The Flex-DLM operates on two timeframes which are day-ahead and real-time with an objective to provide the DSO with flexibility products that can help it in the congestion management process. In addition to this, the uncertainty of demand is taken into consideration to prevent the DSO from procuring inaccurate amounts of demand flexibility. A new option is introduced in the day-ahead Flex-DLM, called the right-to-use (RtU) that allows the DSO to reserve the right to activate demand flexibility during the day-ahead period for congestions that have low probability of occurrence on the following operation day. In this way, the DSO can call upon this option in real-time if the congestion takes place. Also, the uncertainty behind the customers’ commitment to the flexibility activation requests and amounts is taken into consideration. In this thesis, the decision-making process of the DSO for optimizing its choice of demand flexibility and minimizing its total cost is modelled. Two methods were carried out for the optimization model proposed in this work. The first method follows a deterministic approach, where the objective is to optimize the DSO’s cost and clear the Flex-DLM during the day-ahead period only, without taking into account the uncertainty of demand and the uncertainty of consumers’ participation. The second method follows probabilistic approach, which considers the demand uncertainty during the day-ahead and real-time periods and models the uncertainty behind the customers’ commitment. Both optimization methods were integrated with an optimal power flow (OPF) solver tool in order to check the technical validity of the activated flexibility services and to make sure that the payback effect does not cause further congestions in the network. The advantage of the proposed framework is that it requires minimum regulatory changes and it does not involve the DSO in any electricity trading. Also, the proposed optimization method can be integrated with any OPF solver tool. Different distribution feeders obtained from a distribution network located in Spain were used to check the validity of the proposed framework and the decision-making process. The case studies are divided into two parts: 1- The first part applies the proposed flexibility framework from a deterministic perspective and 2- The second part applies the Flex-DLM framework considering all uncertainties, which corresponds to the probabilistic optimization approach. Finally, to help the DSO in the long-term planning process of its local network, a cost & benefit analysis is carried out to value the economic impact of implementing demand flexibility programs as an alternate solution to conventional network upgradesLos sistemas de energía actuales se enfrentan a varios desafíos de sostenibilidad para satisfacer la creciente demanda de electricidad. Además, existe una clara tendencia a aumentar la proporción de fuentes renovables de energía en la generación de energía y así como hacia la eficiencia energética. Como parte de la respuesta a estos desafíos, se iniciaron las redes inteligentes. Las redes inteligentes son sistemas de energía modernizados que integran tecnología de comunicación e información de última generación para facilitar el flujo bidireccional de información y electricidad entre la oferta y la demanda. La utilización de las redes inteligentes pretende facilitar el empleo de la flexibilidad en la red de distribución de los sistemas eléctricos. Los programas de gestión de la demanda se consideran una de las fuentes de flexibilidad del sistema y es uno de los puntos sobre los que se apoyan las redes inteligentes. La gestión de la demanda se puede definir como la disposición de los clientes a alterar su perfil de consumo de electricidad en respuesta a las señales de precios. Los operadores de sistemas de transporte han estado implementando programas de respuesta a la demanda de manera directa desde hace varios años. Por ejemplo, la diferencia entre precios altos y bajos en el mercado mayorista introduce un incentivo para el consumo en horas de menor precio. Otro tipo de programas de gestión de la demanda introduce señales de precios cuando la fiabilidad de la red se ve comprometida y es necesaria una reducción en el consumo de energía. De esta manera, los consumidores pueden planificar sus actividades en consecuencia para ahorrar costes. Ahora, una nueva era de la tecnología, la inteligencia artificial y el llamado "internet de las cosas" han proporcionado nuevas formas de explorar el potencial completo de la respuesta de la demanda, al permitir alterar las cargas de una manera mucho más dinámica y precisa, optimizando así la utilización de los activos de red. Esta tesis se centra en uno de los principales tipos de programas de DR que es la flexibilidad de la demanda. La flexibilidad de la demanda es la capacidad de los clientes del lado de la demanda para ajustar sus perfiles de carga en respuesta a una señal del mercado externo. En los períodos a corto y mediano plazo, los operadores de sistemas de distribución pueden aprovechar la flexibilidad de la demanda para mitigar las congestiones en la red causadas por el aumento de los picos de demanda o la alta penetración de energía renovable. En el período a largo plazo, los distribuidores pueden incluir la flexibilidad de la demanda en su proceso de planificación de expansión de la red para el crecimiento futuro de la demanda. El uso óptimo de la flexibilidad de la demanda puede ayudar a posponer las inversiones necesarias para mejorar la capacidad de las redes. La flexibilidad de la demanda se puede conseguir mediante soluciones basadas en el mercado que pueden ofrecer servicios de flexibilidad rentables para varios agentes del mercado al facilitar la competencia entre diferentes proveedores de flexibilidad. Los reguladores suelen considerar que son los mecanismos de mercado los que dan la solución óptima para la gestión de la flexibilidad. En relación con estos temas, esta tesis propone un marco integral para un mercado de flexibilidad a en la red de distribución, denominado “Flex-DLM” que permite y facilita el comercio de flexibilidad de demanda entre el operador del sistema de distribución, como el principal comprador, y los agregadores, como vendedores que representan a los consumidores flexibles. Se han modelado dos tipos de servicios de flexibilidad de demanda, que son: 1- Flexibilidad a subir (UREG), que corresponde a un requerimiento disminución de carga, y 2- Flexibilidad a bajar (DREG), que corresponde a un requerimiento de aumento de carga. Además, el efecto de rebote, o consumo posterior al uso de la flexibilidad, que es un fenómeno común tras la activación de la flexibilidad de la demanda, se tiene en cuenta para ambos tipos de servicios de flexibilidad. Además, se han modelado las restricciones de la red de distribución, que representan las restricciones de flujo de potencia de la red, que es clave para presentar un modelo realista para el mercado de flexibilidad. En el mercado Flex-DLM propuesto, se considera al distribuidor como el operador responsable de despejar el mercado, al tiempo que se encarga de mitigar las congestiones de la red. El Flex-DLM opera en dos marcos de tiempo: el diario y el tiempo real con el objetivo de proporcionar al distribuidor productos flexibles que puedan ayudarlo en el proceso de gestión de la congestión. Además de esto, la incertidumbre de la demanda se tiene en cuenta para evitar que el distribuidor adquiera cantidades incorrectas de flexibilidad de la demanda. Se introduce una nueva opción en el Flex-DLM del día siguiente, denominado derecho de uso que le permite al distribuidor reservar el derecho de activar la flexibilidad de la demanda durante el período del día anterior para congestiones que tienen poca probabilidad de ocurrencia en el siguiente día de operación. De esta manera, el distribuidor puede recurrir a esta opción en tiempo real si se produce la congestión. Además, se tiene en cuenta la incertidumbre sobre del compromiso de cumplimiento de los clientes con los requerimientos y las cantidades de energía activadas durante el proceso de gestión de la flexibilidad. En esta tesis, se modela asimismo el proceso de toma de decisiones del DSO para optimizar su elección de flexibilidad de demanda y minimizar su costo total. Se llevaron a cabo dos métodos para el modelo de optimización propuesto en este trabajo. El primer método sigue un enfoque determinista, donde el objetivo es optimizar el coste de la flexibilidad para el distribuidor y eliminar el Flex-DLM solo durante el mercado diario , sin tener en cuenta la incertidumbre de la demanda y la de la participación de los consumidores. El segundo método sigue un enfoque probabilístico, que considera la incertidumbre de la demanda durante los períodos diarios y en tiempo real y modela la incertidumbre del compromiso de los clientes. Ambos métodos de optimización se integraron con una herramienta de solución de flujo de potencia óptimo (OPF) para verificar la validez técnica de los servicios de flexibilidad activados y asegurar que el efecto de recuperación no cause más congestiones en la red. La ventaja del marco propuesto es que requiere cambios regulatorios mínimos y no involucra al DSO en ningún comercio de electricidad. Además, el método de optimización propuesto se puede integrar con cualquier herramienta de solución OPF. Se han utiliado diferentes líneas de distribución obtenidos de una red de distribución ubicada en España para verificar la validez del marco propuesto y el proceso de toma de decisiones. Los estudios de caso se dividen en dos partes: 1- La primera parte aplica el marco de flexibilidad propuesto desde una perspectiva determinista y 2- La segunda parte aplica el marco Flex-DLM considerando todas las incertidumbres, que corresponden al enfoque de optimización probabilística. Finalmente, para ayudar al distribuidor en el proceso de planificación a largo plazo de su red local, se lleva a cabo un análisis coste - beneficio para valorar el impacto económico de la implementación de programas de flexibilidad de la demanda como una solución alternativa a las actualizaciones de red convencionales.Programa Oficial de Doctorado en Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y AutomáticaPresidente: Hortensia Elena Amaris Duarte.- Secretario: Milan Prodanovic.- Vocal: Barry Patrick Haye

Identification of Conflicts between Transmission and Distribution System Operators when Acquiring Ancillary Services from Electric Vehicles

Distributed energy resources are able to provide services to grid operators, possibly with competing objectives. With the development of active distribution grid management, various market designs arise. Here, a reference market framework is considered, which allocates the available flexibility products according to requests coming from both distribution and transmission system operators. The goal of this paper is to provide an identification procedure that is able to detect,"br/"identify and catalogue possible conflicts among the involved stakeholders that take place when requesting and/or acquiring ancillary services from flexible units. The investigation is carried out considering a 3-area power system which allows to take into account local constraints as well as system-wide needs. As outcome, this paper identifies the conflicts from both a theoretical and a practical point of view, by means of descriptions/identification procedure and by visual examples, respectively

TSO-DSO-Customer coordination for purchasing flexibility system services: Challenges and lessons learned from a demonstration in Sweden

This paper presents a real-word implementation of a TSO-DSO-customer coordination framework for the use of flexibility to support system operation. First, we describe the general requirements for TSO-DSO-customer coordination, including potential coordination schemes, actors and roles and the required architecture. Then, we particularise those general requirements for a real-world demonstration in Sweden, aiming to avoid congestions in the grid during the high-demand winter season. In the light of current congestion management rules and existing markets in Sweden, we describe an integration path to newly defined flexibility markets in support of new tools that we developed for this application. The results show that the use of flexibility can reduce the congestion costs while enhancing the secure operation of the system. Additionally, we discuss challenges and lessons learned from the demonstration, including the importance of the engagement between stakeholders, the role of availability remuneration, and the paramount importance of defining appropriate technical requirements and market timings.This work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement nº 824414

Flexibility services for distribution network operation

On the way towards a low carbon electricity system, flexibility has become one of the main sources for achieving it. Flexibility can be understood as the ability of a power system to cope with the variability and uncertainty of demand and supply. Both the generation-side and the demand-side can provide it. This research is focused on the role of the demand-side flexibility for providing a service to the distribution system operator, who manages the medium and low-voltage network. By activating this flexibility from the demand-side to the distribution network operator, the latter can avoid or mitigate congestions in the network and prevent grid reinforcement. This thesis starts with analyzing the current state of the art in the field of local electricity markets, setting the baseline for flexibility products in power systems. As a result of the previous analysis, the definition of flexibility is developed more specifically, considering the flexible assets to be controlled, the final client using this flexibility and the time horizon for this flexibility provision. Following the previous step, an aggregated flexibility forecast model is developed, considering a flexibility portfolio based on different flexible assets such as electric vehicles, water boilers, and electric space heaters. The signal is then modeled under a system-oriented approach for providing a service to the distribution network operator under the operation timeline on a day-ahead basis. The flexibility required by the distribution network operator is then calculated through an optimization problem, considering the flexibility activation costs and the network power flow constraints. Finally, since this scenario aims to lower the environmental impacts of the power system, its sustainability is assessed with the life-cycle assessment, considering the entire life cycle and evaluating it in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. This approach enhances the analysis of the potential role of flexibility in the power system, quantifying whether, in all cases, there is a reduction of emissions when shifting the consumption from peak hours to non-peak hours.En el camí cap a un sistema elèctric amb baixes emissions de carboni, la flexibilitat s'ha convertit en una de les principals fonts per aconseguir-ho. La flexibilitat es pot entendre com la capacitat d'un sistema de reaccionar davant la variabilitat i la incertesa provocades per la demanda i la generació. Tant la part de la generació com el costat de la demanda tenen actius per a poder proporcionar-ho. La recerca presentada en aquest manuscrit està enfocada en el paper de la flexibilitat oferta per la demanda, per a proporcionar un servei a l'operador del sistema de distribució, que gestiona les xarxes de mitja i baixa tensió. Gràcies a l'activació de la flexibilitat de la demanda, l'operador de les xarxes de distribució pot evitar o mitigar la congestió de la xarxa i evitar-ne les inversions per a reforçar-la, així com el seu impacte ambiental. Aquesta tesi comença amb l'anàlisi de l'estat de l'art en el camp dels mercats d'electricitat locals, establint-ne la línia base per a la definició dels productes de flexibilitat en els sistemes elèctrics. Com a resultat de l'estudi anterior, la definició de flexibilitat es desenvolupa més específicament, considerant els actius flexibles que han de controlar-se, el client final que utilitza aquesta flexibilitat i l'horitzó temporal per a aquesta disposició de flexibilitat. A continuació es desenvolupa un model de predicció de flexibilitat agregada, considerant una cartera de flexibilitat basada en diferents actius flexibles, com ara vehicles elèctrics, calderes d'aigua i escalfadors elèctrics, gestionats per la figura de l’agregador. El senyal es modela sota un enfocament orientat al sistema per proporcionar un servei a l'operador de la xarxa de distribució, per un horitzó temporal corresponent a l'operació de la xarxa de mitja i baixa tensió. El resultat és un model de la flexibilitat que pot oferir l’agregador. Una vegada desenvolupat el model de flexibilitat pel costat de l’agregador, la tesi s’enfoca al càlcul de la flexibilitat requerida per l’operador de la xarxa de distribució. Això es desenvolupa mitjançant un problema d'optimització, tenint en compte els costos d'activació de la flexibilitat, la localització dels punts on s’injectarà la flexibilitat i les restriccions de flux de potència de la xarxa de distribució. Finalment, atès que aquest escenari pretén reduir l'impacte mediambiental del sistema elèctric, la seva sostenibilitat s'avalua considerant tot el cicle de vida de les tecnologies que hi participen, i avaluant-la en termes d'emissions de gasos d'efecte d'hivernacle. L'ús d'aquest enfocament millora l'anàlisi del potencial paper de la flexibilitat en el sistema elèctric, quantificant si, en tots els casos, hi ha una reducció de les emissions traslladant el consum de les hores punta a hores vall.Postprint (published version

From wholesale energy markets to local flexibility markets: structure, models and operation

Most energy markets (EMs) across Europe are based on a design framework involving day-ahead, intraday, and bilateral markets, operating together with balancing markets. This framework was set out, however, when the vast majority of generation units were controllable and fuel-based. The increasing levels of renewable generation create unique challenges in the operation of EMs. In this context, flexibility markets are starting to be recognized as a promising and powerful tool to adequately valorize demand-side flexibility. This chapter describes the models underlying both centralized and bilateral markets, analyzes the operation of several European markets, introduces some energy management tools, analyzes the pressing issue of flexibility in system operation, and describes various pioneering flexibility platforms.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Modelação e Negociação de Flexibilidade em Comunidades de Energia Renovável

The progressive replacement of traditional generation resources with intermittent resources has reduced the available supply-side flexibility and increased the need to unlock flexibility on the demand-side. At the same time, the rising electricity consumption in residential buildings requires an analysis of the potential flexibility of the loads within them to contribute to the operation needs of electrical grids. Lastly, regulations governing self consumption have allowed end consumers to form energy communities based on local electricity markets. This is an additional incentive to define strategies for trading available flexibility at local level, in separate but simultaneously integrated structures within wholesale electricity markets. The proposed dissertation work focuses on studying the flexibility of energy production and consumption by prosumers within a Renewable Energy Community (REC). The objective is to investigate how residential flexibility can be determined, modeled, and aggregated for trading in a local market created for this purpose. The work to be developed will present a two-stage model that determines residential technical flexibility and establishes a local market only for its transaction. In the first stage, the optimal scheduling of domestic devices (flexible units or FUs) for each prosumer is determined, serving as a baseline for comparison, along with the technical limits of flexibility (maximum and minimum possible consumption profiles) for each FU. In the second stage, a market model is established only for flexibility exchanges. The technical flexibility determined in the first stage is offered to the Community Manager (CM) as flexibility offer, with an associated price. This entity acts as an aggregator and simultaneously as the operator of the local market. At this level, the Distribution System Operator (DSO) submits its flexibility requirements for the next day to the CM, who is responsible for executing the clearing process. The pricing of the flexibility offered by prosumers in the market is based on the base energy tariff they are subject to, which corresponds to the cost of their optimal scheduling obtained in the first stage, without considering this flexibility. Therefore, offering flexibility becomes an incentive to reduce prosumers energy costs or increase their utility, complementing their mere participation in energy markets. A case study based on a renewable energy community with a strong penetration of emerging technologies is used to validate and demonstrate the relevance of the proposed approach in terms of determining and activating residential FU flexibility. The obtained results show that participation in the local flexibility market leads to a reduction in prosumers energy costs, around 4.5%, in average. It can be an incentive for prosumers to join RECs that would not only have local energy trading structures but also mechanisms for negotiating and sharing flexibility. In addition, it was evidenced that the impact of electric vehicle chargers and battery energy storage systems on the total flexibility offered and accepted in the market is much greater than that the impact of other small loads studied. This not only constitutes an incentive for the study of the operational flexibility of these resources but also for investments in these emerging technologies.A substituição progressiva dos recursos de geração tradicionais por recursos intermitentes tem reduzido a flexibilidade disponível do lado da oferta e aumentado a necessidade de desbloqueá-la do lado da procura. Ao mesmo tempo, o aumento do consumo de eletricidade nos edifícios residenciais obriga a que seja analisada a flexibilidade potencial das cargas que o constituem, de modo a contribuir para as necessidades de operação das redes elétricas. Por último, a regulamentação do autoconsumo, tem permitido aos consumidores finais constituir comunidades energéticas baseadas em mercados locais de eletricidade. Isto torna ainda mais importante a definição de estratégias para comercializar a flexibilidade disponível a esse nível, em estruturas de mercado local separadas, mas simultaneamente integradas nos mercados grossistas de eletricidade. O trabalho proposto para dissertação assenta no estudo da flexibilidade da produção e consumo de energia por parte dos prosumidores de uma Comunidade de Energia Renovável. O objetivo é estudar como a flexibilidade residencial pode ser determinada, modelada e agregada de modo a ser transacionada num mercado local criado para esse fim. Assim, o trabalho a ser desenvolvido apresentará um modelo de dois estágios que determina a flexibilidade técnica residencial e cria um mercado local exclusivo para transaciona-la. Numa primeira fase, determina-se o escalonamento óptimo dos dispositivos domésticos (unidades flexíveis ou UF) de cada prosumidor, o que constitui uma baseline de comparação, bem como os limites técnicos de flexibilidade (perfis de consumo máximos e mínimos possíveis) de cada UF. Num segundo estágio, é estabelecido um modelo de mercado apenas para trocas de flexibilidade. A flexibilidade técnica determinada no primeiro estágio é disponibilizada ao Gestor de Comunidade (CM), enquanto oferta de flexibilidade, com um preço associado. Esta entidade desempenha as funções de agregador e simultaneamente de operador do mercado local. A este nível, o Operador do Sistema de Distribuição (ORD) submete os seus requisitos de flexibilidade, para o dia seguinte, ao CM, que é responsável pelo executar o clearing. A precificação da flexibilidade oferecida pelos prosumidores em mercado é feita com base no valor da tarifa base de energia a que estão sujeitos, que corresponde ao custo do seu escalonamento ótimo, obtido no primeiro estágio, que não considera essa mesma flexibilidade. Portanto, oferecer flexibilidade torna-se um incentivo para reduzir os custos energéticos dos prosumidores ou aumentar a sua utilidade, o que complementa a sua mera participação nos mercados de energia. Um caso de estudo baseado numa comunidade de energia com forte penetração de tecnologias emergentes é utilizado e valida a metodologia desenvolvida. Para além disso é evidenciada a relevância da abordagem proposta em termos de determinação e ativação da flexibilidade de UFs residenciais os impactos das mesmas no fecho de mercado. Os resultados evidenciam que participação no mercado local de flexibilidade induz uma redução dos custos energéticos dos prosumidores, na casa 4.5%, em média. O impacto dos carregadores de veículos elétricos e dos sistemas de armazenamento de energia em baterias na flexibilidade total oferecida e aceite em mercado é muito superior ao de outras pequenas cargas estudadas. Tudo isto pode vir a resultar num incentivo ao investimento nos recursos referidos, bem como à associação de prosumidores em comunidades de energia renovável, onde para além de estruturas locais de comercialização de energia, existam outras que permitam a negociação e partilha de flexibilidade

Economic Implications of DSO-TSO Coordination Schemes at a System Level and for Market Actors in case of Flexibility or Traditional Grid-based Solution

This paper proposes a methodology to evaluate the economic implication of the use of flexibility to solve both joint DSO-TSO and local DSO-specific congestion management needs. The presented methodology enables evaluating the economic implications at a system level and per market actor according to the selected DSO-TSO coordination scheme and given flexibility needs. Firstly, several DSO-TSO coordination schemes are presented to solve joint needs, in which market access to flexible resources at the distribution grid is enabled to a greater or lesser extent. Secondly, the use of flexibility is compared to traditional grid solutions (i.e., grid reinforcement, temporary commissioning services) to enable the DSO to make cost-efficient grid decisions in the short and medium term. Finally, the economic impact on flexible service providers at the distribution level is carefully presented. This methodology seeks to support energy policies and other regulatory decisions.This work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement nº 824414. TECNALIA is a “CERVERA Technology Centre of Excellence” recognized by the Ministry of Science and Innovatio

Urban Energy Club - Final report

Urban Energy Club (UEC) provided a 10kW/20kWh communal battery on the roof of a local authority-owned block of flats to deliver LV flexibility services and support collective self-consumption. The battery joined an existing community-owned 37kWp PV array on the building and was integrated into the building’s P2P local energy market trial, CommUNITY. A facilitating supplier (EDF) created the CommUNITY platform to virtually connect the assets behind the landlord’s meter to residents. Through the P2P platform participating residents received equal allocations of the solar output and battery. They received on bill credits for any solar they consumed, shared or sold to neighbours, as well as a share of the income generated through flexibility services. The platform optimised the use of the battery to increase residents’ savings. Urban Energy Club provides insight into how virtual allocation of communal assets can make the LV flexibility market more inclusive for community energy projects and bring benefits for low-income, disengaged customers