Flexible consumption as an alternative to investment in the transmission grid

The challenge

Population growth and increased business activity are creating a greater demand for electricity. In the long term, this will create a need for investments in the transmission grid to increase transmission capacity. At the same time, we know that consumer flexibility combined with new technology offers great opportunities to reduce consumption, especially during peak load hours. Since the grid is dimensioned based on consumption during peak load hours, this could reduce the need for new investments in the grid.

The goal

In the work on “Flexible consumption as an alternative to investment in the transmission grid”, the goal is to produce sufficient and relevant empirical knowledge that will enable Statnett to make a true assessment of the potential associated with consumer flexibility as an alternative to increased investment in the grid.

The project

The ambition is to analyse potential measures such as power tariffs for grid rental, aggregators and the possibilities associated with smart electricity meters. This will provide data that allows Statnett to assess both the potential and price of consumer flexibility, and what tools are available to free up flexibility and reduce peak load consumption.

Project team members

• The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
• FME CINELDI

Funding

The project is being implemented as an Industrial PhD and is funded by the Research Council of Norway’s Industrial PhD Scheme (in addition to Statnett’s own funds and guidance from NTNU).