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July 27th 2009
How clean is your electricity right now?
Dynamic Demand, in collaboration with friends at Demand Logic and AMEE, today launched a groundbreaking website that provides a live update on just how polluting or "carbon intense" UK electricity is at any given moment in time.
The amount of carbon pollution associated with our use of electricity changes all the time because of the continually changing mix of renewables, nuclear and fossil-fuel generation on the grid.
The new live feed, which can be read by both people and machines, opens up the possibility of redesigning appliances and buildings to avoid periods of high grid pollution.
Dynamic Demand brought together the partnership to provide this exciting service thanks to a charitable donation.
Visit www.RealtimeCarbon.org
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June 19th 2009
National Grid estimates potential of dynamic demand and announces support for trials and tests
National Grid today included an outline assessment of the viability of dynamic demand in a report outlining up-coming issues for operating the UK grid.
In a 60-page report, written to stimulate debate and seek industry views, National Grid described in detail how dynamic demand could be implemented in appliances, electric car charging, air conditioning and other applications.
National Grid's interest in the dynamic demand approach, and their commitment to supporting tests, makes it even more important that we prepare the market now for effective incentive mechanisms to drive widespread adoption.
See the report here
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January 30th 2009
Prime Minister says dynamic demand should form part of 'resilient low carbon recovery'
Prime Minister Gordon Brown today made supportive comments about dynamic demand in a speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos.
He told the gathering of the world's finance leaders that the "contours" of a resilient low carbon recovery are likely to include:
"a re-engineering of electricity grids alongside digital grids to enable dynamic demand and supply from diverse sources - the smart grids of the future"
Mr Brown listed dynamic demand as number three in a series of six key measures likely to be included the Government's upcoming green industry strategy.
Joe Short, Director of Dynamic Demand, said:
"It is incredible to think how far this campaign has come in such a short time. In 2004, a small group of engineers and campaigners got together and decided that this carbon-saving technology was too important to be left in the sidelines. We came up with the name 'Dynamic Demand', secured charitable funding and set up the campaign. Just five years on, and the Prime Minister has recommended dynamic demand technology to the world's finance leaders as a key way to achieve a low-carbon economy."
See full speech. |
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January 16th 2009
UK Conservative Party backs dynamic demand
Speaking at the launch of the Conservative's new green policy strategy, party leader David Cameron said the construction of a new £1bn smart grid would be central to the party's plans to transition the UK to a low-carbon economy.
"We currently have a dumb 1960s grid and moving to a smart interactive one will help us create a decentralised energy revolution," he said.
The Conservative Party plans to upgrade the grid to allow energy firms to turn off non-essential appliances automatically, such as washing machines and other white goods to cut peak loads (through technologies such as dynamic demand), also features feed-in tariffs to incentivise local electricity generation and would establish a national recharging network for electric cars, with the range of smart grid technologies “permitting in turn a huge increase in renewable power”.
National Grid welcomed the Conservative Party’s green policy strategy saying, “Security of supply and climate change go hand-in-hand, so we are committed to looking at innovative ways of managing the national grid network such as smart grids, smart metering and dynamic demand (where fridges and other appliances can help balance supply and demand).”
See the Conservative Party policy green paper number 8, ‘The low carbon economy: security, stability and green growth'.
See a report on the launch from businessgreen.com. |
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December 2nd 2008
UK Energy Minister welcomes trial of ‘smart fridges’
UK Energy Minister Lord Hunt today welcomed an announcement by a leading energy supplier that it would be conducting a trial of ‘smart fridges’ in a test of dynamic demand technology. Npower is working with RLtec, a clean technology company, to trial a dynamic demand approach in 300 fridges. The trial will also demonstrate the potential of dynamic demand technology for reducing the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions.
The trial is the first Demonstration Action to be approved by Ofgem under the CERT (Carbon Emissions Reduction Target) legislation and will contribute towards Npower’s carbon reduction obligations.
See Npower's press release.
CO2 savings from full implementation of dynamic demand refrigerators in the UK are estimated by Npower and RLTec at 2 million tonnes per year – more than the figures shown in the Department of Energy and Climate Change report issued on 21 November (see below).
The campaign organisation Dynamic Demand welcomed this ground-breaking trial and the very important news that dynamic demand technologies are being considered as a potential "energy saving measure" under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) programme (the successor to the Energy Efficiency Commitment). Under this programme, energy suppliers must contribute to a pool of funding which is then used to reward suppliers who successfully bring about energy saving measures. These can be either direct energy saving measures, or so-called "actions" aimed at market transformation and demonstration. If the Ofgem assessment shows that dynamic demand technologies would provide services suited to CERT, this will mean that dynamic demand technologies will by financial incentivised in the marketplace to enable widespread uptake, which was a key aim of the Dynamic Demand project at its launch in 2005.
See Ogem's fact sheet on CERT.
Sample of media coverage relating to the Npower/RLTec trial:
• 02/12/08 The Guardian, ‘UK set to trial 'smart fridges’
• 29/11/08 BBC Radio 4, ‘Dynamic demand: best kept energy secret?’
• 02/12/08 Daily Telegraph, ‘Smart metering is essential to hit 2050 carbon emission targets’
• 12/01/09 Daily Mail, ‘Coming soon: the fridge that power chiefs can switch off to save energy’
• 16/12/08 Smart Electric News, ‘RLtec and npower to trial Dynamic Demand technology’
• 02/12/08 New Energy Focus, ‘Ministers back household fridge plan to help wind ambitions’ |
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November 21st 2008
21 November 2008 Government confirms dynamic demand will save carbon
The government’s new Department of Energy and Climate Change today published a report assessing the potential for dynamic demand technology. The report, required from DECC under the terms of the Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Act, assesses dynamic demand for its potential to reduce carbon emissions and help balance the national electricity grid. The report provides an update on related research that has been carried out by the Centre of Sustainable Electricity and Distributed Generation, based at Imperial College, London and describes the next steps in the evaluation of this technology.
The results indicate that:
- The total UK saturation of refrigerators operating in dynamic demand mode (estimated to be 40 million) would provide a total carbon dioxide saving of between 0.68 and 1.74 million tonnes per annum.
- A single refrigerator incorporating dynamic demand technology could potentially abate between 17kg and 44kg of carbon dioxide per annum
The report also welcomed approval by the electricity regulator Ofgem of plans for a major electricity supplier to carry out a ‘demonstration action’ using refrigerators fitted with a dynamic demand technology. This project, will initially trial 300 refrigerators fitted with a dynamic demand technology, moving if successful to 3,000 refrigerators. It will be the first major demonstration of the technology in the UK and will provide the opportunity to build upon and verify the findings of previous research. The project will commence in 2009 and has a planned duration of 18 months with full results expected in the autumn of 2010.
Publication of the DECC’s report is a very significant milestone for Dynamic Demand, the independent not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the technology. Director of Dynamic Demand Joe Short said: “This government report marks the culmination of three years of campaigning by engineers, industry and the public for adoption of dynamic demand’s common-sense technology. It paves the way for a low-carbon electricity grid and much greater integration of renewable energy into the system. This is great news for all those working to combat climate change.”
Download the report |
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November 3rd 2008
Media coverage: Financial Times discusses smart grids, including dynamic demand
‘In search of the smart grid’ by Fiona Harvey, Environment Correspondent for the Financial Times. |
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October 8th 2008
National Grid recognises dynamic demand as key to future
National Grid said today that it would boost investments by £2bn a year in its revised strategic plan aimed at boosting the reliability of the UK electricity transmission system as well as shaping up to tackle climate change and improve the UK's security of energy supplies. Announcing a series of “systems studies”, National Grid said that it would also be looking to a future with more flexible grid management, including power storage systems, smart meters and dynamic demand.
See full coverage at newenergyfocus.com. |
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October 8th 2008
Media coverage: New Scientist on smart grids and smart fridges
See the full story in New Scientist. |
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19 September, 2008
Media coverage: Utility Week examines how dynamic demand could help reduce emissions from coal
‘Dynamic demand response could do away with costly balancing capacity’
See full story. |
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September 11th 2008
Senior UK engineer calls for European dynamic demand directive
Former president of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers Terry Wyatt has stated that he believes progress is too slow on preparing for the large-scale uptake of renewable generation. He believes the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) must be forced to reduce pressure on the grid through the introduction of dynamic demand management.
He made his comments as Berr confirmed it had missed its August deadline for issuing a report on the viability of dynamic demand management. If implemented in full, dynamic demand management would require manufacturers to include electronic controllers in domestic and industrial appliances, such as fridges, air conditioning and heating systems.
Mr Wyatt, a partner at Hoare Lea and special professor of Building Services Engineering at the University of Nottingham, added: “A directive from the European Union requiring dynamic demand management, smart grids and incentivising tariffs is essential and urgently required. And this is needed across Europe, as few governments have sufficient control over their electricity industries.”
See report in Heating & Ventilation News.
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August 2008
Media coverage: New Energy Focus examines the potential for dynamic demand
Nation's fridges "could cut need for 2GW power plant"
See full story. |
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June 5th 2008
Media coverage: The Economist discusses smart appliances
‘Fridges of the world, unite!’ - smarter appliances that turn themselves down at times of peak demand should mean fewer brown-outs.
See full story. |
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August 20th 2007
Government commits to funding dynamic demand research
Following three years of promotional activity
by Dynamic Demand, the Government has today announced a commitment
to fund research into the technology.
Dynamic demand is the use of low-cost electronics
fitted to appliances such as refrigerators and freezers, so that
they time their electricity consumption in response to conditions
on the National Grid, creating a national energy-storage solution.
The announcement, in the form of a 12-page report
from the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
(previously DTI), commits the Government to paying for research
into the potential carbon savings the technology would bring if
introduced onto the UK grid.
Although the report makes no direct promises in
terms of providing economic incentives, it importantly makes several
specific suggestions for how take-up of the technology could be
supported by policy, once the carbon benefits are proven. This includes
the possibility of incentivising appliance manufacturers to make
dynamic demand appliances by inclusion in the new CERT (Carbon Emissions
Reduction Target), the successor to the previous EEC (Energy Efficiency
Commitment) measures.
The Minister's report was produced in response
to an Act of Parliament promoted last year by sustainable energy
groups including Dynamic Demand and widely supported through letters
and emails sent by hundreds of supporters of greener energy and
better demand-side management.
Joe Short, Director of Dynamic Demand, said:
"We are delighted the Government has decided
to explore the potential of dynamic demand technology. The UK's
fridges and freezers could one day become a valuable energy-storage
system for the grid, acting like a big battery, able to defer hundreds
of megawatts of power-demand for an hour or more. If you consider
the levels of wind power we shall need in order to tackle climate
change, dynamic demand could play a key role in helping to stabilise
the power grids of the future. The research the Government has announced
today will tell us exactly what carbon savings may result and therefore
what financial incentives providers of the technology, such as appliance
manufacturers, can expect in the future. Today's announcement of
research funding from government is a vital next step for dynamic
demand."
Energy minister Malcolm Wicks said:
"It is very early days and we don't want to
overstate it but dynamic demand does merit further research. As
well as increasing the efficiency of our grid network it could ultimately
prove to be an innovative tool in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions
and fighting climate change."
National Grid Chief Executive Steve Holliday said:
"National Grid is constantly looking for innovative
ways to use our energy networks to tackle climate change and ensure
security of energy supply. Dynamic demand is an exciting possibility
for the future which we are already looking at, which could help
us manage peaks in energy consumption, reduce emissions and support
the use of variable renewable energy sources such as wind power.
We are looking forward to working with BERR on this important project."
See the Government's
ress release.
Download a copy of the Government's
report. |
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July 31st 2007
Peer-reviewed scientific paper published on dynamic demand
A scientific paper on dynamic demand has been
published in the Transactions on Power Systems journal which
is issued by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE).
The paper outlines results of computer simulations
designed to examine how a large population of dynamic demand appliances
would likely behave on the National Grid. The paper concludes:
"It has been shown that an aggregation
of a large number of dynamically controlled loads has the potential
to provide significant added frequency stability to power networks,
both at times of sudden increase in demand (or loss of generation)
and during times of fluctuating wind power."
The paper goes a long way towards showing that
dynamic demand could be appropriate and beneficial for the UK grid
system. The next step is to conduct research into the precise carbon
savings and system impacts, and to ensure a market is created through
an appropriate incentive mechanism and standard.
See an abstract of the paper here.
(If you are a member of the IEEE, you
can download the full text. If not, please get in contact as we
are able to share the work for collaborative purposes.)
The citation for the paper is: 'J.
A. Short, D. G. Infeld, and L. L. Freris, "Stabilization of
grid frequency through dynamic demand control", in Power
Systems, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 22, no. 3, Atlanta, GA,
Aug. 2007, pp. 1284-1293.' |
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June 27th 2007
Dynamic demand presented at international engineering conference
A summary paper on dynamic demand was presented
at the annual meeting of the Power
Engineering Society in Tampa, Florida. The paper was well received
and stimulated a healthy debate about possible incentive mechanisms
and further research.
Also at the meeting were academics from the University
of Denmark, where the concept is being explored in partnership with
Denmark's electricity transmission operator as a possible mechanism
for helping to incorporate large amounts of wind onto Denmark's
grid.
Since Dynamic Demand began promoting the use of
using cold appliances to help with demand management, the concept
is now being explored in several universities. |
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December 13th 2006
Results of Government lab tests published
The Market Transformation Programme has published
the results of lab tests of a working proof-of-concept dynamic demand
refrigerator. The tests were conducted at Intertek, the laboratories
often used by Which? magazine.
Results show that dynamic demand control has no significant negative
impacts on appliance operation or food temperature even though it
was continuously providing load-balancing for the national grid.
Download the full
report from the MTP (pdf 280Kb). |
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November 2006
Funded period of Dynamic Demand not-for-profit organisation ends
Dynamic Demand has completed its funded phase
of work which was kindly supported by a start-up grant from the
Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.
Discussions are now underway with industry and
academic organisations on how best to support the next phase, which
is hoped will focus on identifying the carbon-saving potential of
the technology, possibly through a combination of computer modelling
and trials of real appliances. |
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September 19th 2006
Liberal Democrats pass motion recommending dynamic demand
The Liberal Democrat party today passed a motion
at their annual conference recommending dynamic demand as part of
a suite of decentralised energy solutions.
The motion, which was "clearly passed",
recommended that the Government regulator Ofgem should reform the
rules governing electricity contracts to encourage investment in
the technology.
See the Liberal
Democrat motion to conference. |
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July 11th 2006
Government's energy review suggests further research into dynamic
demand
The Government's 2006 Energy Review, published
today, mentions dynamic demand as a possible solution for helping
to incorporate renewable energy onto the UK grid, and points to
further research into the technology.
The report, called "The Energy Challenge",
cites dynamic demand (Annex E, Renewable Grid Issues, page 212,
point 25) as a promising strategy for “managing variability and
capacity contribution of renewable generation”. Point 26 of the
report adds: “The Government accepts that further research into
technical and commercial issues may be useful here”.
This encouraging step paves the way for a favourable response to research
proposals that would seek to address these needs.
See the Government's Energy
Review website.
Download the full
report from the DTI (pdf 2600Kb). |
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June 20th 2006
Dynamic demand technologies now supported in law
A clause on dynamic demand becomes law tomorrow.
The Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Bill,
which carries a clause requiring the Government to report on the
potential for dynamic demand technologies, passed its final stage
in Parliament today.
Tomorrow it will receive “royal ascent” and become
part of UK legislation. The Bill requires the Government to publish,
within 12 months, a report outlining what potential it sees for
the technology and, if appropriate, what steps Government should
take to promote it.
In addition to supporting dynamic demand, the
Bill carries a host of other climate change measures including better
support for microgeneration and annual reporting on emissions.
The Bill was introduced by Mark Lazarowicz MP
and has been backed by an alliance of environmental organisations
and trade associations, acting through the Sustainable Energy Partnership.
On dynamic demand technologies, the Bill says:
"(1) The Secretary of State must, not
later than 12 months after this section comes into force, publish
a report on the contribution that is capable of being made by dynamic
demand technologies to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases in
Great Britain. (2) The report must state the view of the Secretary
of State as to whether it is appropriate to take any steps to promote
the use of such technologies, and, if it is, what those steps are.
(3) In forming the view mentioned in subsection (2) the Secretary
of State must have regard, in particular, to any matters which would
prohibit or inhibit the use of any dynamic demand technology in
any circumstance in which its use could be expected to make a contribution
to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases in Great Britain; and
the report must state the matters to which he has had regard.”
See explanatory
notes to the act published by Parliament.
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May 12th 2006
Climate Change and Sustainable Development Bill passes 3rd Reading
The Bill containing a clause on dynamic demand
has passed its Third Reading in the Commons today. We are now confident
that this will soon become law.
The Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Bill
contains a clause committing the Government to assessing the carbon
saving potential and viability of dynamic demand and reporting on
what barriers may need to be removed for its widespread adoption.
This is a major step forward in the promotion
of dynamic demand. |
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April 2006
Friends of the Earth promotes dynamic demand
Friends of the Earth has recommended investment
into dynamic demand technology as a climate change solution in its
response to the Government's Energy Review.
The pressure group also cited the technology in
its latest briefing paper, How to get our climate-changing emissions
under control, published in February.
Download FOE's
response to Government. (pdf 180k)
Download FOE's
climate change paper. (pdf 270k)
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March 24th 2006
Lord Redesdale delivers speech on dynamic demand
Lord Redesdale, Lords Energy spokesman for the
Liberal Democrats, today introduced his Dynamic Demand Appliances
Bill for its second reading in the House of Lords.
Speaking for 10 minutes on the technology, Lord
Redesdale urged government to make resources available to properly
assess the environmental and system benefits of dynamic demand and
to start to investigate ways to drive the technology with an appropriate
incentive.
During the debate that followed the speech, Lord
Sainsbury of Turville (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department
of Trade and Industry) said he believed dynamic demand could make
a contribution to energy efficiency. He added that government was
happy to make resources available to report on the potential of
the technology as required by a separate Bill making its way through
the House of Commons, the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy
Bill (due for its 3rd reading on May 12th).
Read Lord Redesdale's speech and the full debate
here. |
Lord Redesdale |
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March 20th 2006
Decision-makers meet at the Lords to discuss dynamic demand
A lunchtime meeting was held today at the House
of Lords to discuss the potential of dynamic demand technology and
likely next steps.
The meeting, which was sponsored by WhitbyBird
engineers and hosted by Lord
Redesdale, was attended by over 30 representatives from organisations
likely to be involved in the testing and future roll-out of the
technology.
Attendees included system operators, refrigerator
manufactures, Government officials, component manufacturers and
regulators.
Discussions at the meeting also included how to
conduct the necessary trials to verify the technology, and what
technical and policy questions would need to be answered by future
work. |
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March 19th 2006
Dynamic Demand featured on Channel 4 News
Dynamic Demand was today featured on Channel
4 News in a 3-minute Special Report covering the latest laboratory
tests being undertaken to assess the viability of the technology.
Channel 4 reporters interviewed both Dynamic Demand
and also the Senior Scientist at Intertek
where the lab tests are being carried out. The test are being funded
by the Market Transformation Programme, an initiative from Defra
(Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).
Although the results from the test are not yet
published, early signs are that running under dynamic demand control
would have no significant negative impacts on appliance operation
or food temperature.
See the full TV report here.
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TV coverage of
dynamic demand
laboratory test |
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March 17th 2006
Commons Bill containing Dynamic Demand moves closer to becoming
law
The Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Bill,
which contains a clause committing the Government to assessing the
viability of dynamic demand, succeeded in passing its "report
stage" in the House of Commons today.
The Bill, tabled by Mark
Lazarowicz MP, is now thought to have a good chance of becoming
law, maybe as soons as July this year. If this happens, Government
will be required to report within 12 months of the passing of the
Bill on the potential for the technology to save carbon and on what
market barriers would need to be removed for it to become widely
adopted in the UK.
Last Friday, despite being supported by all parties
including the Government, the Bill was put in jeopardy by two MPs
acting individually to use up the limited Parliamentary time alloted
for debate. However today, thanks to rigorous campaigning all week
by many supportive individuals and organisations, the Bill succeeded
to be debated and will pass to its 3rd reading.
Dynamic Demand would particularly like to thank
all those who receive our regular email updates and who wrote emails
in support of the Bill. |
Mark Lazarowicz MP
speaks in the
Commons |
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March 17th 2006
Dynamic Demand featured on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme
Dynamic Demand made national radio this morning
as a news item on the Today Programme, the influential news
and current affairs programme on BBC Radio 4.
BBC reporter Roger Harrabin neatly summarised
the technology and the latest work in Parliament to promote it.
You can hear his short bulletin here (mp3
1.2MB). |
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16th January 2006
Dynamic Demand Bill tabled in the House of Lords
A Parliamentary Bill urging the Government to
put its weight behind dynamic demand control is being tabled in
the House of the Lords today.
The Dynamic Demand Appliances Bill is being introduced
by Lord Redesdale, Liberal Democrat Energy Spokesman for the House
of Lords. Lord Redesdale is a keen advocate of renewable and energy
efficiency technologies and is actively supporting dynamic demand
in Parliament.
The Bill calls on the Government to set up a standard
for dynamic demand appliances and make provision for an incentive
mechanism which would reward manufacturers who meet the standard.
See
the press release (PDF 120 KB) |
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9th January 2006
Government to begin laboratory test of dynamic demand control
A dynamic demand refrigerator will soon be tested
in an independent laboratory funded by the Government. The test
will provide an assessment of whether refrigerators under dynamic
demand control (timing their power consumption in response to grid
frequency) can be designed to reduce electricity demand during peak
periods whilst also maintaining high standards.
The work will be conducted by scientists at Intertek
and will be funded by the Government’s 'Market
Transformation Programme' or MTP. The MTP is run by the Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Its job is to push
for progress towards sustainable products by encouraging sustainable
innovation and energy efficiency. One of Intertek’s roles is to
provide independent assessments for energy efficiency labelling.
The test will be designed primarily to discover
whether operating under “dynamic demand control” affects the normal
operation of the appliance. For two weeks, a set of appliances will
be tested under standard laboratory conditions to establish a host
of operating characteristics such as overall energy consumption
and variations in food temperatures.
For a further two weeks, the appliances will be
operated under dynamic demand control, whereby they will bias their
consumption of electricity so as to consume most power during times
of excess generation on the National Grid. The two runs will be
compared in detail to assess any changes.
To
receive an email update about progress of this research, click here |
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11th November 2005
Bill containing dynamic demand debated in Parliament
The Management of Energy in Buildings Bill was
debated in Parliament today. It did not pass its second reading
due to lack of time. However, work leading up to the debate has
generated significant interest in dynamic demand technologies among
policy-makers.
The Bill, which was introduced by Alan Whitehead
MP, contained several clauses to help alleviate climate change and
included a clause committing the Government to investigating the
potential for dynamic demand control in the UK.
Despite there being well over 100 MPs in the House,
enough to defend the Bill should it have been moved to a vote, it
failed to gain enough time in the House to pass its second reading.
However, the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy
Bill, introduced by Mark Lazarowicz, did manage to pass as it was
earlier in the running order. The two Bills were in fact being supported
together as a package by the many groups advocating a faster adoption
of green energy technologies.
Although it is obviously a shame that Alan Whitehead's
Bill will now not become law, there remains every hope for dynamic
demand being supported by legislation in the near future because
the clause was unopposed by any party.
Thanks must go to everyone who wrote to their
MPs in support of the two Bills. To have more than 100 MPs in the
House on a Friday was a major success, and to have got this far
has already helped in the promotion of dynamic demand in many sectors. |
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4th November 2005
Less than a week to go before Parliamentary debate
A Parliamentary Bill containing a clause on Dynamic
Demand will be debated in the House of Commons on Friday 11th November,
less than a week away.
There is still time to write
to your MP and ask them to turn up to defend the Bill. |
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27th October 2005
Under test - the first dynamically controlled refrigerator
The first refrigerator to be operated under dynamic
demand control was found to operate satisfactorily whilst also managing
its electricity demand so that it tended to consume its power mainly
during periods of excess generation on the power grid.
Dynamic demand control works by tracking the "50Hz"
system frequency of the electricity grid, which drifts a little
whenever there is a slight imbalance between supply and demand.
The test, which was conducted at The Hub, a busy
shared working space in North London, was extremely encouraging,
indicating that the aggregated behaviour of many such appliances
could provide a valuable service to the National Grid.
See results
from the test. (PDF 215k)
See the current UK system frequency. |
Demonstration
dynamic demand
fridge at The Hub |
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17th August 2005
DTI Interest in dynamic demand
Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks has written
to Dynamic Demand asking for a departmental briefing on the technology.
The Department for Trade and Industry would like to know more about
the potential for dynamic demand control to provide energy storage,
an issue that is rising up the agenda as more variable renewable
generation is connected.
This is an encouraging step, as it makes it more
likely the Government will play a key part in proving the case for
dynamic demand and bringing together the various sectors necessary
for its implementation. |
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20th July 2005
Dynamic demand covered in New Scientist
A news item on dynamic demand appeared in this
week's New Scientist magazine.
See
a preview of the article. |
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14th July 2005
Dynamic demand included in a Parliamentary Bill
A clause on dynamic demand has been included in
a new Private Members Bill in Parliament. If the Bill becomes
law, it will commit the Government to investigating the potential
environmental benefits of the technology and what needs to be done
to ensure it gets adopted.
The "Management of Energy in Buildings"
Bill is being introduced by Alan
Whitehead MP and is due to come up for debate in the House of
Commons on November 11th. It introduces several carbon-saving measures
including support for micro-scale renewable energy projects as well
as dynamic demand.
YOU could help this Bill become law...
The success of the Bill in the end will depend
on numbers. If enough MPs show their support, and turn up for the
debate, it has a good chance of becoming law.
Ask your MP to support
the Bill now. |
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22nd June 2005
Parliamentary petition on dynamic demand
A Parliamentary petition on dynamic demand was
started today in the House of Commons. The petition, called "Early
Day Motion 388", introduces the possibility of electrical appliances
being used to deliver essential grid-balancing services. It was
tabled by Colin
Challen MP who takes a special interest in climate change and
energy issues.
Early Day Motions remain in Parliament for the
current session and are a way of stimulating interest in the House
in new and important topics.
If enough MPs sign in support of dynamic demand,
it will help us make the case for future Government invovement.
See
the text of EDM 388 and who has signed so far!
(click again if EDM text doesn't show first time)
Has your MP signed? Ask
them or thank them here. |
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16th May 2005
Dynamic demand control promises significant CO2 savings
A new report from Dynamic Demand shows that significant
carbon dioxide emission reductions could result from an introduction
of dynamic demand control on the UK grid.
The estimated saving, 2.1 million tonnes of
CO2 (0.6 million tonnes of carbon) per year, is 25%
of that which would be achieved if the government met its 10% renewable
energy target. The reduction would be due to the technology replacing
some traditional forms of back-up generation on the grid, which
are currently inefficient and carbon-intensive.
Download report. (PDF,
70K) |
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4th April 2005
Dynamic Demand moves to "The Hub"
Dynamic Demand has moved to a shared office environment
in Islington. "The Hub"
is a collective of organisations and individuals working on sustainability
and other social issues. |
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24th January 2005
Dynamic Demand now funded and incorporated
Thanks to support from the Esmée Fairbairn
Foundation, Dynamic Demand has now been formally established as
a not-for-profit organisation. The funding is for an 18-month public
interest campaign to promote the technology amongst key policy makers.
More information is available from the newly updated
website at www.dynamicdemand.co.uk. |
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21st June 2004
Minister backs Dynamic Demand Control
On 17th June, Brian
White's Dynamic Demand amendments were discussed in the Commons.
Supported by
Andrew Stunell (Liberal Democrat Energy Spokesman), Mr White's
involvement resulted in a statement of support for the technology
from the Minister. It is extremely positive to have this sort of
Government endorsement so early in our campaign.
The Minister (Nigel Griffiths MP, Under-Secretary
of State for Small Business, DTI) said:
"I certainly believe that it is important
to explore the role of dynamic demand management as part of the
strategy. I am happy to give that commitment. We are actively considering
the complete role, and there will certainly be an opportunity during
the consultation period to consider when dynamic demand management
will play a role and how it can play a role in meeting our carbon
reduction aims. I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising
that point and allowing me to set out the Government's position
clearly."
Read the full
debate. |
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15th June 2004
Dynamic Demand Control raised in the UK Parliament
Brian
White, MP for North East Milton Keynes, has tabled our probing
amendment to the Energy Bill which calls on the Government to consider
Dynamic Demand technologies.
A probing amendment is not intended to become
law. It is a tactic for flagging up new issues to the House of Commons
which may require legislation or Government support later on.
See the press
release. (PDF, 100k).
See the text
of the amendment. (do a text-search for "dynamic demand") |
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