Orion is thrilled to announce electricity retailer Ecotricity as a partner in its Resi-Flex initiative to explore residential demand-side flexibility in a new trial.
Resi-Flex, a partnership with Wellington Electricity (we*), aims to incentivise flexibility for residential consumers by exploring commercial mechanisms, in collaboration with flexibility stakeholders.
The trials will be based in Christchurch, and will build on previous phases, which researched consumer and stakeholder needs and developed a commercial mechanism to signal the value of flexibility.
Residential flexibility is achieved by households adapting their energy consumption in response to various factors, including changes in electricity prices, grid demand, or renewable energy availability.
“Having previously partnered with Ecotricity on our Lincoln Flexibility trial, we’re thrilled to be able to team up once again to explore the use of differing commercial mechanisms and how we can incentivise residential flexibility and the potential benefits it can unlock for customers,” says Orion Flexibility and Markets Development Lead Mitchell Davis.
The key objective behind the trials is to encourage changes in electricity use and evaluate how effectively these mitigate local network constraints to ensure investment is optimised.
“We’re excited to continue our work with the Orion team and to unlock further value for customers in central Canterbury”, says Ecotricity Smart Grid Programme Manager Jason Christini-Crawford. “The right customer incentives, coupled with technology solutions that maximise the benefits of flexible assets, are key enablers in New Zealand’s decarbonisation journey”.
Additional Resi-Flex partners will be announced as the project continues to evolve.