Industry
Energy, Resources & Utilities
Rebalance the energy equation
Solution
Sustainability Services
Ecosystem-led Approach to Power Your Sustainability Strategy
Highlights
- National Grid Electricity System Operator (NGESO) is responsible for ensuring the safe operation of Britain’s electricity network by balancing electricity generation and demand in real time.
- To support the growth of distributed energy resources (DERs) and achieve net-zero emissions, NGESO sought to implement a holistic solution that improves the visibility and control of DER assets and ensures system security.
- NGESO collaborated with TCS, its long-standing partner, to implement the RDP MW Dispatch service, an innovative commercial service, and operational model, to enhance collaboration with the distribution network operators (DNOs) or distribution system operators (DSOs) and DERs and improve network constraint management.
- By implementing the RDP MW Dispatch service, TCS helped NGESO to enhance DER visibility and network security and enable increased renewable energy generation.
On this page
Overview
NGESO—the electricity system operator for Great Britain—ensures electricity supply meets demand second-by-second.
The company’s primary goal is to provide safe, efficient, and continuous power supply to homes, businesses, and industries. NGESO plays a critical role in balancing the demand and supply of electricity, and maintaining the safety of the transmission network, keeping the operating frequency within the desired range.
NGESO’s key focus is to create a low-carbon electricity system for the future, helping the UK meet its net-zero commitments. NGESO aims to accelerate the growth of distributed energy resources (DERs) and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.
Challenges
The high penetration of DERs poses significant challenges to network operability.
NGESO's license obligation involves managing the real-time balance of electricity demand and supply and maintaining network safety. The factors that affected smooth operations were the lack of visibility and control of DERs, the need to effectively manage transmission constraints, and enable more and quicker DER connections. Thermal overloads and the lack of visibility of the network put system security at risk, which could lead to non-compliance with license obligations and industry standards.
The customer wanted to implement an industry-specific solution that would assist them in managing transmission and distribution constraints effectively by coordinating with the distribution network operators (DNOs). The network operability assessments led by the customer ushered in the need to implement a regional development programme (RDP). The MW Dispatch service was then designed to address these challenges and integrate robust systems and processes that ensure visibility and control of the increasing numbers of smaller DER assets, to manage network constraints and help maintain the security of the transmission and distribution network.
This is amazing, congratulations to all of you involved, this is the cumulation of years of effort and perseverance. As far as I know this is the world’s first achievement in using MWD in this way.
Solution
Having successfully delivered RDP projects involving multiple DNOs for NGESO over the past couple of years, TCS had become the preferred partner for the customer.
TCS played a significant role in the project, from carrying out feasibility analysis, and gathering requirements, to designing, testing, and implementing the solution. We leveraged strong domain expertise and contextual understanding of the customer’s priorities, to ensure smooth end-to-end delivery of the RDP MW Dispatch service. We collaborated with NGESO’s business stakeholders, various platform teams, and external stakeholders like DNOs to implement the service.
The RDP MW Dispatch service integrates multiple platforms, for DER registration, contract management, and settlement, and constraints monitoring, scheduling, and dispatching of instructions. These include a single markets platform (SMP) from Salesforce for DER registration, an ancillary services dispatch platform (ASDP) - bespoke .Net based for DER availability and dispatch, rapid development tool (RDT) - Azure apps for connections, planning, and scheduling, and an integrated energy management system (IEMS) – SCADA for situational awareness.
Through RDP MW Dispatch, we enabled timely payment of service providers along with performance monitoring rules built to track deviations. The control room users are now equipped with real-time situational awareness through the automated exchange of digital and analogue signals from the DNOs and DERs, reducing the response time to any network issues, and unlocking the broader potential to balance the transmission and distribution network, managing thermal constraints, and controlling the electric power system frequency. It is also connected to NGESO’s internal data portal and an external regulatory agency, further ensuring compliance and timely market reporting.
Our program delivery approach strongly emphasizes understanding industry needs and aligning with the UK’s Ofgem regulatory obligations as well as the client’s strategic vision. We worked with the customer closely to -
- Deploy a team of solution architects, business analysts, and testing and quality assurance teams to ensure end-to-end delivery and engage in collaborative stakeholder engagement with NGESO’s business teams, product owners, SMEs of various systems, external vendors, and distribution network operators to create a sense of ownership and deliver value.
- Follow an agile delivery methodology, conduct detailed analysis, and build interactive prototypes using the design thinking approach to ensure the product architecture and design fit with the broader organization.
- Organize periodic demonstrations to gain continuous feedback and retrospective sessions for continual learning and to make further improvements in the development stage.
- Engage in all the product testing phases and provide post-implementation support and demos to the end-users.
This is an amazing achievement and a first-of-its-kind, delivering the type of solution that will shape the future network in finding solutions across the transmission and distribution interface. This also comes at a time when we are working hard to facilitate an increase in connections of renewable energy to our networks, activities such as this directly contribute to that aim. Kudos to all those who were involved.
Benefits
With TCS, the customer was able to manage the network constraints across transmission and distribution.
NGESO joined DNOs and distribution system operators (DSOs) to facilitate 'whole system outcomes'. The RDP MW Dispatch is the first collaborative solution strategized by the electricity system operator (ESO) – DNO and DSO – DER in the UK electricity industry to provide visibility and control and help effectively manage the renewables generation.
The solution also enabled NGESO to:
Drive toward zero-carbon grid
The new, streamlined IT tools improved the system’s security resulting in faster connection of renewables and an increase in renewable energy generation. This ensures the fulfilment of the whole system outcome and commitment to a zero-carbon grid.
Improve network operability and regulatory compliance
The solution helps ensure that the transmission network is always secure and offers economic and efficient connections to market participants.
Improve whole system outcomes
NGESO has developed MW Dispatch services, a new commercial service with DERs to manage transmission constraints due to shifting patterns of demand and generation originating in the DNO network. It promotes market liquidity and aligns with the strategic vision of whole system outcomes.
Enhance situational awareness and reduce operating costs
Real-time data exchange ensures live situational awareness of the network, leading to more informed real-time decisions and bringing down the overall cost of operating the network.
Reduce staffing cost
TCS helped develop IT systems for planning, monitoring, and dispatch of transmission constraint management. This reduces the need for additional Electricity National Control Centre (ENCC) control room engineers as more DERs connect. As an estimate, one additional balancing engineer is required per shift, so 5 FTEs (1 x 5 shifts) are needed, leading to significant cost savings.
Digital, data, and technology are the critical enablers for NGESO’s mission to drive the transformation to a fully decarbonized electricity system by 2030, which is reliable, affordable, and fair for all. NGESO has laid strong technological foundations to embark on its growth journey.
