The electrification of road passenger vehicles presents huge opportunities and challenges for the electricity system, for consumers and for Industry. It means a big increase in the amount of electricity we use (to replace petrol and diesel) and it will change the times we want to use it. This is happening just as we are increasing the proportion of renewable generation, which operates differently to traditional nuclear, coal and oil-fired generation. It adds up to a transition that is essential if we are to meet the UK’s future electricity needs with a system that is reliable, affordable and zero-carbon. The key to achieving this is flexibility. In the Government’s words:
In order to decarbonise the power system by 2035, support energy independence and achieve net zero at the least cost by 2050, we need to transition to a smart and flexible electricity system. This transition will reduce costs by up to £10 billion per year by 2050. Mass uptake of demand side response (DSR) will be key to delivering this potential, but action is needed to enable DSR to grow.
Electric vehicles can play a part in this by charging flexibly, in response to automated commands that respond to demand-side signals (such as price changes). That’s called ‘smart charging’. In 2021 the Technical Working Group of the EV Energy Taskforce (led by BEAMA’s Head of Flexible Energy Systems, Jeremy Yapp) produced a Report that recommended, among other things, that Industry commence work in a collegiate, collaborative way to address the many remaining technical challenges to smart EV charging. Always one to take our own advice, BEAMA then worked with Energy UK to write a Report, published this week, into the Future of Smart Charging. It seeks to help all stakeholders, including Government, understand the implications for Industry and consumers of identified options for delivering the interoperability and cyber security of smart charging devices and systems while providing required levels of data privacy and grid stability. It also suggests some questions and challenges of particular urgency and importance, which we hope all stakeholders will find useful as we continue to work together to enable a smart and flexible energy system.
The FoSC Report is published alongside BEAMA’s response to the Government’s consultation on Delivering a Smart and Secure Electricity System (SSES). This consultation set out proposals to ensure consumers and the electricity system are protected, and to develop a competitive market for energy smart appliances and DSR. The Government has convened a “SSES Industry Advisory Group”, which will be used in part to help inform and lay the foundations for future governance arrangements. This Advisory Group will serve two main objectives in the nearer term: for Government to provide updates on the development and implementation of our SSES consultation proposals; and for external trade bodies and other key organisations to discuss and test the consultation proposals in further detail and inform policy decisions and consultations prior to the laying of secondary legislation.
BEAMA is proud to be a member of the SSES Advisory Group and looks forward to continuing work, aligned with other workstreams including the EV Energy Taskforce (soon to be the EV Infrastructure Council) and our ongoing work with Government, BSI, and international standards bodies. If you would like to know more about the Taskforce/Council or BEAMA’s work in smart metering, cyber security, smart energy management and EV charging, please contact Jeremy.Yapp@beama.org.uk.
