TRANSITION aims to demonstrate and test potential solutions

TRANSITION aims to identify the cost, risk, and benefits of the proposed market models

TRANSITION trials are being developed to specifically inform the Open Networks Project

TRANSITION is committed to optimising learning and maintaining relevance

TRANSITION aims to develop a “proof of concept” NMF Platform

TRANSITION NMF platform will test market models produced by the Open Networks Project

TRANSITION will recruit market participants to undertake trials

TRANSITION is strongly aligned with the outputs from Open Networks

TRANSITION is the first NIC where two DNOs have worked together as partners

TRANSITION will accelerate and de-risk the transition from DNO to DSO

Stakeholder engagement is central to TRANSITION and will be crucial to its success

TRANSITION will help inform the requirements of the role of the DSO

TRANSITION will provide meaningful feedback to Open Networks

LEO

SSEN is working with key local and industry partners on Project LEO (Local Energy Oxfordshire), one of the most wide-ranging and holistic smart grid trials ever conducted in the UK. The £40 million project, which is testing electricity network flexibility models and markets across Oxfordshire, is part funded through a grant of £15.2m from the UK Government Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

An industry-first, Project LEO is exploring how the growth in local renewables, electric vehicles (EVs), battery storage, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology and demand side response can be supported by a local, flexible, and responsive electricity grid to ensure value for consumers and opportunities for communities and market providers.

The project aims to replicate and trial aspects of the Distribution System Operator (DSO) models being explored by industry, government and the energy regulator via the Energy Networks Associations Open Networks Project. It will balance local demand with local supply in a real-world environment, helping to test markets, inform investment models and, ultimately, assess the benefits of flexibility to the energy system.

The £15.2m of funding from the Industrial Strategy Challenge fund, managed by Innovate UK, is supported by private funding from the project partners. This includes SSEN’s Project TRANSITION, which received funding from Ofgem’s Network Innovation Competition (NIC) Fund, the objectives of which are closely aligned to Project LEO.

Project LEO will bring together significant local, academic and industry experience and expertise, with partners including:

Leading social enterprise, the Low Carbon Hub, to manage and develop a portfolio of local energy generation and demand projects, informing investment models;
Leading academics from the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University, who will collect and analyse data sources to deliver a model for future local energy ‘whole system’ mapping and planning;
Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council will provide key infrastructure and local investment projects, including intelligent street lighting, EV infrastructure and responsive heat networks.
Marketplace Operators Origami and Piclo, piloting new business models, via innovative market platforms, to deliver local energy trading, flexibility and aggregation;
NuvveCorporation, a global green energy technology company, will provide V2G technology, smart charging and bidirectional EV charging stations; and
Energy supplier, EDF Energy bringing customer focused innovations and energy services to residential, industrial and public customers.

The Oxfordshire area was chosen for the project location due to the levels of constraint on the electricity network in the area, the active and developed community energy partners and the progressive approach of both local authorities.

The project will run until March 2023 and is seen by SSEN, its partners and wider industry as one of the most critical developments to date in the transition to Distribution System Operators. Its findings is being shared collaboratively across industry, academia and with policy makers and regulators, helping inform and influence the energy system of the future.

Visit the LEO website or register for LEO project updates