Octopus Energy customers are participating in a new ESO-led trial, via the Power Responsive programme, meaning the Intelligent Octopus smart tariff will use batteries in electric vehicles (EVs) to balance the grid while they’re charging.
This trial will explore the role that smaller-scale assets, in particular EVs, could have in providing flexibility via the Balancing Mechanism – a continuous market in which power is traded to balance the grid in real time.
This initiative will develop a better understanding of how these new types of energy resources can be integrated into the grid in the future.
The technology automatically adjusts the charging schedule of the car in response to the ESO requests for more or less power. Kraken, Octopus’s tech platform, will connect to Octopus customer EVs and continually manage their response depending on changing grid needs. Any updates to charging schedules ensure that customer charging targets will still be met.
The Intelligent Octopus tariff is the UK’s first 100% smart flexible car charging tariff – providing electricity for 7.5p per kWh (just 2p per mile) when it is best for the grid. It offers the lowest smart charging rate on the market and is the most popular EV tariff in the country.
Alex Schoch, Head of Flexibility at Octopus Energy Group, said:
EV drivers on our ‘Intelligent Octopus’ tariff now form the UK’s biggest virtual battery – and for the first time ever EVs have entered the Balancing Mechanism. Whilst we sleep, EV drivers are driving down grid balancing costs that are passed on to all customers – saving us all money. This is the ‘smart energy grid’ today – complete radicalisation of the way the system is balanced is here now.
Claire Dykta, National Grid ESO Head of Markets, said:
Opening up access to the Balancing Mechanism for electric vehicles and other technologies is an important step for extending consumer flexibility in a net-zero world. This industry-wide trial will provide valuable information to our control room, to help enable the full time availability of electric vehicles in the Balancing Mechanism in future.
