High-voltage grid operator Elia is going to expand a pilot project in which the end user helps to keep the grid in balance. Production and consumption must always be the same, so in times of increasing production of solar and wind energy, a greater balancing act is involved. For example, through the pilot project, devices such as a heat pump are switched off when there is a high demand for electricity.
For the operator of the Belgian high-voltage lines, households also play a role in the energy transition. An example is the Flexity project, in which Elia, distribution system operators and service providers actively balance the electricity grid through more than 100 households. “They allow their electric boilers, heat pumps and/or electric cars to participate in the so-called balancing market,” explains Elia today in its latest quarterly report. The next phase is now underway, in which the capacity offered for balancing the grid is “considerably” scaled up.
Flexity works with the company ThermoVault, which helps its customers save on energy bills. The project is scaling up to 400 customers in early June. “For the Flexity pilot project, the milestone of 1,000 households has yet to be reached this year,” explains project leader Pieter Vanbaelen of Elia. In addition, the project is now being strengthened by the almost eponymous partner Flexcity of the French company Veolia, active in charging points for electric cars and serving more than 300 customers.
Temporary shutdown
“If there are electricity shortages, we will temporarily switch off at the customer. These will not take hours,” says Vanbaelen. “They are very short on and off switch-offs on a second basis, which are controlled by ThermoVault and Flexcity.” These companies continuously monitor consumption. If necessary, a household takes part for a few quarters of an hour a day, periods in which the electric boiler or heat pump is switched off for 1 to 2 minutes in total. These periods vary per household so that comfort is not compromised. “It’s never going to have an impact on the comfort or the temperature in your home.”
On an annual basis, this could yield the user an estimated fee of 50 to 100 euros, although such a payout is still being investigated by the various partners and depends on the market prices, which are currently high. But the biggest advantage for the household is the reduction of the electricity bill. Companies such as Thermovault can achieve savings of 20 to 30 percent with their services for the electrical appliances in question.
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