Electricity North West has become the first Distribution Network Operator (DNO) to publish its embedded capacity register with distributed energy resources above 50kW.
Electricity North West's Embedded Capacity Register is a database that provides an overview of the distributed energy resources, such as renewable energy technology and energy storage that is connected to the electricity network.
The expanded register now includes connections that have a registered capacity of 50 kilowatts or more, previously the threshold had been 1MW.
The register, which was collaboratively developed through an ENA Open Networks project, is a valuable resource for stakeholders in the energy industry. It has been adopted by all DNOs, providing information on the location, capacity, and technology type of all distributed generation and demand side response resources connected to Electricity North West’s network.
The purpose of the register is to provide prospective and connected customers with a better visibility of distributed energy resources connected to the network. When used in conjunction with other publications such as Electricity North West’s heat map tool, network development plan or long-term development statement, stakeholders can understand where opportunities or constraints may exist. This transparency on connection queue activity can help stakeholders make better-informed decisions
“We are committed to providing open and transparent data,” said Ian Povey, DSO data manager at Electricity North West.
“The expansion of our embedded capacity register to include resources below 1MW will help to support the growth of distributed energy resources in our region and provide valuable insights into how these resources can be used to balance the grid.”
The embedded capacity register is available on the company’s recently launched data portal. The portal provides users with a variety of options on how they consume the data, including interactive maps, downloadable spreadsheets, and API access. This ensures consistency for developers and other market participants when accessing the data.
Ian added: “The new data portal makes it easy for users to find the information they need, we encourage people to explore the portal and to let us know what they think.”
To learn more about the embedded capacity register, visit electricitynorthwest.opendatasoft.com
