Local Energy Scotland Infrastructure & Innovation Fund P42233

Hoy Innovation Consortium Grid-Smart Demand Side Management Project report 2014–2016

Hoy Energy Limited Community Energy Scotland

Contents

1. The energy opportunity

A. ORKNEY TURBINES UNDER ACTIVE NETWORK MANAGEMENT B. HOME HEATING IN ORKNEY C. DEMAND-SIDE MANAGEMENT ACROSS PUBLIC GRID

2. Project conception

A. AIMS B. CUSTOMER BILL REBATES C. ROUSAY AND SHAPINSAY EV COLLABORATION

3. Tendering and selection process

A. CONTRACT AND TENDERING SUMMARY B. TARGET DOMESTIC AND PUBLIC/COMMUNITY BUILDINGS C. SUPPLY AND INSTALLATION CONSTRAINTS ON BUILDING SELECTION

4. DSM control system

A. CONCEPTUAL DESIGN B. CURTAILMENT-FOLLOWING AND GENERATION-FOLLOWING C. SUPPLY-SIDE (TURBINE) INTERFACE D. DEMAND-SIDE (HEATERS) CONTROL E. ENERGY METERING

5. Installation

A. HEATING DEVICES B. LOCATIONS C. APPLIANCE MODIFICATIONS AND ISSUES D. COMMUNICATIONS E. INSTALLER WORKLOAD AND LOCAL PLUMBER RESOURCE

6. Operation

A. FUNCTIONALITY B. RELIABILITY C. ENERGY METERING D. HOUSEHOLDER EXPERIENCE E. TURBINE OPERATOR EXPERIENCE

7. Assessment and legacy

A. TECHNICAL PARTNERS AND EQUIPMENT B. VPAKS AND DYNAMOS C. VSCON DATA NETWORK D. ROUSAY DSM COMMUNICATIONS PILOT E. ACCESS AND HEAT SMART ORKNEY

8. Acknowledgements

A. FUNDING B. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE C. COMMUNITY ENTHUSIASM

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1. The energy opportunity production, with Feed-in Tariff(FiT) support, is large enough that if additional load in an appropriate location allows a turbine to keep turning, then the a. Orkney turbines under Active Network retail energy cost to the consumer is close to the Management marginal revenue the community turbine earns for Orkney has significant wind resource. Turbines that that released generation. Hence the turbine company harness the energy are located throughout the islands. can share its income from the ‘spare’ energy with The total power rating for installed wind turbines in users of the electricity for their mutual benefit. the islands is 48.4MW (Orkney Renewable Energy The key is to find a way to synchronise demand with Forum, 2014). By comparison, the peak winter times of curtailment, to harness ‘spare’ energy and demand of the population is 35.7MW (SSE). For the make best use of natural resources and existing full fleet of wind turbines to be running relies generation. therefore upon export of power to the UK National Grid via subsea cables to Caithness in mainland This model of low cost electricity is not exclusive to Scotland. community turbines – any non-firm connected generator could take part. But the model lends itself to Different wind turbines have either firm or non-firm the community ownership approach as many such generation connections, based upon their date of schemes operate under asset locks and charitable construction. A firm grid connection is one that purposes that require proceeds to serve the local cannot normally be interrupted. people. In particular, in areas where fuel poverty is New non-firm connections (NNFG) allow the rife – in part because of reliance on electrical heating distribution network operator, Scottish Hydro Electric – this mechanism has the potential to create direct Power Distribution, to curtail a turbine, reducing its health and social benefits. power output or stopping it completely. No compensation is available for under-production while Hoy an NNFG turbine is curtailed. Hoy Energy Ltd (HEL) is a trading subsidiary of the charitable Island of Hoy Development Trust. HEL The dynamic calculation of an NNFG turbine’s owns and operates a 900kW Enercon E44 wind allowed power output is not based solely on the turbine near Lyness in Hoy, connected to the aggregated total production of all electricity distribution grid on NNFG terms. generators in Orkney. The characteristics of local pieces of electrical infrastructure – even one single The ANM system has a permanent link to the control cable – mean each turbine has its own individual interface of the turbine, via microwave profile for allowed grid export. It is governed in real- communications. The ANM zone into which the time by a SHEPD system known as Active Network turbine supplies power includes the islands of Hoy Management. and Flotta, with a total population below 1,000. Generation in the same zone includes a 10MW gas ANM relies upon sensors that measure flows of turbine (firm connection but only used intermittently) electrical current at pinch-points, boundaries between as well as 4MW of other wind turbines (firm and non- zones. Between sensors, the ANM system is effectively firm). There is also a significant amount of micro- blind to how much power is being generated and how generation over which the ANM has no control and no much is being consumed by homes and businesses. It direct monitoring – but which allows some farms and sees only the net difference at the pinch-point sensor. homes to be net producers rather than net users of If an ANM sensor calls for a turbine to be curtailed, power, when the wind blows. it’s because power production by all generators Hence various circumstances might cause the ANM upstream of the sensor exceeds power consumption in sensor at the measurement pinch-point to reach its the same electrical area by too great a margin. Hence capacity ceiling and start reining in non-firm the sensor can be appeased – and curtailment lifted – generation, such as from HEL. if power demand in relevant places rises. (Or, just occasionally in Orkney, if the wind drops and turbine Rousay production falls.) REWIRED Ltd is a trading subsidiary of REWDT, the Rousay, Egilsay & Wyre Development Trust. Like Hoy This apparent blind spot brings about the energy Energy Ltd, REWIRED has a 900kW Enercon E44 opportunity for community-owned wind turbines with wind turbine. Its generator is prone to curtailment an NNFG connection. The value of electricity Page 3

because of a number of large turbines nearby with simply ‘from the grid’. The customer’s energy supply firm connections. If demand is low in the vicinity company continues to provide power at all times, when those turbines are at full power, the grid zone in metered to their existing accounts and bills, at the which Rousay lies can reach capacity and the same tariff cost per unit. REWIRED turbine is curtailed. Similarly, there is no change in contracting for the supply of power into the grid by the generator. b. Home heating in Orkney The Orkney DSM system proposed observes the grid A typical Orkney home is hard to define, but appalling in more detail than is typical for a renewable heat performance is a widespread characteristic. Solid generator. It does not in any way alter existing grid walls and single glazing are common, which operations or the performance of other generators and exacerbates the wind-chill effect on buildings from a power users that are not monitored by DSM systems. climate that is often wet and invariably windy. It is commonplace for homes to require heating all year round. As a rule of thumb, if it's windy the air temperature seldom tops 18ºC even in July. As a further rule of thumb, it is usually windy even in July.

Despite hosting a major oil terminal whose refinery gases burn brightly in the Orkney sky, there is no mains gas anywhere in the county. Census figures from 2011 indicate that of 289 homes in Hoy and neighbouring Flotta, 38% have oil-fired central heating and 27% use electricity. 17% have coal central heating and 8% have only room heating, taken to be a combination of open coal fires/stoves plus portable electric or bottled gas heaters.

Calculations based upon the Orkney Energy Audit (OREF, 2014) suggest that oil homes are larger, or more heated, than electric or coal homes. Annual usage of heating oil averages 22MWh; the average of electricity and coal is approximately 13MWh a year. c. Demand-side management across public grid

Demand-side management (DSM) refers to an electrical load being directed by an external prompt to vary its power use – increasing/decreasing use or delaying/bringing it forward. It can operate in private grids, across an entire region of the National Grid or in particular locations connected to the grid and equipped to respond.

Off-peak electricity such as Economy 7 and teleswitching systems (eg Scottish Hydro's Total Heat Total Control tariff) are crude versions of DSM, based solely on supplying power at times of day. True DSM, particularly in the realm of renewable energy, monitors supply and schedules load to balance peaks and troughs. Knowledge of user behaviour, weather forecasts and the variable cost of wholesale energy are typical components of detailed DSM systems.

DSM across the public grid does not change the electricity supplied to any energy customer; it is

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2. Project conception trust to reimburse the customer for units consumed by the DSM devices. In this way, the trial is at worst cost-neutral for the occcupants. If existing heating is a. Aims used less, there is a saving for them to keep. The consortium partners – Hoy Energy Limited, REWDT (the Rousay, Egilsay & Wyre Development c. Rousay and Shapinsay EV collaboration Trust), Community Energy Scotland – collectively DSM is not restricted to heating systems. Other represent communities across Orkney that have built opportunities to create and manage flexible demand and now operate 900kW wind turbines on non-firm for electrical power are also potentially able to connections. Hence their primary aim is to reduce the counteract turbine curtailment within the Orkney levels of turbine curtailment – which to them is ANM domain. measured in MWh ungenerated and income unearned. Alongside the thermal DSM led by Hoy Energy Ltd, a parallel project to connect electrical vehicle chargers Being responsible to and ultimately governed by local via DSM control was led by REWDT. This was also a people through development trusts, the further aim is CARES IIF project administered by Local Energy to make good use of energy generation in the best Scotland under the title: Rousay Egilsay & Wyre interests of the community. With fuel poverty a Innovation Consortium Grid-Smart EV Charging. serious concern to many, the scheme is designed to ensure no one’s energy costs go up while trialling it Initially seen as two related projects, the two became and to identify the potential cost savings in various more closely linked as the technical outline took kinds of buildings and households. shape.

These two aims helped to define the scope of the project in this technical demonstration phase. The plan was to involve three homes with combinations of oil, coal and electrical heating as well as to investigate modifications at two community buildings.

To ensure that no one’s comfort or even health was in any way compromised by the installation of DSM equipment, the kit was always provided as additional heating. When operating, it would displace energy coming from oil/coal or conventional electricity. Should it ever be unavailable or just unsuitable for the occupants, the existing heating could be deployed just as before.

A final aim, given the wish to replace fossil fuel energy with renewable electricity, is to demonstrate a way to reduce the carbon emissions associated with space and water heating in Orkney homes and businesses. b. Customer bill rebates

In discussing displacing oil (for example) in favour of electricity, and recalling that the electrical energy is supplied on the same cost basis as previously, it is logical that such a switch would cost the occupant more. Heating oil costs typically half as much as electricity, per delivered kWh.

To ensure billpayers save rather than are penalised, energy metering of each new heater is designed into the system. Knowing precisely how much electrical energy has been delivered allows the development

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3. Tendering and selection process variety of heating technologies – oil, coal, electrical – that the DSM system could be trialled alongside. Preliminary discussions with Orkney Islands Council a. Contract and tendering summary and the Rousay Congregational Board indicated both The tendering process was conducted between April the Rousay Primary School and the Rousay Manse and July 2014. Bidders were invited to tender to had potential to benefit from grid-smart heating, with provide: the former using three-phase electricity and the latter a standard (domestic) single-phase supply.  equipment to monitor curtailment at the Hoy and Rousay, Egilsay & Wyre community- c. Supply and installation constraints on owned Enercon wind turbines. building selection  equipment to control and measure power use Several issues govern the suitability of a premises for by a number of electrical heating devices at connection to DSM-controlled heating. each of five locations  Reliable broadband is essential, as the  an aggregator system to make despatch aggregator communicates with devices using decisions, prompting devices collectively or Internet connections. In Orkney this is not a individually to act as additional electrical trivial matter – 3G and 4G phone networks load at times of turbine curtailment. do not exist here. Some properties obtain The heating devices envisaged were not prescribed but broadband over satellite but most have were proposed to include storage heaters, flow boilers traditional ’phone line broadband, (as preheat for wet central heating) and immersion occasionally with data rates not far above water heaters. Thermal stores for wet systems were dial-up modem. also deemed relevant.  Space to install additional heating devices in Bidders were requested to explain how systems would locations that are practical for the ensure compliance with grid connection standards, for householder. instance approaches to avoid oscillation and load  Enough ‘headroom’ in the power supply to cycling. Compatibility with the ANM was also allow more electrical power to be used mandated. without overloading the property’s main Three bids were received – from UK, European and fuse. Domestic connections are typically US companies. The bid from VCharge was the only protected by a 100 amp fuse, setting an one costed within the fixed budget available to the absolute maximum on how much current can project. VCharge’s experience in the USA includes a be drawn. In a house with perhaps a 30A SmartBricks service that despatches power to 1,000 electric shower, a cooker and immersion storage heaters in Pennsylvania (total load up to heater each able to draw 20A, and a number 2.5MW), primarily to capitalise upon cheaper of 13A electrical heaters, it is apparent that electricity when power companies have high supply. adding extra electrical load creates a risk of This has some parallels to the proposed Orkney Grid- tripping the entire supply. Smart DSM. The project team maintained a close dialogue with Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution (as the b. Target domestic and public/community relevant DNO). Reinforcements that could in future buildings allow increased electrification at some properties were The collaboration between the turbine companies and discussed, as part of developing legacy initiatives. development trusts based on the two islands of Hoy Domestic installations and Rousay was designed to provide the greatest The homes shortlisted were relatively easy to assess access to a range of properties. At the design stage, for headroom, as the project had an experienced Hoy was seen as the test bed for three domestic electrical engineer among its team. His long-standing installations and Rousay for two community knowledge of domestic installations, plus the previous buildings. survey work, allowed him to confidently identify From previous Affordable Warmth initiatives, HEL properties where the issue would not arise. was aware of suitable domestic properties with a

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Community installations 4. DSM control system The community buildings on Rousay were more complicated. OWL energy monitors were installed for a. Conceptual design periods between May and July 2014 to gain an understanding of the power usage at the two sites. The DSM system uses an aggregator to balance the availability of supply with the demand for heat. The Manse is a large old building, mainly heated by oil but often with only two or three rooms occupied. The Availability is assessed by monitoring a turbine’s overall energy consumption is no higher than the allowed export level and its wind resource (ie the climate and building type would suggest, but the potential export level). power draw is occasionally very high, as the building Demand is assessed by user controls and thermostats users include elderly people for whom a comfortable built into the heating devices that report their status temperature is essential. A number of plug-in back to the aggregator. electrical heaters are used to warm up the meeting The aggregator is a server-based computer system room before events, making for a significant spike in that operates a ‘behind the scenes’ market, in which demand. Elsewhere on the site, an EV chargepoint units of energy have a nominal value in a particular shares the property's single 100A fuse. location. Devices also have a nominal price they are The Primary School has been built in three blocks – prepared to pay for energy, depending on how close one quite modern with underfloor heating, two others they are to full/their ideal temperature. more basic. Oil is the primary heating for two of the (None of this affects the actual price of any units to blocks but there is significant electrical demand from HEL or to the electricity user.) the canteen, plus general lighting and appliances for a At times of oversupply, this internal market values school community of around 30. energy cheaply. Heating devices that have spare The supply had been assumed to be three-phase but storage capacity will be prompted to fill up. With this this turned out not to be the case. The supply is single- rise in demand, curtailment can be eased – in effect phase split, equivalent to two domestic connections. ‘spare’ turbine electricity is channelled to heaters in While this doubles the trip current to 200A, it the vicinity. potentially makes how and where a device is wired in If curtailment (oversupply) reduces, the nominal significant, and is smaller than would be expected for value rises. Gradually, heating devices that are close to a building of the size. being satisfied will opt out and switch off.

b. Curtailment-following and generation- following

The two community-owned turbines are very similar in design but located 30km apart, with different wind climates and restriction patterns on their grid export.

HEL’s turbine experiences relatively low levels of curtailment (officially none at all), although this is expected to change for the worse. For environmental reasons, it is sited in a location that is relatively sheltered, by Orkney standards. Hence it is as likely to stop for lack of wind resource as for lack of grid export.

The Rousay turbine is at higher altitude and exposed to wind from most directions. Unless Orkney as a whole is becalmed, its output is primarily governed by local grid capacity – itself a function of how well some other nearby wind farms that have firm grid connections are performing.

As the aggregator has the capacity to ‘listen in’ on both turbines, the pilot system is designed to allow Page 7

assessment of how these two limiting factors align Marginal curtailment is an important status for the with users’ heating demand. cost-effective operation of Grid-Smart DSM. If a generator is to boost revenue thanks to reduced In the context of Grid-Smart DSM, signals from curtailment – and share that revenue with electricity Rousay allow curtailment-following DSM; those from users – then it is critical that the generator knows they Hoy allow generation-following. (rather than another turbine) are benefitting from the additional load they are supporting. c. Supply-side (turbine) interface The ANM operates a priority stack in which some At the start of the project, online live data from the generators are free to run, some may be stopped SHEPD website completely and (at any one time, in one area) just one (http://anm.ssepd.co.uk/ANMGen.aspx) was used to is at the margin. In the first instance, changing the establish when and where turbine curtailment was demand within a zone will alter the allowed export happening. level of that zone’s one marginal generator. If the This was superseded in summer/autumn 2015 by demand change is large enough, it could extend to the VScon units fitted at the turbines. Based on a next one up or down the stack. Raspberry Pi with a wireless Internet connection, they With access to the SGS Connect signals, the listen in to two main data sources at each turbine: aggregator can monitor directly whether a turbine is 1. The Enercon turbine’s own operational feed, marginal, and hence has potential to provide the its SCADA interface. This primarily evaluates ‘spare’ electricity of greatest benefit to the system. the potential production. The project recognises the help offered by Smarter 2. The ANM’s signalling system, which Grid Solutions and Scottish Hydro Electric Power instructs the Enercon SCADA through an Distribution (particularly their staff in Kirkwall, Perth SGS Connect interface. This allows the and Glasgow) in allowing us to access the ANM aggregator to see when curtailment is signals at the point of delivery. happening and establish marginal curtailment.

Turbines’ setpoint and marginal curtailment status traces obtained by the project’s VScon systems.

Page 8 d. Demand-side (heaters) control

The heating devices themselves are not aware that they are under DSM control. The aggregator communicates bi-directionally with them through one or more VPak hubs at each property, which are connected securely to broadband Internet. They contain relays to switch the high currents needed for resistive heating.

A VPak control unit with outer casing removed. External aerial for wireless Internet connection via ‘Zigbee’.

Under normal circumstances, a VPak runs automatically with no input from the householder. The user can adjust thermostats and output settings on the heating devices just as on any conventional heater. e. Energy metering

A requirement of the DSM system design, as tendered, was for it to measure the amount of energy consumed by heating devices and match that with periods of curtailment. This would allow the rebate mechanism (see section 2.b) to operate.

The VCharge system included Heat Control & Metering Modules to provide consumption data without needing a physical meter reading. However, to ensure both resilience and transparency, each device also had a traditional digital energy meter connected. This would not record use against time, but would record bulk consumption, in line with how the customer is billed for all their electricity.

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5. Installation a. Heating devices

Four different types of heating device were procured, modified as necessary and installed:

 Fan-assisted storage heater – Dimplex Quantum model VFMQ.

 Flow boiler – 6kW Heatrae Sadia in-line water heater as preheat for oil/coal central heating boiler.

 Thermal store – 300 litre Heatrae Sadia Megaflo with 6kW electric element.

 Hot water tank additional 3kW immersion heater, including replacement tank where original was not well insulated or capable of accepting two elements. Installation at EP1 site, showing thermal store (centre) and flow boiler (vertical unit on internal b. Locations wall to left of thermal store).

Following assessment of the buildings and their energy usage – plus input from SSE over local transformer capacities – installation was progressed at five domestic locations in Hoy.

 At domestic property location “HC1”, two Dimplex storage heaters and a Heatrae Sadia water cylinder with 3kW Heater were added to the existing stand-alone appliances.

 At “HC2”, a Heatrae Sadia water cylinder with 3kW heater was added to the existing stand-alone appliances.

 At “HH1”, a flow boiler and thermal store were added to a wet central heating system based around an oil-fired Aga stove.

 At “EP1”, the existing multi-fuel stove supplying radiators and a hot water tank were supplemented with a flow boiler and thermal store. The pictures (right) show the EP1 installation, showing VPak in place (grey box on new equipment after installation, including right internal wall). the VPak unit.

 At “EP2”, the existing oil-fired boiler supplying radiators and a hot water tank were supplemented with a flow boiler.

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At Rousay Primary School, work was stalled by low e. Installer workload and local plumber electrical headroom (see 3.c), a need to replace a resource leaking hot water tank before adding a DSM A known issue with rolling out any home energy immersion heater and data security issues accessing improvements in rural areas such as Orkney is the school’s broadband. difficulty with buying in support from tradespeople. At Rousay Manse, complications arose with electrical As demand for their skills is high, such businesses can headroom plus an existing boiler preheater (powered afford to choose where they work. by the Manse’s 6kW wind turbine). Siting a thermal An engineer who visited the Rousay Manse to store proved to be very difficult. With no actual investigate the installation options there gave residents, hot water usage is low, so a supplementary generously of his time and expertise (though he was immersion heater was not appropriate. travelling to the island for another appointment). Ultimately though, he chose not to quote for doing c. Appliance modifications and issues any of the work. To allow device control by external power switching, Rousay is typical of small communities in actually some modifications were necessary to the storage having a number of people with relevant skills. heaters. However, the need to hold accreditation and Because its own thermostat would no longer be professional insurance, not least because of the switching the input power, the heater was stripped of untested nature of much of the equipment, counted its control systems and converted into a dumb device such folk out of the running. whose elements were energised by the associated VPak.

The flow boilers also required careful installation, to ensure that the radiator water would circulate whenever the flow boiler was energised. (In standard wet central heating, the single boiler governs whether the pump circulates.)

As originally delivered, there were potential safety issues with the VPaks. The proposed storage heater modifications also had the potential to introduce electrical hazards. These issues were due in part to the R&D nature of the equipment. Intervention by a skilled electrician, familiar with UK domestic installation practice, was needed to ensure the devices’ safety and compliance with relevant UK regulations.

Clearly such modification work makes the manufacturer’s warranty invalid. This placed a direct requirement on the project to maintain the equipment on an ongoing basis and ensure its safety in domestic settings. d. Communications

Internal building communications made use of a wireless network of Zigbee plug-in transponders (equivalent to wifi in its technology), with a hub at the broadband router and a terminal at each VPak.

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6. Operation The fan-assisted storage heaters were better able both to hold onto warmth and to dissipate it when called for. Replacement hot water tanks were noticeably a. Functionality better able to hold warmth with their improved Turbine, aggregator, communications insulation.

The VScon units at the Hoy and Rousay turbines As DSM devices, the equipment never achieved achieved their primary aim of providing the DSM with automatic ‘grid-smart’ operation. Upgrades to the knowledge of the wind conditions and the power VPaks were considered but set aside in favour of a production from the Enercon SCADA. replacement device, known as a Dynamo, which was to be approved to CE standard and put into They were less successful initially at integrating with production. This did happen, but the lengthy process the SGS Connect equipment that indicates marginal and VCharge’s available technical resource meant curtailment. This was due to the two signal inputs there were no installation upgrades at the initial five interfering with each other when connected to the test dwellings. same data port. The issue was resolved by splitting the signals across two ports, although the small size of the b. Reliability Raspberry Pi motherboard meant even this was not straightforward. Turbine, aggregator, communications

Enercon turbines have a number of options for their At some of the test buildings, the Zigbee own Internet connectivity, including satellite, communications system struggled to achieve adequate microwave and conventional broadband. The VScon signal coverage across large buildings which had the data could not be channelled through satellite thick, solid stone walls typical of traditional Orkney broadband, as the Enercon system was closed to such architecture. In one location, wired Ethernet access. Private microwave comms and BT broadband connection became necessary. As the VPaks lacked were therefore used interchangeably, depending upon Ethernet ports, the wireless link was still employed, their availability. even though the transponder was then positioned alongside the VPak unit. The data links for the aggregator system did not require wireless hardware but the decision was taken Communications between homes and the remote to install it at all turbine locations after an exceptional VCharge servers were as reliable as Internet period of lightning strikes in December 2014. Creating connections typically are in rural areas of Orkney. As an air gap between the communications and turbine previously noted, however, the devices’ operation was control hardware ensured that the DSM system could never governed by Internet commands, so the uptime not increase the risk of lightning damage spreading of the local router was not a limiting factor. further than it otherwise might. A protected power supply for the VScon was also arranged, either via the c. Energy metering Enercon 230 volt board or via a battery-backed UPS. Remote meters In testing the resilience of the wifi links used to The VCharge metering module, part of the VPak unit, transfer data between the Internet access point and failed to function during the operational phase. the VScon, there were no problems with weak signals Remote monitoring of the energy used by the heating due to electronic interference. In particular, a wireless appliances was not achieved, again due to issues with access point in the turbine tower was able to the VPak unit that were subsequently addressed in the communicate happily with a VScon situated 25m away next design iteration (the Dynamo). in the external transformer and controls cabinet, despite the substantial power electronics located in Local meters the turbine tower itself. To afford the clients (as well as the project) immediate Space and water heating and robust metering of energy usage over and above that provided by VCharge and the remote As straightforward heating devices, the appliances control/aggregation system, each individual load was performed admirably and showed their effectiveness fitted with a dedicated energy meter. For familiarity, as a complement to the main heating system. Flow accuracy and indeed long term service, meters boilers and thermal stores meant radiators in wet central heating systems reached warmth more rapidly. Page 12

identical to those installed by SSE for overall supply metering were used. d. Householder experience

Since installation, clients have been regularly updated with progress of the project and records kept of their experiences on an ongoing basis.

Support for routine maintenance and in two cases repair of space heating equipment has been given over the period of the project. All clients have confirmed that when installed and energised the equipment provided immediate and significant benefits over their prior equipment and heating experience.

All clients have confirmed they wish to continue their involvement and indeed are happy to increase their involvement if required. e. Turbine operator experience

Turbine operator experience has been pretty much within expectations – once the VScon interface and installation was in place there was no further impact on turbine operation. The VScon is, from the perspective of the turbine operation system, an inert monitoring device and quite independent from the turbine and SSE ANM control logic.

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7. Assessment and legacy been addressed through design and partnership structure for projects such as ACCESS and Heat Smart Orkney, as discussed below. a. Technical partners and equipment The other heating devices were not greatly modified It is important to bear in mind that no other tender and operated with no issues. Modifications to submitted for providing the aggregation service came programming of circulation pumps are essential to within the budget for the work, even though initial ensure safe operation of flow boilers that are discussions by Community Energy Scotland had complementing wet central heating boilers. included providers who then subsequently bid significantly higher than the level that had been Local installer network discussed. As had been foreseen, it proved difficult to interest VCharge suitably accredited local technicians to work on a project that used unfamiliar equipment in relatively The design, development and operation of the ‘hard to treat’ buildings and locations. This issue aggregator service is a fundamental part of a DSM remains a challenge for the ongoing Orkney home system, and to a large extent a self-contained task. heating initiatives. While the project partners were on the ground, and able to install/monitor deployed sensors and control The project’s decision to use local suppliers and equipment, only VCharge was in a position to progress standard devices where possible will hopefully pay the software systems and ensure the hardware dividends in laying foundations to make future work intelligence was available. more appealing. It is also bolsters the case that other DSM programmes should aim to intervene at In hindsight, the R&D nature of the aggregator system significant scale – either to convince local technicians had not been appreciated well enough early on. to join in, or to make it viable for engineers from VCharge’s Smartbricks programme in the USA was elsewhere to tackle the work. not as useful a forerunner as had been suggested. The potential comms complications and the extended b. VPaks and Dynamos delivery logistics to and within Orkney were also underestimated. While VCharge were more than The VPaks were prototype experimental devices, built willing to attend Orkney in person – and did so three to US specifications, and the project’s electrical times during the project – time zones and other engineer was wary about their compliance with UK results of being at distance did have an impact on standards and regulations. He made relevant changes communication and hands on support. to their construction. Improvements to their internal Fundamentally, they provided prototype equipment to wiring specification included converting them from meet the requested specification as well as a platform single pole to double pole switching where required to to operate it at a simple level, but faced with greater ensure compliance with UK wiring and domestic technical challenges than had been foreseen, the installation regulations. devices were not able to achieve the degree of Even so, the project team took the view that leaving operational functionality that had been hoped for. such equipment in situ long term was not a viable The inter-operation of the VPaks with UK central approach, and plans are in place for removal or heating devices, plus their compatibility with UK upgrade. electrics and the level of comms resilience typically experienced in rural Scotland were significant c. VScon data network learning points for the project as a whole. The data network the project initiated was Dimplex, Heatrae Sadia et al subsequently expanded to include other community turbines. For those able to fully connect (not all had Modifying the Quantum storage heaters amounted to adequate comms), this allowed a far easier way to in effect removing all their own controls and monitor curtailment patterns. While the Enercon substituting a VCMM as the device’s intelligence. In a SCADA holds almost all the relevant data, it is a pilot programme this was logical and acceptable. In locked system for which significant annual any more extensive rollout, the extent of this subscription charges are payable. intervention raises questions about reliability, ease of use and potentially safety. These issues have since

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Lightning protection 8. Acknowledgements Weather events routinely force plans to change in Orkney. The unprecedented lightning storms of a. Funding December 2014 and January 2015 served as a valuable The grant money for this project was provided by the reminder to all turbine operators in Orkney that even Scottish Government’s Infrastructure & Innovation lightning arrestors have their limits. The project Fund, administered by Local Energy Scotland. reviewed how it could minimise lightning damage risk throughout its existing and potential future The team is grateful for ongoing support over an operations. extended period. d. Rousay DSM communications pilot b. Technical assistance

The knowledge gained by the project team – The partners would like to thank their fellow particularly regarding what makes a property or Community Power Orkney turbine groups – Eday household best able to benefit from DSM domestic Renewable Energy Ltd, Shapinsay Development heating – was invaluable in shaping a follow-up Trust, Stronsay Renewable Energy Ltd – for sharing scheme in Rousay, organised by REWDT. data, allowing access to their turbines and offering support and advice. Westray Development Trust also Four homes on the island were modified with various contributed. appliances, controlled by VCharge’s newer Dynamo devices. Assessment/installation time and setup costs In order to operate within the ANM, it was necessary were saved by specifying similar kit to the heating to obtain information and data relating to the appliances used during the IIF deployments in Hoy. operation of the local Distribution Network.

We recognise the input of Enercon, Smarter Grid e. ACCESS and Heat Smart Orkney Solutions and Scottish Hydro Electric Power The IIF work in Hoy also contributed to the Distribution in helping us to explore ‘under the development of the much larger ACCESS project in bonnet’ of the ANM. Mull, significantly derisking that initiative. ACCESS too relies upon VCharge technology, deploying into a c. Community enthusiasm wider variety of homes. Knowing the limitations of The project team expresses its thanks to all the previous VPaks made specifying the hardware and building owners and users who made time to help firmware of the replacement Dynamos much more with investigations and installations. This included straightforward. Hoy and Rousay householders, the Rousay Kirk minister and Rousay Congregational Board as well as Orkney Islands Council personnel, in particular the staff of Rousay Primary School.

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