Delivering Energy Innovations at Scale

11.04.2013

Base Birmingham

Roger Hey – Future Networks Manager

KEY FACTS:• Wholly owned by

Pennsylvania Power & Light (PPL - NYSE listed)

• 4 UK Distribution Licences

• 7.7 million customers

• 55,000 sq km area

• 220,400km -Largest length UK network

West Wales

East Wales

Cardiff

Swansea

Bodmin

Bristol

Redruth

Somerset

Mendip

Torquay & Exeter

SOUTH WEST

Plymouth

Barnstaple

Tipton

Nottingham

SOUTH WALES

WEST MIDLANDS

EAST MIDLANDS

Milton Keynes

Birmingham

Gloucester

ShrewsburyCoventry

Boston

Stoke-on-Trent

Lincoln

THE ELECTRICITY NETWORK

3

CORE ELEMENTS OF OUR PLAN Replace and repair equipment due to age and condition Inspect and maintain existing equipment Connect new commercial and domestic customers Transition to a low carbon future – connecting Distributed Generation

and emerging technologies Deliver further improved network performance and customer service

4

NETWORK CHALLENGES PRESENTED BY TRANSITION TO A LOW CARBON FUTURE

WPD will need to be able to accommodate significant volumes of:– Local generation (e.g. solar PV &

wind)– Low carbon demand (e.g. Electric

Vehicles (EVs) & heat pumps)

Networks are not currently designed to accommodated these loads on high volumes/clusters

Considerable uncertainty about uptake – volume, location & network impact

5

Heat Pumps projection:

PV installations projection:

INNOVATION STRATEGYWPD’s Innovation Strategy – To facilitate the delivery of UK carbon objectives, making best use of new technologies and responding to the needs of our customers by:

Providing innovative solutions to increase the utilisation of the network whilst maintaining a high quality of supply

Developing concepts through to BAU solutions whilst ensuring compatibility with the existing network

Sharing our learning with the wider DNO community and other interested stakeholders

Overall, we aim to provide efficient networks that are cost effective and reliable for our customers both today and in the future

R&DResearch and proof-of-

concept technology development

First of a kindSpecific area of network

identified, possibly driven by customer request

ReplicationMultiple areas of network

proactively identified based on first stage results

Business as usualPolicies established for

planning teams to implement technology as

business as usual

On-going engagement with customers

Stag

es o

f inn

ovati

on

Community Energy Action

FLEXGRID Electric Boulevards

Interconnect WPD + NGC

SCADA

Seasonal Generation Deployment

PV impact on Suburban networks

Network Management

on Isles of Scilly

LV Sensor “Best Buy”

Report

Voltage Control Demonstration

Project

Early learning from LV estate

PV cluster

Community Smart Grid – Smart Hooky

Fault Current Measurement

Device

LV Network Templates

Lincolnshire Low Carbon

Hub

FALCON

SoLa BRISTOL Future Networks Programme

Tier 1

Tier 2

Networks Demonstrating

alternative investment

strategies to facilitate the UK’s

Low Carbon Transition

Customer Testing innovative solutions to make it

simple for customers to connect Low

Carbon Technologies

PerformanceDeveloping new

operational practices and identifying

service improvement opportunities

Stakeholder Engagement and Knowledge Management

NEWNEW

NEW

FlexDGrid ProjectThree integrated Methods leading to quicker and cost effective customer connections through a timely step change in the enhanced understanding, management and mitigation of distribution network Fault Level

Each Method can be applied on its own whilst the integration of the three Methods combined will provide a system level solution to facilitate the connection of additional generation

Enhanced Assessment

• Enhanced network models• Detailed understanding of network Fault Level

Management

• Monitoring Fault Level (Steady-state)• Measuring Fault Level (Faulted-state)• Verify/Update network models

Mitigation• Reduction of system Fault Level• Utilised from output of Management

www.westernpowerinnovation.co.uk

NOTICE FOR STAKEHOLDERS• Please get involved in our business plan

consultation• 6 workshops being held in April:

– April 17th - Nottingham (Trent Bridge Cricket Ground)

– April 18th – Birmingham (Birmingham Botanical Gardens)

– April 23rd – Cheltenham (Cheltenham Racecourse)

– April 24th – Exeter – (Exeter Racecourse)– April 25th – Cardiff – (Millennium Centre)– April 26th – Bristol (Bristol Zoo)

More information ? Come speak to us or contact: Alex Wilkes, Stakeholder Engagement Officer awilkes@westernpower.co.uk

Thank you listening