Big ‘FLEX’ for Joulen as they support new project

System and network operators across the globe are demonstrating smarter, more flexible network solutions that offer greater control over power flows, helping to reduce the need for network reinforcement to manage periods of peak demand. Joulen is the first provider of Flexibility services in Northern Ireland to use battery technology, coupled with renewable generation as part of NIE Networks’ FLEX project.

Joulen uses a combination of battery storage and its PARIS software platform to provide network stabilisation at times of peak demand, particularly after 5:00 pm when energy consumption increases post-work and school, as households return for the evening.

With the predicted increase in the use of electric vehicles and electrified heating, comes an increased demand on the network. Providing flexible network support enables distribution network operators like NIE Networks, to meet this demand while minimising the investment that would be required to upgrade the electricity infrastructure in order to cater for this rise in demand. Battery technology managed by sophisticated energy management platforms like Joulen’s PARIS platform is ideally placed to provide these services, and in return can provide additional income for households using battery technology.

This solution from Joulen uses the company’s signature PARIS energy management platform and batteries from the company’s ‘Project Girona’ (gironaenergy.com) allocation to provide energy for flexibility services. The PARIS software virtually aggregates the allocated batteries into a cluster before the system discharges the energy stored at a specific peak time.

PARIS, which stands for Predictive Analytical Renewables Integration System, is the brainchild of co-founder and Director of Joulen Eddie McGoldrick and is designed to maximise the value of every unit of the energy, to the benefit of the customer. The system has been developed using state of the art data analytics software, which specialises in forecasting the usage and generation of energy to determine the value it can bring to customers using real-time data. Using the same technology that underpins financial trading software, the PARIS system has the capability to make smart decisions on when to store, use and release energy, benefitting the battery and the consumer in terms of both energy and cost efficiency. Joulen believe that the PARIS system and its capabilities in smart energy management represent the beginning of a new era in the electricity and ENTEC sectors that will play a key role in the achievement of the UK’s Net Carbon Zero targets.