Community DSO: Assessing the Impact of coordinated Flexibility from Energy Communities

Voltage (LV) network. This involves a CDSO ‘coordinator’ managing energy flows within the cell to mitigate network constraints. The concept has the potential to be a key enabler of local decarbonisation and defer (or even avoid) the extensive network reinforcements that are expected to be required with the electrification of heat and transport and create a mutual benefit for the energy community and the Distribution Network Operator (DNO). When adopted at scale, Community DSO could generate benefits with net present value in GB of £160 million.

The work in this paper demonstrates that the potential impact of coordinated community flexibility delivered by Community DSO is more effective than individuals responding to time of use (ToU) tariff signals. This is due to the misalignment that exists between the national and regional level system conditions which drive price signals, and the hyper-local system conditions which drive LV network needs. Physical trials are ongoing to further test and refine the concept, with the ambition to deploy Community DSO as a business-as-usual solution.