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Flexitricity site with other assets in its virtual power plant to enable participation in energy markets . Notably , Flexitricity manages the onboarding process , strategy , and round-the-clock operations and dispatch for its clients ’ assets .
Alastair Martin , Founder and Chief Strategy Officer , provides a clear overview of Flexitricity ’ s unique services . “ Flexitricity was founded in 2004 , becoming fully operational in 2008 . As a demand response aggregator , our main operations revolve around gathering flexible capabilities among small generators and electricity users around the distribution network . We bring these capabilities together into large groups that can make a significant positive impact on balancing the supply and demand of electricity . Subsequently , we sell this combined power to National Grid , distribution networks and in the wholesale markets as a virtual power station resource ,” he opens .
Supply and demand
“ In terms of our capabilities , we have a control room that operates all day and night . Using advanced machines , we control all the different sources of electricity we work with . These assets can vary in size , ranging from small electric vehicle charge points , which might provide around seven kilowatts , to large batteries producing over 50 megawatts . Thus , we operate across a wide range of power capacities . Because electricity is a real-time commodity , it needs to be perfectly balanced to the second to enable consumers to adjust how much electricity they use or consume , even in small amounts and at short notice . By organizing our clients ’ assets into groups with larger capacity , we can respond to the demand for electricity quickly , nimbly and economically . As a result , the electricity system becomes more secure , cheaper , and greener . The best part is that customers who participate in this process get paid for their contribution in helping balance the supply and demand ,” Alastair adds .
This unique concept was brought to the market by Alastair himself , who retraces the events leading up to the establishment of Flexitricity . “ For a while , I worked in the field of large power generation , striving to improve the efficiency of thermal power stations . During that time , I learned about the tradeoff between flexibility and efficiency : the more
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