How we manage the network

The contribution of non-network solutions to help manage electricity demand needs will require the development of new market players and industry roles.

Here's a summary of how the future energy system could work with the use of non-network resources.

Diagram showing flexibity resource owners - distributed energy resource owners, battery owners, EV owners, hot water owners, solar battery system owners, electric heating and colling owners. Service providers, and flexibility buyers

Who does what? Roles and functions

Flexibility Resource Owners Flexibility Service Providers Flexibility Buyers
  • Own small energy resources like solar-battery systems, hot water systems, batteries, EV chargers, and heating/cooling systems.
  • Control large-scale DER such as batteries, have flexible demand such as dairy customers, irrigation load, cold storage or customers that can shift or reduce loads.
  • Can be residential, commercial, or industrial customers.
  • Flexibility resource owners and distributed generation companies with energy storage can also be flexibility service providers.
  • Manage a group of these energy resources to meet network demand.
  • Allocate resources to their best use (called "value stacking").
  • A flexibility resource owner can also be a flexibility service provider.
  • Can be new market entrants or existing retailers.
  • Companies like Aurora Energy that use these solutions to manage demand and network issues.
  • Can also be the Transmission System Operator, Grid owner, or other EDBs.
  • Retailers may offer discounts to customers with flexibility resources.