The Smart Energy Demand Coalition welcomes Electric Ireland and DONG Energy as new members
In the past year alone The Smart Energy Demand Coalition has grown by 17 new members
Electric Ireland and DONG Energy are the latest European utilities to join the Smart Energy Demand Coalition (SEDC), Europe’s industry group dedicated to promoting the requirements of demand side programmes in the European electricity markets.
Electric Ireland, the Energy Supply business of ESB Group, Ireland’s leading utility, is a supplier participant in the next phase of National Smart Metering Programme (NSMP) and a valuable new addition to the Coalition. Electric Ireland’s membership is testimony to the increasing interest amongst Europe’s utilities in activating the demand side of the energy value chain.
Eamonn Allen, Manager for Business Process & IT at Electric Ireland emphasised the importance of timing: “In Ireland, the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) has recently made the decision to progress with phase two of the NSMP, which covers Planning, Requirements, Definition, Procurement and Selection. By joining the SEDC, Electric Ireland will gain access to a community of expertise on demand side programmes, intelligence and information gathering which the SEDC does on behalf of its members.’
Earlier this year Denmark’s DONG Energy joined the SEDC. Founded in 2006 from a merger involving six Danish energy companies, DONG Energy is one of the leading energy groups in Northern Europe. With the company’s long-term vision to provide clean and reliable energy, DONG Energy is naturally interested in demand side management.
“As a world leader in wind power DONG Energy knows very well the basic needs for inventing new ways to balance the future low carbon power system, this is the reason why DONG Energy have developed the virtual power plant ‘Power Hub’”, confirmed DONG Energy’s Lead IT Architect, Anders Birke. “When working with VPPs, the SEDC is the obvious choice as a community for sharing knowledge and seeking business partnerships. The SEDC is also much needed to convince the regulators about the need of adapting the power systems’ regulatory regime to welcome services based on aggregation of distributed energy resources.”
The SEDC’s Executive Director, Jessica Stromback, underscores the importance of having utilities on board at the SEDC: “Having forward-thinking utilities such as Electric Ireland and DONG Energy complements the SEDC ‘s diverse and fast growing membership base which includes grid operators, technology providers, smart meter manufacturers and NGOs amongst others. Needless to say, energy retailers and utlities will be at the forefront in implementing demand side programmes and it is the SEDC’s mission to be the forum within which Europe’s key players in Demand Response come together and find solutions.”
The Smart Energy Demand Coalition (SEDC)
The SEDC is an industry group, which represents the requirements of programs involving smart energy demand in order to further the development of the Smart Grid and ensure improved end-consumer benefits.
The SEDC Vision is to promote the active participation by the demand side in European electricity markets – ensure consumer benefits, increase security of supply and reduce carbon emissions.
The SEDC focus is to promote Demand Side programs such as, Demand Response, energy usage feedback and information, smart home, in-home and in-building automation, electric vehicle charging management, and other programs related to making demand a smart, interactive part of the energy value.
The views expressed in this document represent the views of the SEDC as an organization but not necessarily the point of view of any specific SEDC member.
