Innovative technology unlocks revenue-generating potential of existing assets for commercial energy users and small generators

Edinburgh, Scotland – June 15, 2010 – A UK company, Flexitricity (www.flexitricity.com) could unlock revenue streams worth millions of pounds annually to private industry, and help reduce Britain’s carbon footprint, using a unique system that harnesses the hidden flexible capabilities of existing commercial energy assets, such as standby generators, electricity consuming equipment, combined heat and power (CHP) generators and hydro generators.

Using its advanced and patented aggregation technology, Flexitricity’s clients, such as the ExCeL London and other significant business users of power, are using their existing energy assets, such as standby power generators, to earn substantial revenues while contributing to the stability and reliability of the UK’s electricity supply.

The number of megawatts under Flexitricity’s management climbs every month as the company signs up new clients across the UK. Flexitricity is already capable of replacing the output of virtually any of the UK’s on-shore wind farms, should one be disconnected in an emergency. It expects to grow large enough in 2011 to be able to replace one coal-fired power generator. Its next capacity milestone will give it capacity equivalent to the electricity consumption of a city the size of Manchester. At that point, Flexitricity expects to be reducing the UK electricity industry’s annual emissions of CO₂ by at least 480,000 tonnes.

Flexitricity has developed new ways of addressing imbalance between electricity supply to demand, thereby reducing energy costs and improving the overall environmental performance of the electricity industry. Flexitricity’s smart-grid technology turns on small generators or turns down the electricity consumption of clients’ sites when the national electricity system is under stress. This brings new revenue and increased energy-asset reliability to UK businesses and reduces carbon emissions in the national electricity system. It also makes the generation of renewable energy much more viable, because it provides a vital, low-carbon backup to offset the variability associated with wind, wave and solar power generation.

“Flexitricity partners with the National Grid to stabilise and support electricity networks, by levering the assets of commercial energy users and small generator owners,” said Dr. Alastair Martin, Flexitricity founder and managing director. “This, in turn, opens up new revenues for those businesses and organisations. Those with standby generators also see an increase in the reliability of their equipment, and all our clients help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the country’s electricity system.

“The ‘smart grid’ is a key element of energy and environment strategy for the new UK coalition government, and Flexitricity can deliver on many of its key targets. UK carbon commitments might seem ambitious now, but there’s much more to come. Business energy users who are smart about their electricity use and generation are better placed to benefit from the drive for ever-higher energy and fiscal efficiency. Working with Flexitricity makes sense today and is a prudent approach to the changes in energy policy and economics which most observers are predicting.”

“Flexitricity’s aggregated reserve capacity can play a major part in addressing the critical challenges facing the UK’s future energy requirements,” Martin added. “By aggregating smaller electricity generators, we make it unnecessary to keep the older coal- or oil-burning power generators operating inefficiently at part load or on hot standby. There is more than enough unexploited capacity in the hands of industrial and commercial energy users to provide all of the reserve electricity that National Grid requires until 2020 without building a single additional power station.”

There are several compelling business drivers behind Flexitricity’s quick successes and its promising future. With their corporate social responsibility programs, UK businesses are striving to find ways to reduce carbon emissions on the micro level, while remaining conscious of macro-level power generation and its impact on the environment. Additionally, many renewable energy sources such as wind and solar do not generate power in a steady and controllable way, meaning that as more renewable power stations come online, National Grid will need even more sources of reserve electricity to which it can turn when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine.

Flexitricity’s clients like both the revenue they earn and the contribution they’re making to a greener Britain. One such partner is ExCeL London, the massive 1,000,000 square feet conference centre at Docklands.

“The Flexitricity deal allows us to provide electricity back onto the Grid and to provide us with a revenue for doing so,” said ExCeL Energy manager Chris Barnes. “ExCeL is very keen to extend its green credentials, so anything that we can do is obviously a plus. When it first started, we used to watch the generators running every time, but now we just let them run and we know it’s going to happen because it is so well managed by Flexitricity.”

Two other partners are Rainbow Growers Group and Kaaij Greenhouses UK, both based at the Thanet Earth complex in Kent, where they operate massive greenhouses producing tomatoes and peppers respectively, for the UK supermarket sector.

“In the summer period we don’t need both our generators running continuously, so we declare ourselves available to Flexitricity,” explained Rainbow Growers’ production manager Pleun van Malkenhorst. “When the National Grid has a high demand for power, Flexitricity can remotely switch on the engine that we've got here. We have got a fixed income per hour that we are available and when we get called on to run we get an additional fee.”

"We are reducing costs and earning revenue, using equipment which is already in place for our normal operations, and we’re reducing carbon emissions while we do it.” said Gert van Straalen, managing director of Kaaij Greenhouses UK. “Flexitricity’s smart grid approach allows us to do this while we get on with our day jobs – producing great tomatoes for UK consumers.”

Flexitricity, which was a Cleantech 100 company in 2008 and has been successful in several national prestigious awards competitions, is now actively seeking to expand its operations and client base throughout the UK. For more information on the company, visit www.flexitricity.com.

Media & analysts contact:

Maurice Smith for Flexitricity
TVI
Phone: +44 (0) 141 564 2241
Email: Maurice.smith@tvi-ltd.co.uk

John Morton for Flexitricity
TVI
Phone: +44 (0) 7515 352 461
Email: john.morton@tvi-ltd.co.uk

Linda Forrest for Flexitricity
inmedia Public Relations
Phone: +1-613-983-3300
Email: lforrest@inmedia.com
Twitter: @LindaForrest
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lindaforrest

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