Herald and Times subscribes to demand response

Newspaper group connects to Flexitricity’s growing network of virtual power stations.

A leading Scottish publisher has got the scoop on demand response by becoming the first newspaper group to become a partner with Edinburgh-based aggregator, Flexitricity.

The Herald and Times Group, owned by Newsquest Media Group Ltd, is helping to keep the lights on in Scotland by allowing the National Grid access to its back up generation assets during times of peak demand.

In return, the firm is set to secure new revenue worth up to £250,000 over five years, with no impact on its ordinary day-to-day business. Stuart McLean, print centre manager at Herald and Times Group, said: “We had previously been unaware of demand response and hadn’t realised its merits in terms of generating new revenue for our business. Our back-up generators - which are kept to ensure our newspaper titles including the Herald and Evening Times always go to print, even in a blackout – are now being utilised as an energy asset, helping to support Scotland’s energy security through this essential service.

“What’s more, the revenue generated will be invested in new projects within the business, helping to support jobs and growth in Scotland’s media industry.”

Flexitricity will work with the publisher to deliver a range of demand response services to National Grid, including STOR (reducing demand or increasing generation at short notice) and Triad management (supporting the Grid during peak demand).

By connecting to Flexitricity’s network, the Herald and Times Group will also be participating in the Capacity Market – the UK Government scheme designed to secure new sources of energy generation over the coming years.

Ron Ramage, Chief Executive Officer at Flexitricity, said: “The Herald and Times Group is a very welcome addition to our Scottish Energy Partner portfolio, where we’ve been ambitious to grow as a business.

“Publishing is an extremely competitive sector where small margins can make a huge difference. By connecting to our network, companies like The Herald and Times Group have the opportunity to avoid costs and significantly boost their revenue with no adverse impact on their day-to-day business.

“Similarly, those partners with on-site generation capability could be called upon to deliver additional power for short periods. It’s a fully automated service with 24/7 monitoring available to all our Energy Partners from our Edinburgh based control room.”

Flexitricity is now working alongside Dumbarton-based ESE Ltd, who are delivering the enabling works required to connect Herald and Times to the Flexitricity control room to allow participation.

For more information about Demand Response visit www.flexitricity.com

more information about ESE Ltd, visit www.esenergyltd.com <... by Weber Shandwick on behalf of Flexitricity.

For more information or high resolution images please contact:

Dyan Owen: 0141 333 0557/ 07738 086 818/ dowen@webershandwick.com

Steven Flanagan: 0141 333 0557/ 07557 210989/  sflanagan@webershandwick.com

Notes to Editors

About Flexitricity

Flexitricity partners with businesses throughout the UK to provide reserve electricity to National Grid.

The word “Flexitricity” means “Flexible Electricity”. The company looks for flexibility in electricity consumption and generation, creating revenue for energy users and generators using the flexibility they find.

Flexitricity was founded in 2004 by Dr Alastair Martin, a professional energy engineer with experience ranging from gigawatt-scale coal and nuclear power stations.

Based in Edinburgh, the company introduced the concept of aggregated load management and flexible generation. 

National Grid’s estimate of savings to consumers can be found at: http://www.nationalgridconnecting.com/how-dsr-could-transform-our-energy-system/