National Grid and Piclo Announce Strategic Partnership to Enhance Local Flexibility Markets

With over 60,000 assets listed on Piclo, more than 150 flex sellers will have direct access to National Grid's Low Voltage Flexibility Opportunities starting in January 2024, with the aim of trading over 90MW of local flexibility.

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Piclo CEO and Co-founder, James Johnston, said: “This collaboration is all about unlocking the potential of market interoperability. For the first time, FSPs have a choice regarding how they experience and interact with UK flex markets. It’s a significant milestone for market accessibility and a critical step towards enabling revenue stacking”.

Given the growing significance of flexibility in the energy system of the United Kingdom, National Grid is dedicated to optimising market participation while streamlining the FSP process. To that end, National Grid and Piclo are collaborating to develop Market Gateway platform interfaces that will allow FSPs using the Piclo platform to easily access and take part in National Grid's distribution flexibility market areas.

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Matt Watson, Head of Commercial and Operability at National Grid, said: “This is our first step towards opening up our Market Gateway platform for wider market entry and the interfaces we’re developing with Piclo will provide FSPs with greater choice on how they enter the distribution flexibility market. We hope to see an increase in the offers available to us and importantly we’ll be able to make fair decisions on market clearing regardless of which platform the FSP trades through.”

About Piclo 

Piclo’s mission is to decarbonise the grid. They develop software solutions that make their energy networks smarter, flexible and more sustainable. Piclo Max, their market access platform, enables flex sellers (such as EV and battery owners) to access all electricity markets from one place. Piclo Flex, their flexibility services marketplace, enables flex buyers (system operators) to source flexible electricity from flex sellers during times of high demand or low supply. 

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About National Grid

National Grid Electricity Distribution operates the electricity transmission network in England and Wales and is the distribution network operator for the Midlands, South West England and South Wales. National Grid is committed to creating a smarter, more efficient energy system for customers – and to helping the UK achieve net zero – through its industry-leading innovation programme. 

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