The DSO Operations team supports Distributed Energy Resource customers to help our complex system of flexible connections run smoothly.
Flexible connections
Across our network, we’ve connected around 800 generation sites, including enough renewable energy to power 3.5m homes.
In certain areas, such a large volume of distributed generation creates constraints on capacity, voltage or reverse power flows. Traditionally, this meant that new generators looking to connect would need to spend time and money on physical network upgrades to remove those constraints before they could connect.
Flexible connections allow owners of distributed generation to connect cheaper and faster by removing the upfront cost and time of network reinforcement. All generators need to do is agree to temporarily reduce the amount of energy they export at certain times to keep our network within its operational limits.
Flexible connections are part of our world-leading approach to using a Distributed Energy Resources Management System (DERMS).
DSO Operations team
To help this complex system run smoothly, UK Power Networks’ DSO has a dedicated DSO Operations team, specifically supporting DER customers.
Based in the DNO Control Room, they work collaboratively with teams including Flexibility Markets and our DNO Control Engineers to ensure that flexibility services are effectively dispatched and monitored for our flexibly connected customers.
You can contact the DSO Operations team seven days a week, from 8am to 8pm.
The DSO Operations team is split into three separate functions:
Power Systems Engineer
DSO Power Systems Engineers manage and monitor all the Distributed Energy Resources (DER) customers, balancing supply and demand in flexibility services. They are focused on giving expedited, accurate data with 100% transparency. This service works alongside Network Control to:
- React to faults (alarm monitoring)
- Proactively manage planned works affecting our customers and associated network
- Check and commission schemes
- Monitor curtailment and proactively minimise interruption
Planning Engineer
DSO Operational Planning assess all outages affecting flexible DERs to ensure they can run smoothly. They work alongside DNO Outage Planning to challenge decisions to help reduce curtailment. DSO Operational Planning are responsible for reporting three week ahead and day ahead DER generation restrictions.
DER Support
The DER Support team provides a single point of contact for all DERs and deals with any incoming DER enquiries, such as outage information and curtailment history. They monitor all ongoing faults and issues and track these through to completion to ensure our customers are kept fully informed throughout.
Day ahead reporting
To help you plan ahead, these operational plan reports outline proposed and planned outages across our three licence areas.
View day ahead reports
Got a question?
You can contact the DSO Operations team seven days a week, from 8am to 8pm.
dsooperations@ukpowernetworks.co.uk
Tel 0203 660 2160
Your chance to learn more
Our team holds numerous events from breakfast briefings to conferences – your opportunity to make your voice heard and learn more about our service.
View events
Looking to connect low carbon technologies to our network?
Find out more about the connection process:
For domestic connections
For commercial connections
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