EVALUATION

AN INDEPENDENT EVALUATION OF THE LCNF
Low Carbon London
Project Title
Low Carbon London
Tier Tier 2
DNO
UK Power Networks
Status
Complete
LCNF project funding £21.7m
Project objectives Low Carbon London developed a new approach to distribution network management to meet growing demand from emerging
low carbon technologies such as electric vehicles, heat pumps and distributed generation. It focused on carbon reduction and
the need to reduce dependency on conventional reinforcement.
Commercial solution: included multipartite contracts between EDF Energy Networks, National Grid, aggregators, suppliers,
and industrial & commercial customers; energy efficiency consultation; contracts with distributed generation for network support;
and Time of Use tariffs to support residential and SME peak demand management.
Technical solution: included an active network management system with half hourly inputs from at least 5,000 smart meters,
marshalled through a head end solution; and an operational data store (with complex event processing integrated with an
existing network management system).
Assessment
Criteria
Accelerates the
development of a low carbon energy
sector
Score
(1-5)
5
Overview of assessment, sources of evidence and comments
Assessment:
The project clearly facilitates the connection of low carbon generation or demand.
The carbon benefits are quantified in terms of enabling the connection of LCTs.
Evidence:
LCL successfully demonstrated the use of a number of technical and commercial mechanisms (See
objectives above) that will defer reinforcement costs for the connection of LCTs.
Carbon benefits were assessed directly as part of the LCL project at a ‘per intervention’ level. The revised
NPV estimate of carbon benefits is £8.6bn, a reduction from the original estimate of £25.8bn, reflecting a
reduced contribution anticipated from Heat Pumps, a fall in DECC’s estimate of carbon abatement costs,
and most significantly a fall in the underlying forecast of grid carbon intensity.
References:
• LCL project closedown report; March 2015.
PÖYRY MANAGEMENT CONSULTING
October 2016
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