The energy flexibility divide: An analysis of whether energy flexibility could help reduce deprivation in Great Britain

Abstract

The provision of energy flexibility services (such as shifting consumption) to electricity systems is becoming increasingly valuable, and can offer additional income for households. Here, we show how the locational distribution of flexibility impacts its value, and whether this could help reduce deprivation in Great Britain. Geospatial analysis shows that nearly 90 % of people (1.3 million) living in the most deprived areas of Greater London can offer high-value flexibility. This could help improve their economic condition, provided that the adoption of appropriate appliances (such as demand response devices) is incentivised, e.g. through government's spatially targeted incentive schemes. The results show that the provision of flexibility could help reduce deprivation in several regions, including Scotland, Greater London, and Yorkshire. By contrast, other areas such as North and North-East England tend to offer lower-value flexibility, and therefore the benefit would be smaller. A flexibility-adjusted deprivation index is proposed to highlight regions where providing flexibility may most help reduce deprivation.