The vocabulary of electric flexibility

An activation is the moment when an asset modulates its electric power upwards or downwards to balance the grid.

An activation cost is a cost produced by an activation.

The upwards or downwards modulation of your power during an activation can produce costs.

The activation price is the price (in €/MWh) from which you accept to be activated. partir duquel vous acceptez d'être activés.

The activation price covers your activation costs and decides your place in the merit order.

You receive an activation remuneration when you really modulate your flexible power upwards or downwards. This remuneration is often in addition to the availability remuneration.

The activation remuneration covers your activation costs: an activation doesn't create a financial loss.

aFRR (Automated Frequency Restoration Reserve) is the electric reserve activated automatically in case of imbalances on the grid to balance them.

Flexcity proposes its aFRR service to its partners: they will have to modulate their electric power upwards or downwards within a few minutes and several times a day.

Flexcity is an aggregator of electric flexibility who gathers different assets to create a virtual power plant (VPP) and propose their power to the TSO. An aggregator of electric flexibility supports the power grid to maintain the balance between consumption and consumption.

The availability of an asset is the moment(s) when the asset can ensure a potential activation. 

An availability price is the price (in €/MW/h) at which your electric flexibility is reserved to be potentially activated.  These reservations happen during biddings organized by the GRT who reserves the cheapest flexible powers. Flexcity manages your electric flexibility during these biddings to offer them at the best prices. 

If your electric flexibility is not selected, you won't receive any remuneration and you won't be activated. 

You receive an availability remuneration when you offer your electric flexibility to the market to be activated if needed.

You receive a remuneration even if your flexible power is not activated. When you power is activated, then you receive an activation remuneration.

Demand Response is, at a specific moment, the capacity of a consuming asset: 

• to decrease its consumption when there is a lack of electricity on the grid.
• to increase its consumption when there is an excess of electricity on the grid.

An electric consumption is the energy quantity used to run an asset, a process.

An asset consuming electricity can have a flexible potential as soon as it can consume upwards and/or downwards.

Electric flexibility is the capacity of an electric asset to modulate its consumption or production upwards and/or downwards. Flexcity is an aggregator of electric flexibility.

An electric production is the quantity of energy produced by an asset, a process.

Your asset producing electricity can have a flexible potential as soon as it can produce electricity upwards and/or downwards. 

Electric reserves are mechanisms implemented by the TSOs to ensure the balance of their power grid. 

They gather different assets whose power can be offered to the TSOs by aggregators of electric flexibility such as Flexcity. The reserves are used in case of imbalance by the activation of participating assets. (Example of electric reserves: FCR, aFRR, mFRR).

FCR (Frequency Containment Reserve) is the electric reserve activated automatically in case of imbalances on the grid to balance them.

Flexcity installs a box on your site, the Flexcity Box, to valorize the electric flexibility of your asset(s). This box can be adjusted to the specificities of your site and the different services of electric flexibility.

An imbalance is an imbalance between electricity production and consumption happening on the power grid, leading to (sometimes important) variations in prices.

Flexcity proposes a service of imbalance optimization to capture an additional remuneration and avoid energy costs due to price variations.

The merit order is a principle of financial efficiency: the TSO reserves and activates the cheaper flexible capacities in priority.

mFRR (Manually Frequency Restoration Reserve) is activated manually to restore the frequency of the grid in case of important imbalances. 

Flexcity proposes mFRR services to its partners: they will have to modulate their electric power upwards or downwards within a few minutes and a few times in the year. 

Before participating in the market of electric flexibility, the TSO organizes a test simulating an activation to confirm the real existence of a flexible capacity.  Flexcity accompanies you during this test. 

TSOs or Transmission System Operators manage the entirety (or a part) of the energy transmission network (gas and electricity). 

The TSO has to ensure the continuous electricity supply of its geographical territory while paying attention to the balancing of its grid (in other words the stability between electric  production and consumption) by implementing different mechanisms such as the electric reserves.